Amuse the Senses
Use Taste, Touch, Sound, Smell, and Sight to Create Wholly Sensuous Experiences
Italy is an utter celebration of the senses, resplendent with over-the-top artistry and lavishness. But amid all the grandeur, ornamentation, and excess, Italians also find joy in simple pleasures, be it a shot of morning espresso, a family walk through ancient olive groves, or a casual rendezvous with friends, regardless of the hour. Italy presents a paradox, merging the high culture and opulence of the Vatican, da Vinci, and Prada with the everyday delights of zippy Vespas, jars of Nutella, and freshly washed laundry drying on the line. It’s a place where you’ll see suave ragazzi twirling girls in the piazza, old men impeccably dressed in linen suits, and middle-aged nuns savoring the improbable combination of red wine and Coca-Cola. Life here is enjoyed through all the senses, with expressive hand gestures, flavorful meals, and r’s trilled in wonderful words like buongiorno.
I had my first meaningful encounter with Italian culture as a twenty-year-old studying art and literature in the Umbrian town of Orvieto, and the experience exhilarated me from beginning to end. All spring long a whirring hum of bees surrounded the hilltop city, pigeons cooed from rafters, lilacs spread their fragrance, and nettles stung my ankles on afternoon walks as monks from the nearby monastery called “Vieni qua!” (Come here!) to their big white dog, Lupo. Daily dishes of pasta and vegetables liberally topped with cheese became the norm, and weekly visits to the open-air market surprised me with produce like fava beans and brilliant green figs that I’d never seen before. Each new venture, mundane or marvelous, demanded my complete attention—I didn’t want to miss a thing.
My time spent in this ultra-aware state taught me that when our senses are completely engaged, the present is heightened and something special occurs: The more we see, taste, hear, smell, and feel the world around us, the more real, vibrant, and dynamic life becomes—we discover just how beautiful living truly is. Wabi-sabi describes beauty as something that happens to us; it’s an event that takes place between us and something else rather than just a pretty thing we admire. I think this “event” is what the Italians do so well, because their sensuous passion allows them to perceive and experience something extraordinary in otherwise ordinary things and moments. I’ve found the Italian way of life to be an exemplary teacher, as it models how to let beauty happen to us through our fingertips, taste buds, ears, eyes, and nose. Practicing hospitality allows us to create these sensorial moments of beauty for others—and for ourselves—and the following are just a few of the ways I’ve seen it done with lovely success.
The Sensuous Host
Greet with Gusto
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Italians are naturally expressive people; they gesture emphatically with their hands, talk vigorously, and aren’t afraid to kiss newcomers upon arrival. A warm, open-armed welcome from an Italian is something to remember: to experience it is to see a host express visible passion for every guest who passes through the door, and to understand that hospitality is something that can be shared through words, body language, and spirit. In fact, gusto in Italian actually means “flavor” or “taste,” and there’s never any question when I’ve been greeted with flavor versus something a little more, well, bland. Being met with a bit of liveliness always reassures me that my presence is desired—whether I’m in someone’s home, meeting friends at a restaurant, or at a casual backyard party.
There are many ways to show your guests that you’re truly glad to see them—greet them by name (and occasionally use it throughout any conversation), welcome them with touch (as noted in the California chapter), make eye contact, and readily say how appreciative you are of their presence. These acts of recognition can take place whether you’re hosting a party of one or thirty-five; every guest should feel entirely welcome.
You don’t have to be naturally extroverted to express these sentiments, either; quieter hosts can practice gusto in a way that feels personal and natural, too. My own way of connecting with newly arrived guests and friends is more often through subtle visual and physical cues, like an expressive face and a gentle touch, rather than by bounding across the room to throw my arms around someone. You can also receive your guests exuberantly by meeting them at the door with a cold drink, leading them toward the backyard or kitchen or wherever the action is, or literally popping an antipasto into their mouths upon their arrival. While these are all seemingly simple actions, a sensuous welcome makes us all feel more at home.
This festive gathering of friends and extended family was a celebration dinner in honor of a newly completed roof on a very old, traditional Italian country home. We were hosted by the local shoemaker of Orvieto, Federico Badia, and his wife, Hannah. The greetings that kicked off this get-together involved hugs, kisses, bottles of prosecco popping, toasts, cries of Ecco lo! (meaning something like “behold!”), and dogs barking. Gusto indeed.
A quiet, stolen moment seen through a window: a nun sweeping up after a wedding—the bride and groom left the chapel in a swirl of rose petals.
