• mziech on April 18, 2020

  Absolutely love this book! Foolproof recipes and a focus on not so common dishes (so recipes that aren't included in other cookbooks). Already looking forward to the follow-up cookbook Food of the Italian Islands.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Easter bread (Casatiello)

  • mziech on April 18, 2020

    great recipe! Easter bread with a rich filling. Recipe was spot on.

• Cherry vermouth (Ratafià)

  • mziech on April 18, 2020

    Love this! worth the effort of waiting and perfect balance of sweet and sour. Will make this again next season.

• Candele with 'nduja (Candele con 'nduja)

  • TrishaCP on May 14, 2020

    This is very, very rich and decadent, but tastes delicious.

• Cauliflower, olive, pepper, and caper salad (Insalata di rinforzo)

  • nicolepellegrini on July 02, 2021

    I was out of celery so I substituted radishes for a similar crunchy element - could really see doing this preparation with any number of different vegetables. Quite tasty, even better the second day when it had more time to sit and marinate.

• Crispy potatoes with onions and Parmigiano-Reggiano (Patate raganate)

  • HarlanH on December 02, 2021

    the water that's included to boil seems to be excessive, as it was quite liquid-y at the end of cooking. The results were just fine -- I wonder if this requires the Tropea onions called for to be great, as the merely fairly sweet white onions I used weren't that exciting...

• Sautéed celery with olives (Sedano alla Molisana)

  • Yildiz100 on June 08, 2020

    I used store bought breadcrumbs mixed with a bit of chopped parsley and grated parm instead of making the book's breadcrumbs. This recipe is a really nice way to eat celery and a great way to use a lot if you need to clean out the fridge, but it makes a lot of dirty dishes for a simple side.

• Cavatelli with tomato and wild mint pesto (Cicatielli con pulieio)

  • lkgrover on October 17, 2021

    Terrific pasta sauce with lots of herbs; the kitchen smells amazing. I substituted Aleppo pepper flakes for peperoncino flakes; used both basil & parsley. I used dry rotini pasta instead of making cavetelli.

  • mekral on April 01, 2023

    I concur with the other note. This is a great and easy to make pasta. I also used another dry pasta, but no problem.

• Paccheri with capers, olives, anchovies, and fried bread crumbs (Paccheri alla cilentana)

  • lkgrover on January 31, 2022

    Quick pasta recipe, using mostly store-cupboard (pantry) ingredients. I used spaghetti instead of paccheri pasta.

• Spaghetti with dried fruits and nuts (Sicchie d'a munnezza)

  • lkgrover on March 27, 2022

    Excellent pasta recipe to clean out the pantry. I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned.

• Country-style almond cake (Mandorlaccio)

  • tekobo on June 30, 2022

    Delicious and gluten free

• Sautéed fennel and herbs (Finocchi in padella)

  • tekobo on June 30, 2022

    Great way to cook fennel. Left out the breadcrumbs.

• Orecchiette with burrata, tomatoes, and almond pesto (Orecchiette con burrata, pomodorini, e pesto)

  • stepharama1 on June 05, 2023

    The flavors are excellent but I'd recommend increasing the amount of tomatoes and basil. I'd also decrease the amount of pasta. If I had used the exact amounts specified in the recipe, my pasta would have looked nothing like the photo in the book. The sauce would have been too minimal.