“The Puglian Cookbook: Bringing the Flavors of Puglia Home” By Viktorija Todorovska
(Surrey Books, $20)
What it is:
One of the few books available in English on cuisine from southern Italy’s Puglia region, this no-nonsense guide is a solid argument for what many of us have been missing: The essence of earthiness and simplicity that is Puglian cooking. Puglia is known as the breadbasket of the southern Mediterranean food nation — and its largest producer of olive oil.
If this is peasant food — and it is — then make me a peasant. Puglians eat what’s local, and in season, spare on meats, long on the freshest pickings from the garden and grove. Viktorija Todorovska, a cooking teacher, studied at famed Florentine culinary school Apicius, and has a knack for making anyone believe she or he can take on and love Puglia.
Praise and quibbles:
We love that before cranking up the heat at the stove, Todorovska pauses to make sure we have a deep understanding of the ingredients that are the fundamentals of Puglian cuisine. She writes for the home cook, with no fancy tricks, no hard-to-find ingredients.
Recipes are decidedly to-the-point, and, as she writes, some are “so simple that they can only be appreciated when you taste them.” Which is what had us charging to the farmers market to snatch up a trug full of zucchini for the fine frittata and the sublime spaghetti with zucchini and pecorino cheese. Simple cooking is rarely so unforgettable.
Why you’ll like it:
What you find tucked in these pages is simple, delicious and straight from the heart of Puglian kitchens, where cooks make the peasant feel like royalty.
— Barbara Mahany, Tribune Newspapers
BOOKSHELF