Embrace Insieme (Togetherness)
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Italians excel at togetherness, which they call insieme; no matter where you go throughout Italy, you’ll find countless groups of old men drinking cappuccini in town squares, teenage girls walking with cones of gelato, or big families dining alfresco on pasta and wine. Perhaps what I love most about Italian gatherings is that they’re nearly always intergenerational—grandfathers kiss babies while aunts chat with adolescent nephews, and grandmothers chop vegetables as their middle-aged sons select the wine. Gathering with all ages affirms that from the very young to the very old, everyone has an important place at the table. And because we’re enthralled by different things at different ages, these get-togethers also help us notice things that might otherwise go untasted, unseen, unheard, unfelt, or unsmelled. Small children pay attention to birds in the trees, teens hum the latest pop songs, adults fixate on the taste of roasted lamb, and grandparents take pleasure in the sun’s warmth and the scent of lavender in the air.
While the wabi-sabi concept often takes shape in quieter, more Zen-like practices (like sweeping the floor as a way of meditating, or drinking tea in the morning silence), I think it’s also about celebrating life in these communal experiences where everyone is honored and appreciated—whether young or old, wise or innocent, single or married, with children or without. Wabi-sabi means living in tune with one another and being humbly aware that everyone has something to offer, no matter their age or experience. I’ve discovered that whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed by my own problems, I only have to spend time with small children or the elderly to revive my senses and be reminded that I’m just a tiny piece in a world much bigger than me.
Togetherness can be as uncomplicated as a potluck at the park or an open-door policy for friends on Friday evenings. Maybe it means a weekly dinner with extended family, or a monthly Sunday dinner if parents live farther away. If you don’t have relatives living close by, try to establish a local family through a multigenerational group of friends. You might meet older or younger friends through work, or by volunteering, going to a place of worship, or walking around your neighborhood. Embracing family and intergenerational togetherness, like the Italians do so naturally, wakes us up to the wonders to be discovered at every age and stage of life.
The Sensuous Home
Fill Your Home with Fragrance
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Smell is indelibly linked to memory; even subtle fragrances can bring us instantly back to a moment, a person, or a place, whether or not we were aware of a lingering aroma at the time. Italy is abundantly fragrant, and nearly every place I’ve been has left me with something sweet to remember it by. Whenever I catch a hint of orange blossom, I’m transported back to Sorrento, a city on the Mediterranean where the streets are lined with orange trees and their essence fills the air. A whiff of wisteria sum-mons me to a flowering convent courtyard in Orvieto, and the warm, earthy scent of roasted chestnuts is firmly tied to Florence and the street vendors on every corner. I’ve always loved the feeling of walking into a familiar place or hugging a close friend and being overwhelmed by all the good associations that come with the smell, and I think this sensation can be powerfully comforting.
The same idea can be infused into your home with a fragrance that exemplifies you and how you want your space to feel. My Pacific Northwest friends have homes that smell of cedar, vetiver, leather, and wood smoke, and in California, my favorite homes emanate the aroma of freshly washed laundry, jasmine, and tuberose. Flooding your home with scent is the easy part—you can try candles, diffusers, room spray, real flowers, incense, or even just simmering water with a few drops of essential oil in it (which is one of my favorite ways to lightly infuse a space with fragrance). As with all things wabi-sabi, it’s important to stick close to nature; instead of overly sweet, syrupy combinations that come entirely from a test tube, I usually gravitate toward naturally occurring, single-origin smells like lavender, eucalyptus, geranium, sandalwood, vanilla, coconut, rose, cinnamon, citrus, gardenia, or other similarly earthy scents. Everyone has a different sense of smell, however, so find something that works for you and make it your signature scent, or at least your seasonal go-to. Whether you’re hosting an intimate or grand occasion, casual or fancy, mellow or lively, utilizing scent is a beautiful way to leave an impression and thoroughly amuse the senses.
Stefano Gazzura prepares for the ensuing dinner by sharpening his knives and slicing a variety of cured meats for the table. The simple arrangements were made of flowers and foliage collected from the garden and whatever was growing along the road.
