“Is it made of fried eggplant,” asked an Italian friend who joined us for dinner. He took a bite of the Parmigiana alla Napoletana and his mouth expressed gratitude for the effort involved while his voice had the satisfaction of itching on a genetic level. Roasting all the eggplant took time, but layered with tomato sauce, basil, Parm and a bit of mozzarella made for a nostalgia-inducing end product.
The recipe came from a book I suspected, then quickly read; Italian cuisine can produce delicious dishes and staid, repetitive cookbooks. It was written by a foreigner who runs a travel agency, which experience has taught me can be a recipe for disaster. Wisely, the author stays out of the spotlight, instead shining it on Amici from the title, a food expert from the Tuscan village of Gaiol-in-Chianti. There’s Luciano the Mushroom Man, a restaurant chef who looks ready to star in a mafia movie, a woman who runs a trattoria, a wine shop owner. Niko Shinko’s photos are artistic, but they have a clarity that shows we’re seeing a real slice of life.
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Rigatoni all’Matriciana Bersani made under the watchful eye of his Roman friend Sergio. The distinguishing factor of the dish, which can be made on weeknights, is the play between the red sauce and the fatty guanciale—cured, aged pork jowl—that brings out the meat’s savory delicacy.
With minimal ingredients, a farro soup creates a deep sweet and savory flavor. Pan-roasted waxy potatoes drizzled in olive oil, sported crispy edges and we smashed them by the panful.
For a book that felt like it appeared out of nowhere, the recipes are surprisingly well explained, with art folding into the language. These potatoes are first boiled then “roughed” in a pot to create more surface area and thus crispier. Use moderation with rigatoni, he advises, “You want to dress your pasta like a salad; it shouldn’t be swimming in sauce.”
The magic of this book lies in its ability to teach you about these dishes and turn you into an armchair gaiol-in-chianti. This happens partly with language, partly with photos and partly through cooking and eating their food.