Cooking with Italian Grandmothers: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily

298 Pages·2010·106.36 MB·English

by  Jessica Theroux

"Noone who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her
by
Illost solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surroundecl
generations of cooks past, the aclvice ancl Illenus
of cooks present, the wiscloIll of cookbook writers."
Laurie Colwin, writer

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Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily
CONTENTS
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FOREWORD by Jessica Theroux Menu Two
Lentil Soup with Turnips and Pounded Walnuts
9
INTRODUCTION by Alice Waters Cavolo Rosso (Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage)
Panna Cotta with Wine Syrup
Paste di Meliga (Piedmontese Cornmeal Biscuits)
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Milano, Lombardia
83
: Arezzo, Toscana
•
Menu One
Involtini di Mililno Three T lUcan Soups
(Slow-Braised Meat Rolls from the Province of Milan) Pappa al Pomodoro (Tomato-Bread Soup)
Polenta with Warm Cream and Gorgonzola Minestra di Fagioli con Riso (Cannellini Bean and Rice Soup)
Roasted Apples with Hazelnut, Bitter Chocolate, and Lemon Zest Cavolo Nero con Pane (Bread and Kale Soup)
Menu Two Two Contorn;
Osso Buco (Wine and Herb Braised Veal Shanks with Gremolilta) Patate Arrosti con Rosman·no
Risotta allil Mililnese (Saffron Risotto) (Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive Oil)
Carci'!fi (Caramelized Baby Artichokes with Garlic, Herbs, and Wine)
Menu Three
Cotoletle alia Milanese One Secondo
(Pan-Seared Breaded Veal Cutlets with Salsa TTerfh) Coniglio in Porchetta (Fennel Roasted Rabbit with Pancetta)
Crushed Baby Potatoes with Lemon and Chives
Spinaci con Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino
103
(Spinach with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Hot Pepper) , San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Toscana
Fragole al TTino (Wine-Soaked Strawberries with Whipped Cream)
Coniglio Frilto (Fried Rabbit)
Sugo di Coniglio (Rabbit Sauce)
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Lago di Como, Lombardia Coniglio in Bianco (White Wine Braised Rabbit)
Tortelloni di Zucca (Pumpkin Tortelloni with Brown Butter and Sage)
119
Pizzoccheri allil TTaltellinese Biassa, Liguria
(Buckwheat Noodles with Cabbage, Potato, and Mountain Cheese)
Torta di Grigna (Mountain Cocoa and Almond Cake) Menu One
La Miascia (Bread and Milk Cake with Pears and Dried Plums) Alici Lessate (Rosemary Steamed Anchovies)
Caramelized Orange-Chocolate Tart Lasagne al Pesto (Pesto Lasagna)
Menu Two
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Bra, Piemonte Cozze Ripiene (Stuffed Mussels)
Minestrone di TTerdura con Pesto (Vegetable Minestrone with Pesto)
Menu One Torta di Riso (Saffron-Rice Pie with Spiced Tomato Jam)
Bagna Cauda (Piedmontese Warm Garlic-Anchovy Dip)
Gnocchi di Semolil (Semolina Flour Gnocchz) Menu Three
•
Insalilte di Puntarella (Puntarellil Salad, Inside and Out) Porcini Fritti (Fried Fresh Porcini)
Pere Mockrnasse con Mandarle e Prugne Pappardelle con Sugo di Porcini
(Caramel-Poached Pears with Prunes, Almonds, and Cream) (Pappardelle Pasta with Porcini-Tomato Sauce)
145 231
Fosdinovo, Lunigiana Potenzon~ Calabria
The ChlcI.en BreaJ
Gallina Ripiena The Town Sourdough Bread
(Boiled Chicken Stuffed with Bread, Borage, and Parmesan) Sourdough Pancakes with Marmellata
Chicken Bone Broth Calabrian Bread Salad
Chicken Soup with Poached Eggs and Herbs Fresh Breadcrumbs
Sticky Tomato Fritatta
Roasted Leeks witb Eggs and Olives
249
: Etn. . Sicilia
Flour
Testaroli (Chewy Mountain Pancakes with Pesto) Menu One
Gnocchi con RagiJ. (Potato Gnocchi with Tomato-Beef Ragu) Sank a Baccafico
Pasta di Farro (Thick SpeJt Noodles with Walnut-Parsley Sauce) (Fresh Sardines with Bread Crumbs, Currants, ana Olives)
La Pignolata (Pine Nut Biscuit Cake) Spaghetti con Pomodori Scoppiati
(Spaghetti with Burst Tomatoes)
Croccante di Mandorla (Crunchy Almond Caramels)
171
. Senigallia, Le Marche
Menu Two
Apple Rum Cake Panelle (Chickpea Flour Fritters)
Plum-Almond Tart Grilled Tuna with Coriander and Mint