Infuse Special Occasions with Festivity
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Italians truly know how to party, and by this I mean they celebrate special occasions with flair, be it a religious holiday or a nephew’s birthday. They rely on symbolism, ritual, and a bit of whimsy to mark meaningful milestones in memorable ways. Some of my favorite recollections in Italy involve holy festival days, when processionals of traditionally dressed townsfolk pulled barrels of wine-for-all through the streets, or when everyone observed the day after Easter, called Pasquetta (“little Easter”), with large picnics in the countryside. I’ve also been a part of celebrations in honor of newly finished roof renovations, the arrival of spring, and visitors in town. These days are worth acknowledging not merely because they represent important anniversaries but because people also set aside time, energy, and enthusiasm to honor even more mundane occurrences in a remarkable way.
Thankfully, making an occasion extraordinary doesn’t require months of planning, let alone hiring a rental company and a DJ; all it demands is a bit of thoughtfulness. A good rule of thumb is to consider all the senses and think about how you might appeal to each one. Different events and personalities call for varying forms of festivity, but some of my tried-and-true ways for inspiring celebration are hanging lights, having a fire (indoors or out), making a custom playlist, picking a seasonally appropriate scent (simmering spicy apple cider in winter or floral essential oils in spring), and filling the house with things like foraged arrangements or garlands, lots of candles, or an assortment of exceptional foods.
A willingness to stray from routine is perhaps the most important part of creating festivity. As much as I encourage you to delight in the mundane, extra-special occasions shared with friends and family are excellent opportunities to go all out. That said, “all out” is a relative term: it might simply mean cooking a well-loved but infrequently made meal and topping it off with a special beverage, an ice-cream sundae, and good old-fashioned dance music. Maybe the unexpected element is setting up a table in the backyard, arranging pillows and throws on the floor, or doing something unique for your guests, such as presenting each with a small gift, a poem, or a treat to take home. It’s crucial to keep in mind (as wabi-sabi continually reminds us) that the aim is never perfection. Finding festivity doesn’t mean resorting to what’s expensive, lavish, or trendy; it just means creating something that is heartfelt, personal, and meaningful for you, and hopefully for your guests, too.
Set the Mood with Music
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We all know that music—especially the right music—can radically alter our experiences; as with smell, we strongly associate it with particular feelings and memories we can’t always express verbally. The sadness of a breakup becomes encapsulated in a Ryan Adams album; the freedom of a road trip is conveyed by a Bob Dylan compilation. Music creates a totally “sensational” experience that helps us be more present and aware of whatever is happening around us, no matter the setting or occasion.
While Italy obviously isn’t the only place that delights in musical accompaniment, we only have to imagine an accordionist playing alongside a romantic pasta dinner to recognize that Italians excel at sensuous ambience. When I’m planning a get-together, whether it’s a lunch with my parents or a dinner party for twelve, I often picture the whole scenario as if it’s a film playing out before me. Setting the mood when we entertain is actually quite similar to setting a scene, since it’s all about creating an environment that evokes certain feelings, like coziness, calmness, or total exuberance. While we may not be able to accompany every life event with music, we can shape the mood of our shared occasions by picking a fitting sound track, whether we’re going for the drama of instrumental or the coolness of jazz. With so much music available to us these days, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be particular about how we “score” our gatherings.
If you’re not sure where to start, think of a handful of adjectives that describe the way you want your occasion to feel or how you want to feel as you’re hosting. Happy, lighthearted, playful, nostalgic, elegant, mysterious, romantic; each of these feelings conjures a different type of music. With just a bit of thoughtful exploration and selection, you can completely transform a nice occasion into a series of deeply felt, cinematic moments.
The Sensuous Table
Cook with Color
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Cooking with color brings a palpable sense of celebration and beauty to the table, and while bright hues don’t fall into the traditional wabi-sabi scheme, being mindful of colorful foods inspires seasonal eating, which in turn keeps us better in tune with what nature provides at the appropriate times—which is a very wabi-sabi way of being. Wabi-sabi encourages us to embrace how fleeting and transient everything is, including how short certain growing seasons are. As you may have noticed, each chapter has highlighted the importance of cooking locally and seasonally (and organically, when possible), and for good reason! Being conscientious consumers simplifies our options, not to mention makes us more aware of how, when, and where things grow. The tart taste of pale strawberries grown in November will never match the full pleasure of late-spring and early-summer varieties, a reminder that regardless of how antsy we get, seasonal foods are worth the wait. If something is at its most vibrant and flavorful, that’s a good indication it’s in peak season, so if we have a table or picnic blanket arrayed with a variety of hues, we’re likely doing pretty well.
