Carol Field’s Italian Recipes Box

Order Deadline: Noon, Tuesday, March 5th

ORDER YOUR PROVISIONS BOX — DELIVERY MARCH 10th

ABOUT THIS BOX

I was once driving from Milan to Tuscany with a man deeply knowledgeable about Italian food.  When we passed the sign indicating that we were leaving Emilia and entering Tuscany, an immense sigh suddenly escaped from my lips.  “Oh yes,” he smiled, “Tuscany, so much like your Napa Valley.”

It seems logical that dishes I discovered in Liguria and Tuscany and points north and south translate seamlessly to California.  Focaccia, which is the bread of Liguria, ricotta from Tuscany, a simple no stirring risotto made with squash ….I am delighted to think that people will be discovering the best of Italy made with the best of California’s ingredients.”  — Carol Field

This week’s box is in memory of my favorite Aunt, Carol Field, author of the classic cookbook The Italian Baker, published in 1985, who passed away March 10th, 2017 at the age of 76. She fell in love with Italy, taught herself Italian and later introduced millions of delighted Americans to ciabatta and focaccia and other regional breads. 

In gratitude, we have drawn inspiration from recipes from three of Carol’s cookbooks to create a beautiful and manageable seasonal meal plan of authentic Italian flavors. In Nonna’s Kitchen: Recipes and Traditions From Italy’s Grandmothers, Celebrating Italy, which describes the feasts and festivals of Italy and the foods with which they have been celebrated for centuries, and lastly Italy in Small Bites, recipes for the merende, or simple and irresistibly delicious between-meal meals cherished by Italians for centuries.

In Nonna’s Kitchen was written in memory of Carol’s own grandmother and mother, but also her mother-in-law, Gladys Field, who, as it happens, is my own Nonna (grandmother)! Laddy, as I called her, was a wonderful cook. I remember her tending her vegetable garden at the lake house in Minnetonka, near St Paul/Minneapolis, where she summered and where we loved to visit. She grew the most delicious tomatoes, zucchini and basil.

As for her classic work The Italian Baker, it remains this seminal connection to everything we love about Italian food, homemade flavors and culinary joys in the kitchen. In 1986 the International Association of Culinary Professionals named it the best book in its category, and in 2010 the James Beard Foundation included it in its “Baker’s Dozen,” a list of 13 indispensable baking books. Bravo.

Thank you Aunt Carol!

BOX RECIPES

• Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fennel & Garlic
• Pollo alla Contadina with Bruglioni
• Rustic Pasta with Lemon Scented Ragu
• Butternut Squash Risotto
• Vegetable Tart 
• Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce
• Spring Vegetables

BOX DETAILS

Large Culinary Inspiration Boxes for the Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Pollo alla Contadina with Bruglioni, Rustic Pasta with Lemon Scented Ragu, Butternut Squash Risotto, and the Vegetable Tart, plus additional staples and fruit

Large Vegetarian Culinary Inspiration Boxes for the Butternut Squash Risotto, the Vegetable Tart, Bruglioni, Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce, and Spring Vegetables plus ingredients for 2-3 more meals of your own invention, and additional staples and fruit

Small Culinary Inspiration Boxes for the Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fennel & Garlic and the Butternut Squash Risotto

Small Vegetarian Culinary Inspiration Boxes for the Butternut Squash Risotto and the Vegetable Tart