Hazelnut Breakfast Roll La Caponata (Fried Vegetables in a Tomato Sauce)
Persimmon-Cinnamon Ice Cream Blood Orange Gelato
Vincenzo's Pasta e Ceci (Creamy Chickpeas with Broken Pasta)
Vincenzo's Broccoli and Pine Nut Pasta
269
Lasagne di Vincisgrassi (Lasagna with Truflles and Prosciutto) U stica, Sicilia
Homemade Ricotta
203
CARLUCCI : Zambrone, Calabria Cauliflower and Ricotto al Forno
Roasted Green Cauliflower with Saffron, Currants, and
Menu One Ricotto Salata
Filej with White Beans, Red Onion, and Raw Tomato
(Hand-Rolled Calabrian Pasta) Two BreaI.fast Toasts
Roasted Broccoli Shoots with Olive Oil and Salt Fluffed Ricotto and Crunchy Sugar
Fichi Seechi Ripieni (Dried Figs with Walnuts and Fennel Seeds) Ricotta al Caffe (Ricotta with Coffee and Honey)
Menu Two
Frittelle di Fiori di Zucca (Fried Squash Blossom Bundles)
289
Braised Goat with Red Onions, Wild Fennel, and AFTERWORD by Jessica Theroux
Juniper Berries
Erbe Selvatiche (Wilted Wild Greens) Polpette di Bietola e Marmellata di Cipolla Rossa
Nocino (Walnut Liquor) (Chard-Sesame Balls and Red Onion Jam)
Walnut Black Pepper Cookies
292
Menu 'Three MAP: Jessica's Journey
Timpan di Patate
293
(Potato Pie with Prosciutto and Smoked Provola) INDEX
Peperoni al Forno (Roasted Peppers with Garlic and Parsley)
296
Fennel and Lemon Salad ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD
Th
Jessica e r x
0 U
This is a book about WOIllen and food and listening.
The art of good cooking lies in paying close care and attention. I learned this in Italy, from the mothers and grand
mothers whose homes and kitchens I lived in for more than a year. I learned this from Carluccia and her beans, from U sha
and her buttery cakes, from Armida and her chickens, from the cycles of the seasons, from the daily and seasonal hunger
and plenty that comes with living close to the land. Good cooking, the kind that feeds the soul and nourishes the body, is
the result of listening openly and acting simply. All of the women in this book taught me something about the power of
food to connect us; to ourselves, our history, our land, our culture, to our past and to the present moment.
Prior to going to Italy, my cooking had focused on food's ability to heal, both physically and psychologically.
Curing an intense childhood illness through diet and herbs at the age of eleven had proven to me the centrality of food
for wellbeing. This pivotal experience compelled me to focus on cooking delicious, nutrient-dense food as a livelihood. I
went to Italy after spending a number of years working with healing foods because I knew that there were other impor
tant things I needed to learn; in particular, I wanted to explore how food embodies our personal and collective histories.
Who better to teach me this than the grandmothers of Italy, a country that deeply values and protects its food traditions;
a country that's culture revolves largely around the kitchen table.
People often ask me how I found the twelve women who I documented during my travels. My method was simple:
I flew to Italy with a few personal contacts, and those provided through the organization Slow Food, and trusted that I
would find what I needed once I was there. The year began with these referrals, which then developed into more referrals.
As time passed, and I became more confident, I also started to move to the towns or regions I was drawn to. I would find a
room to rent and then begin asking around for the area's beloved female elders. Directions were followed along dirt roads
and to front doors, where I introduced myself and my work, and was then warmly welcomed in for the next big meal.
I learned many of the recipes in this book from the grandmothers I met. Others were created in response to a given
woman's cooking style, favorite ingredients, or the mood and sensibility that her character evoked for me. In keeping with
my background and training, the recipes and menus have been developed with an eye towards balance and nourishment.
My greatest hope is that this book will encourage you to pay the utmost attention to your life, and in particular
to your food and the people around you. What you discover could change your life.
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