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i always tend to lean towards italian flavors. they are so simple and satisfying. there are a lot of vegetarian options, beyond pasta; i.e. antipasti.

White wine (for light sauces with garlic)
Flat italian parsley

Toasted garlic, white wine, oregano, olive oil and fresh lemon for roasted chicken and fish.

what people named above, and also: fennel, citrus, balsamic and wine vinegar, (roasted) peppers, polenta, mushrooms (truffles, porcini, etc), sage, beans (cannellini), almonds, hazelnuts...

Sage! Oregano! My Italian friends are going to have my head for forgetting those...

I'll keep these posts updated with all the additions.

When I was a teenager I used to make the best marinara. Then I went to college and stopped cooking entirely. I never cooked my sauce from a recipe but I wish I had written down something...anything. A decade later and I still cant come close to that sauce.

The best rice for risotto really is arborio. You can (and I have) make it with other rice, but if you want that perfect creamy-but-al-dente flavor, arborio does it.

I'm Northern Italian so I'll add coarse cornmeal for polenta. Regular cornmeal is fine, though. If you use regular, you'll probably want to whisk it into the boiling water instead of simply stirring with a wooden spoon so you don't end up with lumps.

For BIG batches of polenta, you'll need a polenta stick (basically a dowel!) or you'll snap your spoons. And long sleeves. That stuff burns!

Just some random things...

Parmesan cheese is commercial, Romano cheese is better. :)
Ricotta cheese is also a fine choice, especially for stuffed pasta.

And um, artichokes? No. HELLO! MUSHROOMS!

You also have to keep in mind that different parts of Italy have different flavors and "staples" and ingredients... so not all "Italian food" is equal.