Order Deadline: Noon, Tuesday, February 11th
ORDER YOUR PROVISIONS BOX — DELIVERY February 16th
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. 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
- Winter Squash Risotto
- Vegetable Tart
BOX DETAILS
Large Omnivore Narrative Provisions Boxes for the Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Pollo alla Contadina with Bruglioni, Rustic Pasta with Lemon Scented Ragu, Winter Squash Risotto, and the Vegetable Tart, plus additional staples and fruit
Large Vegetarian Narrative Provisions Boxes for the Winter Squash Risotto, the Vegetable Tart, Bruglioni plus ingredients for 2-3 more meals of your own invention, and additional staples and fruit
Small Omnivore Narrative Provisions Boxes for the Winter Squash Risotto with Chicken and the Vegetable Tart
Small Vegetarian Narrative Provisions Boxes for the Winter Squash Risotto and the Vegetable Tart
Leigh A. Piscitelli says
Tonight I’m going to make your Aunt’s Biga. She was a class act! Thank you for paying tribute to a remarkable lady.