Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master

389 Pages·2013·7.59 MB·English

by  Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Appetite by Random House edition
Published 2013
Copyright © 2013 Tutti a Tavola, LLC
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form
or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a
retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher—or in the case of
photocopying or other reprographic copying, license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing
Agency—is an infringement of the copyright law.
Appetite by Random House and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House of Canada
Limited Library and Archives of Canada Cataloguing in Publication is available upon request
ISBN: 978-0-449-01620-6
eBook ISBN: 978-0-44901621-3
Interior photography by Marcus Nilsson
Cover photograph © Marcus Nilsson
Jacket design: Kelly Blair
Designed by M. Kristen Bearse Published in Canada by Appetite by Random House, a division of
Random House of Canada Limited, a Penguin Random House company www.randomhouse.ca
v3.1
This book is dedicated to my mother, Erminia, or Nonna Mima as the family calls her. At ninety-three years
of age, she still has a twinkle in her eyes and is full of love, affection, and wisdom. As my grandson
Lorenzo, fourteen years old, put it in a recent speech:
“To Nonna Mima, someone to whom seventy is young and anything over twenty dollars is expensive …
Nonna Mima often says, ‘Experientia est magistra vitae,’ meaning ‘Experience is the teacher of life,’
and with ninety-three years of experience she should know.… The life knowledge passed down to me
by Nonna Mima is invaluable. She is the fundamental force that drives me to excel and enjoy life. Her
story is a story of perseverance, appreciation, imparting knowledge, but most importantly, never giving
up hope.… Nonna Mima is the root of our family system.”

Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls
wisdom.
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Common sense is not so common.
—Voltaire
Contents
The Wisdom of the Table
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Appetizers
Anchovied Eggs
Oregano Eggs
Anchovy Frittata
Peppers Piedmontese
Mozzarella and Celery Salad
Raw Garden Salad
Seasoned Olives
Chicken Breast Salad
Boiled Beef Salad with Gherkins, Red Onion, and Parsley
Tuna-Stuffed Artichokes
Clam Bruschetta
Tomato and Ricotta Crostini
Baked Country Vegetables
Rustic Ricotta Tart
Ricotta and Vegetable Crostata
Squash and Ricotta Tart
Onion Tart
Baked Toast Sandwiches
Potato Pizza
Genovese Focaccia
Oatmeal Biscuits
Salads
Tomato and Mint Salad
Carrot and Apple Salad
Fennel and Gorgonzola Salad
Belgian Endive and Walnut Salad
String Beans, Capers, and Basil Salad
Rustic Salad
Cucumbers with Whole Wheat Couscous
Chickpea Salad
Lentil Country Salad
Tuna, Corn, Mushroom, and Potato Salad
Boiled Zucchini Salad with Tuna
Soups
Chicken Stock
Country Onion Soup
Spinach and Chickpea Soup
Tomato and Clam Soup
Toasted Grain Soup
Swiss Chard and Lentil Soup
Bread and Basil Soup
Semolina and Escarole Soup
Barley Soup
Pasta and Bean Soup When in a Hurry
Legume Soup from Abruzzo
Chickpea Purée Soup
Bean Soup “Le Marche” Style
Cream of Celery Root Soup
Millet Soup
Country-Style Fava Soup
Fava Bean Soup with Dried Figs
Sauces