Acknowledgments

Whenever I finish a new cookbook, someone invariably asks me how long it took me to write it. For this book, I would have to say that it has taken a lifetime. Many of the recipes are traditional ones that I grew up eating every day. I learned them by watching and cooking with my mother, grandmothers, relatives, and family friends. When I was older, other cooks inspired and taught me. I traveled in Italy, taking photos and making notes. I ate at friends’ homes and in restaurants, talked with produce vendors, chefs, and home cooks, visited growers and food producers, and read books and magazines on Italian cooking and even gardening. All of those experiences became a part of this book.

My thanks to all of those who have helped and taught and inspired me in so many different ways. I hope that this book will do the same for those who browse its pages.

Thank you to the great team at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt who contribute so much. Rux Martin, my editor, knows just what is needed to make my work so much better. Her appreciation, encouragement, and good humor mean a lot to me.

Photographer Alan Richardson always seems to know how to capture my feelings and express my ideas about Italian food with his evocative photos. It was a pleasure to work with him. And again, Karen Tack and Deb Donahue brought their creativity and style to the food and props.

Judith Sutton can always be relied upon for her careful reading of my work and thoughtful suggestions.

My grateful appreciation to Judith Weber, my agent and longtime friend, for years of good advice and sharing countless great meals.

Thank you to my husband, Charles, for all of his help, patience, and lots of good wine.

Introduction

What was the best thing you ate?” friends often ask me when I return from Italy. The answer they expect is something like silken pasta handmade by a smiling nonna in her farmhouse kitchen, or perhaps a dreamy new flavor of ice cream from a sleek Milanese gelateria. So, after a recent trip, no one was quite ready for me to rave about eggplant.

“You had a whole meal of eggplant?” one incredulous friend asked as I described a dinner that began with crispy eggplant cutlets served with a roasted tomato sauce, followed by pasta with eggplant and tomato almond pesto and, finally, eggplant towers oozing milky fresh mozzarella. I tried to explain how flavorful and satisfying everything was, but I don’t think she will believe me until she can taste these dishes herself.

Vegetables and fruits have always been at the heart of Italian cooking. That’s why when you visit an Italian neighborhood in this country, you often see vegetable gardens growing on every available patch of soil. Whether it is a fig tree in the backyard, tomatoes in a window box, or basil in a planter on the front porch, all are tended with loving care. In season and freshly picked, the fruits and vegetables are all the more delicious as a result.

In our small backyard in Brooklyn, my mother managed to coax tomatoes, cantaloupes, zucchini, and basil out of a tiny patch of earth surrounded by a sea of concrete. Each year she carefully preserved seeds from her summer harvest to plant the following summer.

On my first visit to Italy, as we drove from the airport to our hotel, I noticed little swatches of peppers, zucchini, and artichokes everywhere, even on the highway median strips. In cities and towns, tomatoes and basil flourished in recycled olive oil cans on terraces and window balconies. Fig, lemon, and peach trees abounded in front and backyards, bay and rosemary bushes lined the walks in the public parks, and blackberries thrived along country roads. Olive, pomegranate, and walnut trees shaded public squares, available for all to enjoy.

Because Italy was historically a poor country, eating meat was reserved mostly for special occasions. Fish, which might have been easy to catch, was more often sold than eaten. Since the country is blessed with fertile land and a long growing season (at least in Southern Italy), the most readily available foods have always been the fresh fruits, grains, legumes, herbs, nuts, and vegetables found growing wild or cultivated in even the smallest plots.

Resourceful cooks learned how to handle thorny nettles and tough cardoons. They cooked wild greens in soups or turned them into sauces or stews to top polenta or pasta. Fruits at their peak of flavor but on the verge of being overripe were transformed into jams, sauces, or tarts. With such a bounty of produce, all a good cook needed to add was a bit of creativity. And whether it comes to music, art, or cooking, Italians have never lacked for that.

