Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumption 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Beyond the Book 5
Where to Go from Here 5
Part 1: Introducing the Art of Italian Cooking 7
Chapter 1: Cooking the Italian Way: That’s Amore! 9
Appreciating How History and Geography Shaped Italian Cuisine 10
Back to Basics: Applying Ancient Strategies in the Modern Kitchen 11
Building on base recipes 12
Enjoying the seasons at the table 12
Get Ready, Get Set! 13
Gathering the tools you need and then some 14
Stocking important pantry items 14
Keeping courses and food pairings in mind 15
Get Cooking! Eyeing Authentic Italian Recipes 15
Chapter 2: Pizza, Pasta, and So Much More: Appreciating Italian Tradition 17
The Role of Culture in the Italian Kitchen 17
Touring Important Events in Italian Culinary History 18
How Romans and Greeks laid the foundation for Italian cuisine 19
How terrain and climate shaped regional cuisine 21
How foreign powers influenced cuisine across geographic locations 22
Mastering Time-Honored Italian Traditions 23
La bella figura: Using food to make a good impression 24
Staying the course: Italian meal planning 25
Pairing complimentary dishes 26
Chapter 3: Base Recipes: The Backbone of the Italian Kitchen 27
Introducing the BFFs of Italian Home Cooks 28
Waste not: Making breadcrumbs, crostini, and bruschette 28
Savory stocks: The unsung heroes 28
Beans and legumes provide boundless possibilities 29
Fruits and vegetables for the healthy win 30
Chapter 4: Cooking with an Eye on the Calendar 43
Seasonality in the Italian Kitchen 43
Sampling Everyday Menus for Every Season 44
A sample springtime meal 45
A sample summertime meal 46
A sample fall meal 47
A sample winter meal 47
Savoring Extended Sunday and Holiday Meals 49
Sunday suppers 49
Christmas and winter holiday menus 52
Lent, Easter, and spring holiday menus 53
Ferragosto and summer special occasion menus 56
Chapter 5: Stocking an Italian Pantry 59
Identifying Prized Italian Products 59
Geographic indicators make a difference 60
Looking for other important labeling 60
Choosing a quality olive oil 61
Weighing your wine options 64
Cooking from the Pantry 66
Keeping essentials on hand 67
A note about the products I prefer 70
Using pantry recipe formulas to create meals in minutes 71
Part 2: Appetizers and First Courses 73
Chapter 6: Starting Meals the Italian Way: Antipasti/ Appetizers and Aperitivi 75
Appreciating the Italian Appetizer 76
Noting Differences between Dining In (At Home) and Out in Italy 77
Enjoying antipasti at Italian eateries 77
Welcoming guests with appetizers at home 79
Following the aperitivo ritual 79
Making a delicious first impression: Antipasti recipes 80
Chapter 7: Dressing Dishes with Italian Sauces 89
A Delicate Balance: Combining Foods and Sauces 90
Preparing Traditional Sauce Recipes 91
Introducing Tomatoes: Modern Sauce Recipes 91
Chapter 8: Using Dried Pasta in Daily Meals 105
Dried Pasta Basics 106
Comparing homemade and dried pasta: Separate but equal 106
Considering quality when purchasing dried pasta 107
Preparing pasta “al dente” 108
Pairing Pasta with Sauces 108
Creating a Meal that Compliments Your Pasta Pairing 113
Chapter 9: Making Fresh Pasta: A Labor of Love 123
Stepping Inside the Pasta Maker’s Kitchen 124
Getting the Most Out of Your Pasta-Making Experience 125
Meeting Your Pasta Maker: Rolling Pin or Pasta Machine 126
Chapter 10: More Delicious First-Course Dishes 147
Moving Beyond Pasta: A Primo Primer 148
Risotto 148
Soups 149
Polenta 151
Gnocchi 153
Part 3: Main Courses, Side Dishes, and Salads 175
Chapter 11: Secondi/Main Courses: Fish and Seafood 177
Appreciating the Importance of Fish and Seafood in Italian Cuisine 178
The Feast of the Seven Fishes: An Italian American tradition 179
Celebrating Italian-style seafood recipes 180
Chapter 12: Secondi/Main Courses Take Two: Eggs and Poultry 191
Enjoying Eggs the Italian Way 192
Preparing Poultry Dishes Fit for an Italian Table 193
Chapter 13: Secondi/Main Courses Take Three: More Meats 205
Preparing Types of Meat in Traditional Italian Recipes 205
Goat 206
Veal 207
Lamb 208
Beef 208
Chapter 14: Adding Contorni: Authentic Vegetable Side Dishes 219
Making the Most of Seasonal Produce 220
Chapter 15: Insalate/Salads 233
Enjoying Italian Salads and Authentic Dressings 234
Dressing to impress 234
Adding variety to your salad course 234
Part 4: Breakfast and Other Sweet Treats, Baked Goods, And Desserts 245
Chapter 16: Starting Your Day With Colazione: Italian Breakfast 247
Keeping It Short and Sweet: What Italian Breakfasts Look Like 248
Biscotti and rusks 249
Breakfast cakes 249
Bomboloni and fried treats 250
Caffe to Go: An Italian Coffee Primer 250
Chapter 17: Fruit, Cheese, and Nuts: Bridging the Gap Between Dinner and Dessert 267
Fruit and Nut Plates 268
With Cheese: An Italian Cheese Primer 268
Exploring Italian cheese categories and types 269
Making a (cheese) course of it 271
Buying in to quality cheese production 272
Chapter 18: Classic Dolci/Desserts: Elevating the Everyday 283
Creating Classic Italian Desserts 284
Dolci al cucchiaio/“Spoon desserts” 284
Cake and pastry shop favorites 285
Chapter 19: Baking Treats for Holidays and Special Occasions 311
Baking Is Love Made Edible 311
Chapter 20: Making the Dough You Know and Love: Bread, Pizza, and Focaccia 327
Baking Bread: A Time-Honored Italian Tradition 328
Making a Premier Pizza Pie 331
Getting Familiar with Focaccia: A Bread for Many Occasions 332
Part 5: The Part of Tens 351
Chapter 21: Ten Commandments of Italian Cuisine 353
Honor Thy Food and Those Who Make It 353
Respect Culture and Tradition 354
Choose Your Ingredients Wisely 354
Waste Not, Want Not 354
Nonna’s Always Right in the Kitchen 355
Choose Whom to Eat with before Choosing What to Eat 355
Know the Classics 355
Learn the Rules of an Italian Kitchen (Even though Occasionally They Are Broken) 356
To Each Recipe his Own Season 356
Keep Your Food (Growing) Close 357
Chapter 22: Ten Fun Ways to Master Italian Cooking 359
Brush Up on History 359
Go to Italy, Do a Stage with an Italian Chef, or Watch Italian Food Shows 360
Read Cookbooks by Italians 360
Expand Your Italian Kitchen Vocabulary 360
Follow Italian Meal Patterns 360
Discover How to Pair Food 361
Cook Your Way through Recipes 361
Learn to Read Labels 361
Make It a Priority 362
Familiarize Yourself with Authentic Foods 362
Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide 363
Index 367
