Fun fact: Did you know Italian food is ranked one of the top three most popular cuisines in America? Wait a minute… one of the top three? Frankly, I find this kind of hard to believe — in my opinion Italian food is and always will be number one.
Being Italian, cooking good authentic Italian food is one of my favorite culinary quests. My mom learned to cook Italian food from her Belgium mother. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I dug a little deeper and found out my grandma learned to cook from her mother-in-law from Milan. That makes me feel better.
But my mind was about to be a little blown away when I received a copy of a cookbook called Tuscan Women Cook: Nonnas. Memories. Recipes and realized, for the most part, I did not know Italian cooking at all. And a lot of what I am cooking is actually Italian-American cuisine. Well, that is about to change.
In order to fully appreciate this cookbook, you have to know a bit about its backstory. It turns out the cookbook is a collection of recipes taught in a culinary immersion program in Montefollonico, a village in Tuscany, called Tuscan Women Cook. And the instructors are Tuscan nonnas (Italian for grandmother!) who not only teach you how to make the recipes, but also techniques passed down from generation to generation to make your dish the ultimate success.
The cookbook itself cuts right to the chase with recipes and beautiful images of the final dish. In other words, you don’t get a lesson on measuring ingredients, substitutions that are safe or a bunch of unnecessary pictures. But I did find myself reading the cookbook from cover to cover discovering little tidbits of information about the main ingredient, the region, and the history behind the dish.
Food History Fun Fact: I found this fact fascinating and felt the need to share. It is too good to paraphrase and I quote: “Historians say the eggplant arrived in Southern Italy along with the Islamic empire. The name “melanzana” derives from the words mala insane meaning “mad apple.” In the Renaissance, there was a widespread fear of this delicious vegetable. Many believed that ingesting eggplant caused people to become angry and suffer from melancholy. For others, eggplant was rumored to have many medicinal benefits. It was prescribed to treat asthma, dental pain, diabetes, and intestinal disorders.”
Wow all of that for a vegetable – which by the way is actually a fruit – that is high in fiber, low calorie, and packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, essential minerals, and makes one of my favorite dishes. Their recipe Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmesan ) is not breaded and is less cheesy than the American version you may be accustomed to, but it is one I am definitely going to try.
The pasta recipes sound incredible and do not appear to be complicated. Something I did not realize is you do not need a pasta machine to make pasta. Just a good rolling pin and probably some patience.
With a few exceptions the recipes are simple to follow. But, keep in mind they have been passed down from generation to generation so you may need to add a pinch of this or a pinch of that and your own personal taste.
To get a taste of the Tuscany flavor check out Tiramisu alle Fragole (Strawberry Tiramisu) and for the soup lover in you Ribollita (Bread and Vegetable Soup) – recipes and photos reprinted with permission of Tuscan Women Cook.
The cookbook is $35 however currently sold out, but fortunately you can purchase an e-book version for only $15! And if you just can’t wait to have a copy in your hands or on display in your kitchen you can snag from Amazon, but it comes with a little sticker shock so be prepared, it’s pricey at $155.
If you want to expand your personal Italian menyoo (Italian for menu!) Tuscan Women Cook: Nonnas. Memories. Recipes is a must. It will be joining two of my other favorite cookbooks on my kitchen counter, but unlike Italian food being in America’s top three, it will be in my number one spot.