In this book, I wanted to share some of the mouthwatering dishes I have tasted in my years of traveling through Italy. Many of the recipes were given to me by talented home cooks. I tasted other dishes in restaurants or gleaned them from the Italian cooking magazines and cookbooks I collect. Still other recipes were handed down by my grandparents, who came from the Naples area, or by my husband’s family, who were from Sicily. Traditional dishes like stuffed artichokes, sautéed mushrooms, and spinach (or other greens) with garlic and hot pepper taste as good today as they did when my mother made them for our family many years ago.

The recipes in this book all feature vegetables, grains, or fruits in some form, but you will notice that some contain small amounts of pancetta or anchovies, or suggest chicken broth as an alternative ingredient. Because I eat mostly vegetables but am not a vegetarian, I sometimes use these ingredients as a seasoning, the way Italians do. If you prefer to omit them, by all means do so. You can always amp up the flavor by adding a handful of olives, herbs, red pepper, or some chopped capers—whatever works best with the recipe.

Whether you are eliminating meat and fish from your diet, trying to introduce the occasional Meatless Monday, or just looking for new vegetable and fruit recipes to add to your repertoire, you will find lots of great choices in these pages. A handful of ingredients and a bit of time are all it takes to make a simple, satisfying meal. For example, for Orecchiette with Potatoes and Arugula, the potatoes and pasta cook in the same pot, the arugula is added, and they are then tossed with garlic and hot pepper. Radicchio and Grape Salad, perhaps accompanied with a wedge of fontina cheese, would be a perfect ending to this supper. Too hot to use the stove? Turn to Cold Cucumber Cream with Tomato Salsa, a delectable soup that requires no cooking. Follow that with Peach, Tomato, and Burrata Salad, and you have a meal that will leave you feeling refreshed.

Other recipes are so hearty that no one will even notice that they don’t include meat. See Sofia’s Eggplant-Rice Timbale, which consists of rice, eggplant, tomato sauce, and cheese baked in a casserole. Got leftover pasta? Mix it—any kind will do—with eggs, cooked vegetables, and cheese and bake it into a Pasta Torta. The result is so good you can serve it to company.

Italian holiday meals are often meatless. The double-crusted Easter Swiss Chard and Ricotta Pie, filled with ricotta, chard, and Parmesan, is ideal for a spring brunch. Serve it with Grilled Vegetables with Herb Dressing and finish the meal with a spectacular Two-Berry Tiramisu, layers of cream, sweet berries, and ladyfingers. Peach Cremolata alla Panna (with whipped cream) is a traditional Roman dessert that I make each year when blushing peaches are at their best and dripping with juice. On the lighter side, try the sophisticated Pear and Grappa Sorbet.

While Italians have devised countless techniques for preparing vegetables, none are difficult. Even those new to cooking will find plenty of uncomplicated recipes in this book. Italian cooks are not bound by strict rules, and you should feel free to use whatever vegetables or fruits look their best. If that means using collard greens instead of escarole, or adding watercress to a salad instead of arugula, or substituting ripe mangoes for peaches, go right ahead. Certain frozen vegetables can be a good alternative when you don’t have a chance to get to the market. Choosing what works at the moment is in the spirit of Italian cooking and will always result in the best food on your table.

Storing Vegetables and Fruits

Whether you buy your vegetables and fruits at the local farmers’ market or at the supermarket, the following tips will help you keep them fresh.

Vegetables and fruits need to breathe, so poke holes in their plastic bags before refrigerating them.
Store vegetables and fruits in separate drawers—some fruits, such as apples, release gases that can cause vegetables and other fruits to become overripe.
Remove rubber bands or ties, which can create bruising, from vegetables like spinach or broccoli.
Wash leafy greens just before you are ready to use them. First look them over and discard any wilted, bruised, or yellowing leaves or parts. Place the greens in a sink filled with cool water, swirling the greens, and wait a bit to allow any grit to sink to the bottom. Lift out the greens, drain and rinse out the sink, and add fresh water, then repeat until there are no traces of grit left in the sink. Three times is usually about right. You can also rinse in a salad spinner.
Some fruits are best kept at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator. These include tomatoes, bananas, pears, apples, melons, peaches, plums, and apricots. They will continue to ripen at room temperature and should be eaten or refrigerated once ripe. (Tomatoes, however, should never be refrigerated.)
Fruits such as berries, cherries, grapes, figs, and citrus should be refrigerated because they will ripen rapidly at room temperature and can spoil. If they are too cold when you are ready to eat them, put them in warm water for a few minutes to bring out their flavor.
Recently a number of products that claim to wash produce more thoroughly than just water have appeared on the market. None are worth the expense. But for extra protection against 98 percent of bacteria, you can spray whole vegetables and fruits with a mix of 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts fresh water. Keep the spray bottle near the sink, rinse the sprayed fruit or vegetables thoroughly to eliminate any vinegar taste, and dry with a clean dish towel or paper towels.