Even though many of Italy’s staple foods come in rather muted tones—think of the beiges and blonds of pasta, bread, mozzarella, and white wine—the Italian table is full of color. Olive oil alone comes in a variety of shades, from pale yellows to brilliant greens, while vibrantly hued tomatoes, apricots, asparagus, plums, olives, eggplant, pistachios, melons, figs, lemons, and spinach create a dazzling spectrum. Cooking with color enriches the tasting palate as much as the visual palette: when, for example, you bite into a peach-colored melon wrapped in pink-tinged prosciutto and flecked with bright green mint or basil, these colors help signal to your mind that you’re enjoying something thoroughly spectacular.
Let Flavors Speak for Themselves
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Wabi-sabi always champions simplicity, and we can practice this in the kitchen by letting flavors sing on their own instead of masking them with unnecessarily complex combinations. My experience with Italian food is that it’s nearly always a feast of essential flavors that don’t require a lot of finagling, like the singular taste of ripe tomatoes, black truffles, Parmesan cheese, sage, arugula, balsamic vinegar, and hazelnuts. I recall a deceptively bland-looking but perfectly delicious pasta dish, seasoned with a bit of red pepper flakes; breakfasts of fig jam, spreadable cheese, and sweet crackers; square slices of pizza bianca, strong with thinly sliced onion; white bread slathered with fresh pesto made moments before. Keeping dishes and flavors uncomplicated is a nod to the wabi-sabi principle of doing more with less, teaching us to cook with economy while still celebrating flavors in their fullness.
I think we feel especially inclined to dress everything up when entertaining, but instead, use hosting as an opportunity to pare down. Make grapefruit wedges your appetizer, or perhaps a bowl of ripe grapes. Drizzle fresh tomato slices with just olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, and serve them as a side dish. Try keeping your entrée simple by limiting your pasta, meat, soup, or salad to just one or two dominant flavors. Buy a pint of gelato and eat it as is for dessert, or make affogato (vanilla gelato with a splash of espresso poured over the top). By drawing out exceptional flavors, we give our senses a chance to luxuriate in just one thing at a time. And these days, that’s a welcome pleasure.
Linger at the Table
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Idling around the table is a beautiful pastime shared by people all over the world, but with our increasingly busy, fragmented lives, it’s difficult to be together without countless interruptions and distractions. Not long after I began planning dinners professionally, I discovered that many guests were more interested in taking photographs of their food or “sharing” their experience than they were in engaging with other people at the table. Likewise, it can be difficult to dine out these days without feeling rushed, as restaurants try to turn their tables as quickly as possible. Not so in Italy! Italians are expert lingerers, whether eating at home or at a trattoria, which becomes painfully obvious when you suddenly realize the surrounding locals are still working on their antipasto while you’re anxiously summoning the waiter to bring the bill. Here, the focus is on the immersive experience of tasting, talking, and listening—rather than on quickly getting your fill of food or rushing to broadcast the event midstream. When we linger, it’s because we are consciously savoring the moment, hoping the experience won’t quickly come to an end.
Like so many other parts of life, we miss something important if we fail to truly “show up” at the table—and once we’re there, to settle in and stay for a while. Breaking bread together gives us a chance to pause, look around at one another, and be grateful for what we have. It’s an opportunity to set aside stresses and simply dwell in the present moment, which we can do much more easily if we’re entirely captivated by our setting. As hosts, we can create this kind of enveloping experience with a thoughtful, sensory environment, but also by modeling how to slow down and simply be. Lingering means allowing dinners to roll late into the night or brunching long into the day, without rushing to clear the table or clean a haphazard kitchen. It means putting aside the laundry, errands, phone calls, text messages, or social media and instead letting ourselves be entirely swept up in togetherness.
Whether you’re a host or a guest, some simple but useful tricks for relaxing at the table are to hide or turn off your gadget(s) entirely, take off your watch if you’re a chronic time-checker, and quickly remind yourself of your priorities before you gather. Don’t make other commitments surrounding your meal, since these will limit your ability to totally unwind. Give yourself a day or two afterward to deal with the cleanup and reorganization of the house. Being aware of what’s ultimately important makes it easier to say no to possible distractions along the way and to focus on the people and place at hand. Moments like these, in which we “lose” ourselves, are often the most long-lasting, significant memories we have.
