One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond

319 Pages·2012·8.43 MB·English

by  Valerie Bertinelli

For my mom and dad,
with love and gratitude

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
W RITING A COOKBOOK was always a dream for me, and this
first one has been an exciting adventure. I was helped by a
talented group of people, each of whom added a touch of
expertise and a pinch of brilliance.
It started with my editor Kathleen Hackett, a woman of exceptional patience
and knowledge. Without her, this book never would have been completed.
Recipe developer, Lesley Porcelli, too, was instrumental. She nimbly translated
“a dash of this and a knob of that” into precise recipes that taste just as they
should: delicious. Photographer Brian Bowen Smith and his team shot amazing
pictures at my California home and had way too much fun doing it. There, food
stylist Susan Sugarman turned out sauces, sandwiches, and pastas just like my
Nonnie, mother, and aunts did—with a lot of love. Prop stylist Dani Fisher set
such lovely tables that I have repeated them since. In the studio, food
photographer Quentin Bacon, food stylist Mariana Velasquez, and prop stylist
Lisa Lee made a formidable team. They made every dish look like art.
Putting recipes and images—archival and new in this case—together is an art
in and of itself and senior designer Kara Plikaitis did a beautiful job marrying the
two. Executive director of art and design Amy King created a fantastic, vibrant
cover. The executive team at Rodale clearly knows the recipe for taking care of
authors and successfully publishing books. My best to Maria Rodale and the
Rodale family. To Rodale Books publisher Stephen Perrine; Rodale Books and
Healthy Living Group general manager Dave Zinczenko; associate publisher
Beth Lamb; design director George Karabotsos; editorial director Elissa Altman;
and publicity directors Yelena Gitlin Nesbit and Aly Mostel—a very big thank
you. Senior managing editor Chris Krogermeier and senior project editor
Marilyn Hauptly kept all of the moving parts on track as well as managing the
copyediting and indexing of the book. Thanks to Angela Giannopoulos, assistant
managing editor, and Rodale Test Kitchen’s JoAnn Brader, manager, and
Jennifer Kushnier, assistant manager, for crunching all of those nutrition
numbers.
Special thanks to my pal Todd Gold. This is our third adventure in
publishing, and I look forward to many more. The dear Clara Martinez helped
me meet every deadline and more, and knows how to nudge me just enough to
get me going. To Roque, Eric, and Linda who made me look purdy for the shoot;
Jack and Marc, as always; Dan Strone at Trident Media Group; Lois, Rod, and
all at GR&F; Jamie for all the hard work behind the scenes; everyone at
Innovative; Heidi, Jill, Gabe and everyone at PMK for making it fun; and, of
course, all the amazing women in my family and my dear, sweet girlfriends who
have shared their passion for food and personal recipes over the years. They are
the real secret ingredients here. Food is always best when shared with people
you love.
CONTENTS
I
NTRODUCTION
Breakfast
Appetizers and Cocktails
Soups and Sandwiches
Salads
Main Courses
Sides
Desserts
I
NDEX

INTRODUCTION
I FELL IN LOVE with my husband, Tom, when we were making
dinner. I had already met and liked him, but I’m talking about the
moment when I felt the sweet flutter of desire and knew that one
day soon I was going to say those three incredible words that as a
single woman I uttered only to a bowl of pasta alle vongole or a slice
of walnut banana bread: I love you.
We were at the home of my brother, Pat, and his wife, Stacy. We all were
preparing the meal together. Tom and I had been assigned starters. He was
making shrimp appetizers, and I was topping crostinis with mozzarella,
prosciutto, and fresh basil leaves. As we worked, the two of us kept trading
glances and helping each other. Walls came down as we touched and tasted each
other’s ingredients. Soon all I wanted to do was to kiss Tom, and it turned out he
was thinking, “Wow, I could really spend the rest of my life with this woman.”
Now I can’t promise you that I know the recipe for finding love, but I do
know that finding the right recipes frequently results in that special feeling you
never want to forget. In One Dish at a Time, I have collected recipes from my
life that fit that description. Each one represents a food memory, past and
present. They have come from a lifetime of cooking, eating, and sharing meals
with those I love. In many cases, the people have made the meal, but the meal
has been what’s made those occasions unforgettable—and that’s what I am
hoping to share with you and hoping you end up sharing with others.
You’ll also find dishes that earned raves from Tom, his children, the ladies in
my book club, and my son Wolfie. The influences here range from childhood
memories to recent travels. I have included recipes from family and friends, like
my girlfriend Lynn’s brownies. One bite of those and you’ll feel like you’ve
known her for years, too.
In my mind, a good cookbook is about relationships. It’s a collection of love
stories. These are my love stories, beginning with my memories of being in my
Aunt Adeline’s basement kitchen as she, my grandmother, my Aunt Norma, and
my mother made dinner for the extended family. They worked on a large table,
kneading and rolling dough for gnocchi and cappelletti. Sauce simmered on the
stove, and the air was infused with garlic. You want to know what love smells
like? It smells like that basement.