Apples

Apples can go from crisp to mushy quickly, so it is best to store them in the crisper in plastic bags with holes in them; keep them separate from vegetables and other fruits because of the gases they release (see above). Alternatively, to accelerate the ripening of peaches or bananas, store them in a bag with an apple or two. Wash apples just before using.

Asparagus

When buying asparagus, look for closed tips and crisp stems. Store them in the refrigerator, standing up in a bowl with an inch or two of cool water. When you are ready to cook it, rinse well in cool water. Trim off the stem ends at the point where the color turns from green to white.

For extra tenderness, you can peel thick asparagus before cooking, though I generally don’t bother. To peel, lay a spear on a cutting board and peel from below the tip to the stem end with a knife or a vegetable peeler. Turn the spear and continue all around. Thin asparagus does not need to be peeled.

Some cooks prefer thick asparagus, while others look for thin stalks. I think they are both good.

Berries

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries should be brightly colored and dry-looking. Moisture can encourage the growth of mold, so keep them dry and cool until you are ready to eat them. Even a small spot of mold can spread quickly and spoil a whole box of berries.

To store berries, lay a paper towel on a dinner plate and scatter the berries on it so that they are not crowded together; cover them lightly and refrigerate. When you’re ready to use them, place the berries in a strainer and rinse them gently with a spray of cool water. If they are very dirty, you can place the strainer in a large bowl of water (I use the strainer and bowl of my salad spinner) and give them a quick swirl, but don’t let them soak and absorb water. Shake the strainer gently or spin the berries to remove the excess water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Broccoli, Broccoli Rabe, and Cauliflower

Look for dark green bunches of broccoli, with no sign of yellowing. The stalks and any leaves should be crisp. Romanesco broccoli is a pale green variety whose head resembles a cluster of seashells. It has a mild flavor that is closer to cauliflower than broccoli.

Broccolini, a variety of broccoli developed in Japan in the 1990s, looks like a junior form of broccoli, with slender stems and smaller heads. The flavor is mild. It can be cooked just like broccoli.

Broccoli rabe, sometimes spelled raab or rape (pronounced rah-peh) or called rapini, has longer, narrower stems, more leaves, and smaller heads than regular broccoli. Sometimes you will see small yellow flowers; if there are a lot of these, the vegetable is probably too mature.

Cauliflower can be creamy white, orange, or purple. Look for clean heads with no bruises or browning.

To prepare members of the broccoli family for cooking, trim off the base of the stems, core cauliflower, and rinse in cool water.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts look like miniature cabbages, and in fact, they are a member of the same family of cruciferous vegetables. The freshest Brussels sprouts are green and white, with no yellowing or dark spots.

To prepare Brussels sprouts for cooking, rinse them in cool water. With a sharp knife, trim the base of each one.

Carrots

Carrots can be orange, yellow, white, or red. Buy carrots with stems on for freshness; both the stems and carrots should be fresh- and crisp-looking. At home, cut off all but one inch of the tops and store in the crisper in a plastic bag with holes poked in it. Precut carrots (so-called baby carrots) are just mature carrots cut small. They lack flavor and are sometimes treated with preservatives. I avoid them.

Cherries

Look for shiny, dark-colored red cherries with fresh green stems. Yellow Rainier cherries should be glossy and plump-looking. Store cherries in the refrigerator and wash in cool water just before serving.

