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\u201cIs this made with fried eggplant,\u201d asked an Italian friend who joined us for dinner. She’d had one bite of Parmigiana alla Napoletana and her face expressed appreciation for the effort involved while her voice intoned the guttural satisfaction of having an itch scratched on a genetic level. Frying all the eggplant took time, but layering it with tomato sauce, basil, Parm, and a bit of mozzarella made for a nostalgia-inducing end product.<\/p>\n
The recipe came from a book I doubted, then quickly fell for; Italian cuisine can make for delicious food and staid, repetitive cookbooks. This one is penned by a foreigner who runs a travel company, which experience has taught me can be a recipe for disaster. Smartly, the author stays out of the spotlight, instead shining it on the amici from the title, who are food experts in the Tuscan village of Gaiole-in-Chianti. There’s Luciano the mushroom man, the restaurant chef who looks ready to be cast as a mafia movie heavy, the women who run a trattoria, the wine shop owner. The photos by Nico Schinco are artistic, but there’s a frankness to them that shows we’re seeing a true slice of life.<\/p>\n
Rigatoni all’amatriciana is made by Bersani under the watchful eye of his Roman friend Sergio. The distinguishing factor of the dish, which is doable on a weeknight, is the play between the red sauce and the fatty guanciale\u2014cured, aged pig jowl\u2014that highlights the funky deliciousness of the meat.<\/p>\n
With minimal ingredients, a farro soup somehow creates deep sweet and savory flavors. Pan-roasted waxy potatoes are slathered in olive oil, sported crispy edges and we demolished them by the panful.<\/p>\n
For a book that felt like it appeared out of nowhere, the recipes are surprisingly well explained, with art folded into the language. Those potatoes are first parboiled then “roughed up” in a bowl to create more surface area and thus more crispiness. Use restraint with the rigatoni, he counsels, as “you want to dress your pasta like a salad; It should not be swimming in sauce.”<\/p>\n
This book’s magic lies in its ability to teach you these dishes and turn you into an armchair Gaiole-in-Chianti townsperson. This happens partly with language, partly with photos, and partly by cooking and eating their food.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n