EVERYDAY ITALIAN

AN INDISPENSABLE COMPENDIUM FOR HOME COOKS

In 2021, my husband and I bought a small house at the top of a medieval town in Abruzzo, Italy. We were swayed by the thick wood beams of the living room ceiling and by the view from the postage stamp terrace over terra-cotta tiled rooftops and soft hills out to the Adriatic Sea.

My mom was born and raised in Abruzzo, a region blessed with both mountains and coastline, the place where I spent my summers growing up. I was thrilled to have a home here once again.

In reality, the house needs work: furniture, new bathrooms a fresh coat of paint. But the small kitchen is functional, and it suits me fine. More and more, I find myself gravitating toward everyday Italian cooking, and for that you don’t need a fancy kitchen. Instead, I rely on a few good pots and pans and on recipes that I know will work time after time. I love making dishes that get their “wow” factor from fresh seasonal ingredients and good pantry staples, rather than overwrought sauces or complicated techniques.

This book reflects my philosophy that simple everyday food is the best food, a joy to make and to eat. Among the recipes:

• Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, fat noodles tossed in a creamy sauce of sheep’s milk cheese and copious amounts of black pepper

• Zucchini and Potato Summer Potage, a flavorful summer vegetable soup brightened with basil and mint and a drizzle of fresh olive oil

• Chicken Ricotta Meatballs in Toamto Sauce, a nice change from the classic version made with pork and beef

• Adriatic Seafood Stew, seasoned with fresh bay leaf and spiked with white wine and peperoncino

• A Trio of Soft Amaretti Cookies: lemon, pistachio & orange peel, and chocolate

• Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta with Amarena Cherries, dense and silky and spiked with Cognac

The book is currently available at Williams-Sonoma stores and on their website.

A wider release is scheduled for May; pre-order from one of the outlets below.