Citrus Fruits

Oranges, lemons, clementines, and other citrus fruits should have shiny skins and a bright color, with no bruises, and feel heavy for their size. Brownish speckles on the skins of grapefruits and oranges are actually an indication of sweetness and good flavor. Citrus fruits should be stored loose in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

Eggplants

Eggplants can be big or small, long or round, purple, white, or striped, but regardless of their appearance, their flavor is pretty much the same. At one time, eggplants were always salted before cooking to draw out the bitter juices, but newer strains have been developed that do not require this step.

Look for firm eggplants with taut skin, green tops, and no rusty brown spots.

Fennel

Often mislabeled anise, fennel has a white bulb, green stems that resemble celery ribs, and fine pale green fronds. It has a mild licorice flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked.

Look for bulbs with no bruises or brown spots. Trim off the base of the bulb and remove the green stems before using.

Figs

Figs can be green, brown, black, or striped. Ripe figs spoil quickly, so look for fully ripe fruits and use them as soon as possible. They should be plump and soft. Italians like them best when there is a “teardrop in the eye”—a drop of nectar in the flower end of the fruit that indicates the perfect state of ripeness. White or grayish spots on the skin are an indication of mold, and such figs should be avoided. Don’t wash them until just before using. Italians often peel figs before eating them, but that is not necessary.

Green Beans

Look for beans that are deep green and crisp, with no bruises. Yellow or wax beans can be substituted for the green, since their flavor is very similar. Buy beans that are all about the same size so that they will cook evenly. Store them loosely wrapped in a plastic bag with holes poked in it in the refrigerator. Remove the stem end before cooking.

Leafy Greens

Spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, kale, escarole, lettuce, chicory, arugula, dandelion, nettles, and puntarelle are just a few of the leafy greens, both wild and cultivated, favored by Italian cooks. The handling and cooking methods are much the same for all of them, so use whatever looks best and is in season, adjusting the cooking time as needed.

Store greens in a plastic bag with holes in it in the refrigerator. Wash them well before using to eliminate any grit.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms should be kept dry and stored loosely wrapped in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Wash them just before cooking. If they are relatively clean, you can simply wipe them off with a damp paper towel. Wash dirtier fungi the same way as berries (see above).

Onions, Leeks, Scallions, and Garlic

Yellow onions are usually my first choice for cooking, but when I want a sweeter, milder onion for salads or certain recipes, I often use red onions. Cipollini, small onions that look slightly flattened, are good for cooking whole. If you can’t find cipollini, pearl onions are a good substitute.

Onions should be dry, with no bruises or sprouting. When buying onions packed in a mesh bag, use your nose—you may not be able to see inside the bag to tell whether the onions are spoiled, but you will certainly be able to smell spoilage. Onions can be stored in a dark, cool, dry place or in the refrigerator—whichever is more convenient.

To reduce the strength of the flavor of onions, slice or chop them, then soak them in cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water once or twice. Drain and pat dry before using.

Don’t let onions turn dark brown when sautéing them, or they will be bitter. If necessary, add a couple of tablespoons of water and lower the heat.

Scallions, also known as green onions, are either immature regular onions or a variety of onion that does not form big bulbs. They should be stored loosely wrapped in paper towels in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. To prepare them for cooking, slice off the root end and 2 or 3 inches of green at the tops.

Leeks look like giant scallions, but they have a tougher texture. Store them loosely wrapped in paper towels in the refrigerator. Trim off the root ends and most of the green tops before using. Leeks can be very sandy inside, so cut them lengthwise in half and wash them well in between the layers.

Fresh garlic is mild and sweet-tasting; look for plump heads with no traces of bruising or yellowing. The skin should look pearly and be attached to the cloves.

To peel a garlic clove, place it on a cutting board and lay the flat side of a heavy chef’s knife against it. Smack the knife with the heel of your hand to partially smash the garlic and crack open the skin. Cut off the end of the clove and remove the skin. Depending on the effect you want, garlic can be left whole, sliced, or chopped.

Where you want just a hint of garlic for sauces or dressings, use the peeled and lightly crushed clove. After the cooking or marinating, you can easily remove it before serving the dish. If you want more of a garlic presence in the dish, thinly slice or very finely chop the garlic. When sautéing, be careful not to let the finely cut garlic overcook and turn brown, or its flavor will be bitter. When you want the garlic to blend in completely, as in a stuffing or meatball mixture, grate the cloves on a Microplane grater (watch your fingers!). It does a great job and makes cleanup easy.

