The literal translation of contorno, or the plural of contorni, is “outline” or “border.” It comes from the verb contornare, or “to surround.” But used in its culinary form, what the contorni surround is the main course. They are the all-important side dishes that accompany an entrée. Those are the recipes you’ll find in this chapter.

In Italian restaurants contorni are frequently ordered for the table of diners because unlike in other restaurants where the entrée plate is garnished by the chef with an appropriate combination of vegetables and carbohydrates, that does not happen often in Italy. So the side dishes become a category of their own, to be shared by diners regardless of what protein will be on their plates.

As is true with all recipes in this book, the side dishes emerging from the slow cooker are soft, not crisp-tender. But there is a wide range of vegetables that take well to braising, as well as bean dishes and grains. Each of these recipes have a character all their own too.