Take a Passeggiata
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Immersing yourself in all the sights, sounds, and smells of your surrounding neighborhood and community can totally transform the way you feel about living there, creating the kind of attentive presence that wabi-sabi encourages. The loveliest tradition I’ve witnessed in Italy (and there are many) that inspires such immersion is the daily ritual of passeggiata—an all-ages evening stroll through the village or city streets; friends, young and old, walk together down cobblestone walkways, or simply sit on piazza benches as others mosey by. Italians consider passeggiata a time to congregate with friends or family, as well as to visit shopkeepers, decompress from the day, or purchase last-minute items for dinner. It’s a form of taking table-gathering out onto the streets, but in a completely communal, everyone’s-invited kind of way—and without the table. This regular occurrence is the ultimate expression of shared leisure, where instead of tuning out in front of the television (which can also be a necessary luxury), people gather to connect face-to-face, arm in arm. Instead of chat rooms, Instagram, or Tinder, there’s gossip on street corners and flirting over cones of gelato. While the walk itself may be a lazy amble, Italians take passeggiata seriously, usually dressing up and treating it as a real occasion. It’s something like the American tradition of the block party except that it happens every day, and everywhere.
While block parties seem to be few and far between these days (at least where I live), the closest thing I’ve experienced to passeggiata outside of Italy is at our weekly farmers’ markets or on big holidays, when my family often takes a walk on the beach following an afternoon feast. It seems everyone has the same idea on these days, as we run into friends and families from both around the neighborhood and across town. It’s an opportunity for catching up, slowing down, and simply enjoying the beauty of communal togetherness in real time, without the help (or hindrance) of technology. These special moments when the community gathers in the same place at the same time always leave me with a deep sense of belonging and a feeling of pride in this shared place we call home.
We can bring the spirit of passeggiata into our own neighborhoods, towns, and cities, even if we’re a long way from Italy and its accepted traditions; all this requires is the desire to step outside and connect with others around you in person on a regular basis. Maybe this simply means going on walks in an effort to meet your neighbors, inviting friends who live nearby to join you for evening strolls, or planning frequent meet-ups in the park. Perhaps you go as far as initiating a casual potluck for everyone on your street, hosting your own version of a block party. Whatever the case, I’ve discovered that knowing my neighbors and being connected to the people I live among makes me feel safer, more at home, and more deeply rooted to my community at large. While the Internet has done wonders for connecting us, participating in the here and now is vital to experiencing real, sensuous beauty and joy in the spaces where we’ve settled. In true wabi-sabi fashion, adopting our own form of passeggiata helps us be more sensuously present wherever we live.
Don’t hold back when greeting your guests. Kiss them on the cheeks; give a warm hug or handshake; share an anecdote that made you think of them that week . . . whatever it is, do it with warm enthusiasm.
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Find ways to incorporate friends of all ages into your gatherings. Invite families with young children over for dinner (especially if you don’t have any yourself), or extend a brunch invitation to your grandmother if she lives close by.
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Invest in a few scents that you love having around the house, whether that means buying a gardenia plant or picking up a candle or two. Start taking advantage of smell as a way to elevate your day, whether at home alone or while having dinner with a pal.
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Next time you have a special occasion to celebrate, like a birthday, anniversary, or graduation, consider one or two ways you might make it especially festive. For example, ask each guest to come with a story to share about the birthday girl, prepare a nostalgic menu that has significance to you and your guests, or throw a May Day brunch and send your friends home with flowers.
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Take a quiet night at home to craft a few playlists that might come in handy down the road. I always name my playlists based on specific seasons or moods, so when I have guests over I know what will be most fitting for the company and the occasion.
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Dress up your table with colorful foods, making choices based on what’s seasonally available. Keep in mind that the more (naturally occurring) colors you have on the table, the more vitamins and nutrients you’re likely absorbing as well!
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Stick to a menu that celebrates simple flavors. There’s no need to pick the most complicated recipes; instead, select a few dominant flavors that work well together, and use those to shape your meal.
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Some days require us to rush through eating, but when you have friends or family over for a meal, commit to mellowing out at the table. Have another plate of food, glass of wine, or piece of pie—whatever it takes to slow you down.
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Start taking an evening walk around your neighborhood before or after dinner. Stop and chat with familiar faces, or pop by the houses of friends who live nearby and invite them along for a stroll. Participating fully in the place where you live (noticing unique trees, smelling flowers, taking new walking routes, meeting your neighbors) will invigorate you to experience everything around you in a new way.