Pears

Pears range from pale green to yellow to brown or red, depending on the variety, and at least one variety or another is in season year-round. Pears should have smooth, firm skin with no blemishes. It’s always best to buy fruits that are slightly underripe and allow them to ripen at room temperature. Pears ripen from the inside out—to tell whether they are ready, press gently near the stem with your thumb; it should give slightly.

Peas

Fresh peas have a very short shelf life—they lose their sweetness and become starchy soon after they are picked. There is an old joke that when cooking corn, you should put a pot of water on to boil, then rush over to the field to pick a few ears; the same applies to peas. If you can, buy them at a farm stand and cook them as soon as possible. When really fresh peas aren’t available, frozen are a better alternative. Adding a tiny pinch of sugar to the cooking water can enhance the flavor of peas.

Peppers

Good raw or cooked, peppers start out green and turn red, brown, orange, or yellow as they ripen. Buy peppers with a firm, taut surface, bright green stems, and no bruises. Keep them in the refrigerator to prevent spoiling.

To seed a pepper quickly, stand it on a cutting board with the stem end up. With the blade of a large chef’s knife parallel to the stem and just beyond it, cut straight down to remove one quarter of the pepper. Turn the pepper and repeat, then continue all around until the pepper is in quarters. Discard the core, stem, and seeds, which should be in one piece.

Potatoes

Italian cooks use all-purpose potatoes. I use Yukon Golds or another small waxy potato.

Look for potatoes with a smooth, clean surface. Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place; any that sprout or turn greenish should be discarded.

Stone Fruits

Apricots, plums, peaches, and nectarines are called stone fruits because of their large pits. Store them on the countertop, where they will ripen in 1 to 3 days. A slight softening along the raised “seam” of peaches and nectarines indicates ripening. Once ripe, stone fruits can be stored in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for a few more days. They bruise easily, so handle them gently.

Tomatoes

I can be obsessive about tomatoes, because I cook with them often and like to use the best. In summer I grow some in pots on my terrace and supplement them with tomatoes from the farmers’ market.

Most of the year, though, I rely on canned tomatoes. Italian peeled tomatoes from the San Marzano region are the best, because they are picked when they are tender and fully ripe. Make sure the label says “product of Italy” or “produced in Italy,” or you are not getting the real thing.

Fresh tomatoes should always be kept at room temperature. Refrigerated, they become mealy and lose their flavor. Keep them stem side up on a countertop, out of the sun, and use them as soon as they are fully ripe.

Watermelons

Small yellow- and red-fleshed watermelons are a welcome sight in the summer. They are easy to carry home and store.

All watermelons, whether big or small, should have a smooth surface and feel heavy for their size. Store in the refrigerator.

Winter Squashes (Butternut, Acorn, Pumpkin, and other varieties)

With their beautiful colors, different textures, and sweet flavor, winter squashes are the stars of the fall table. Butternut is probably my favorite. Look for bright color and unblemished skin when choosing squashes. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Cutting winter squashes can be challenging, because they are so hard and unwieldy. Start by trimming off the stem end and base. Smaller squashes, such as acorn, can be cut in half and roasted, while larger squashes can be cut into pieces before peeling them. Scrape out the seeds (you can roast them to eat as a snack) and peel off the skin with a sharp vegetable peeler.

Zucchini and Other Summer Squashes

A most versatile vegetable, zucchini can be eaten raw or cooked, stuffed, stewed, fried, or in soup. Practically the whole plant is edible. Italians stuff and fry the flowers, and Sicilians cook the vines (known as tenerumi) and leaves in soup (see recipe).

There are many other different kinds of summer squashes, including yellow, ribbed green Romanesco, cucumber, and scallop. Buy unblemished squashes with smooth skins. Store them loosely wrapped in plastic bags in the refrigerator.

Grit can sometimes be embedded in the skin, so scrub them gently with a vegetable brush and then trim off the ends.