As with everything Italian-inspired, the table should be entirely sensuous, full of lovely but simple sights and smells. Bowls of lemons or apricots, a vase full of fragrant basil or lavender stalks, a dish or decanter of bright green olive oil—all of these will bring liveliness to the table without overdoing it. What makes an Italian meal memorable is rarely the decor, which is often quite understated, but rather the exquisite combination of flavors and colors that appeal to all of the senses. Instead of putting your energy into a grand tablescape, channel your efforts into a bright and flavorful homemade pesto, pizza, or tomato sauce. If you’re feeling especially adventurous (and have plenty of time on your hands), try making your own pasta. You won’t be disappointed by the smell and taste of the results, even if it looks a bit wonky. Accompany one bigger cooking effort (like pizza, pasta, or a meat dish) with some easier dishes and starters that can be assembled in a jiffy.
Melon and Prosciutto with Mint or Basil and White Balsamic Vinegar
It’s best to use an orange-fleshed melon for this combo, so look for cantaloupe, orange-fleshed honeydew, sugar kiss, Crenshaw, and so on.
Cut the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice into wedges, or smaller pieces if you prefer, and cut these in half lengthwise. I usually trim the peel from the wedges at this point, but you can also remove the peel at the beginning of the process.
Toss the wedges or half-wedges in a bowl with 2 to 3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar (a not-so-sweet melon will require less vinegar), a dash of salt, and very thin strips of fresh mint or basil leaves. Once the melon wedges are coated in this thin syrup, wrap each wedge in a piece of prosciutto roughly 1 to 2 inches wide (you can slice or simply rip the pieces down to size).
Plate and serve!
Fig or Pumpkin Pizza
For this particular version, I used both pumpkin butter and a bit of fig jam for the base. I also included slices of fennel sausage and prosciutto. It was delicious!
I first fell in love with figs (and fig jam) while in Italy, and also experienced my first pumpkin-based pizza at a little pizzeria in Orvieto called Charlie’s. Both have been favorites ever since. This recipe is always a winner even with the most traditional pizza-lovers.
Whether you’re going the fig or pumpkin route, start by finding a pizza dough recipe or a premade dough, and preheat the oven according to the recipe or package instructions, usually to between 400 and 500°F. Stretch and shape your dough on a baking sheet, or if you have a pizza stone, make sure you have a way to easily slide the assembled dough onto the warmed stone (like a paddle or well-floured parchment paper). If the dough is a bit thick even after being stretched, I suggest prebaking it for 7 to 10 minutes before adding any toppings.
If you’re making a fig pizza, use a fig jam as the base or fresh figs as a topping. If you’re using a fig jam base, first slather a bit of olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) onto the dough with the back of a spoon, then sprinkle with flaky salt. Next, spoon a thin layer of fig jam evenly over the surface.
If you opt to use fresh figs as the topping, add a touch of flavor to the olive oil by first whisking it together with maple syrup or honey, a pinch of salt, and crushed garlic (a clove or two will do).
If you’re using a pumpkin base, use the same process as with the fig jam. I suggest using a pumpkin butter since this will already be seasoned and tasty, versus just straight pumpkin puree, which is far less appealing (I speak here from experience).
For the topping of either pizza, layer a soft cheese like crumbly goat, ricotta, burrata, or fresh buffalo mozzarella onto the base. It’s not necessary to completely cover the base like you would with grated mozzarella—just generously dot the surface with crumbles, clumps, or slices.
Adding a protein is optional, of course, but I like slices of soppressata salami, prosciutto, or fennel sausage, sliced or crumbled and browned, on my pizza. I also like adding thinly sliced red onion or shallots at this stage.
Finally, top the pizza with a heaping pile of spinach or arugula. This is also when you scatter sliced fresh figs (halved or quartered) over the surface if you’re making a fig pizza. Feel free to drizzle more olive oil over everything, or use the olive oil and syrup mixture, if the pizza looks a little dry.
Baking time depends on whether you prebaked or not. If you did, the pizza will need only 5 to 10 minutes in a hot oven. Check frequently to make sure you don’t overcrisp.
Affogato
There’s hardly a simpler dessert to prepare than affogato. It’s the Italian word for “drowned,” and it consists of just a scoop or two of gelato doused with a shot of espresso. It’s getting easier and easier to find good gelato in the States, but ice cream can work, too.
My preference is to use plain vanilla, chocolate, or coffee gelato, but experiment as you like. Make sure to scoop it into a glass or mug that can handle hot liquid, and then pour espresso or coffee (about 3 tablespoons) over the top. If you feel like frilling it up just a touch, top with shaved chocolate, nuts, or dried coconut.
