Cooking with Italian Grandmothers Takes Your Palette on a Journey Across Italy's Varied Food Regions

I've often thought in my past lives I must have been somehow sewn deeply into the Italian culture because I've always been drawn to it. I lived in Florence for six months when I was in college and was amazed that I eat to my heart's content each day and never gained a pound. I was head deep in clouds of homemade ricotta atop paper thin pizza crusts, gnocchi with thick slabs of salty pesto, and Nutella gelato. But after months of indulgence that would have seemed blasphemous by my normal standards, I came home having mysteriously dropped a few pounds. Today I credit that weight loss to walking religiously, eating homemade foods with zero additives, and letting my fear of food go for the first time in my life. With that in mind, Jessica Theroux's Cooking with Italian Grandmothers was a welcomed read. The cooking style is healthy and seasonal without trying to be.

Theroux explores Italian cuisine through 12 grandmothers (and mighty fine cooks) spread across Italy's food regions. Her cookbook also has a sustainable edge, showing the gardens and farmers' markets where the grandmothers find their ingredients. The book is separated into sections based on the ingredients and the menus that each provided. Theroux learned to cook the dishes straight from the source. It reminds me of a time that many of us are beginning to harken back to when the act of making food was therapy in itself.

With the crisp air of fall as my guiding light, I settled on the Polenta with Warm Cream and Gorgonzola (not pictured) and the Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage. As you can probably imagine, the polenta was delicious. It was a product of Mamma Maria in Lombardia, Theroux's original Italian grandmother, whom she visited throughout her childhood. The Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage came from Irene in Piedmonte. The recipes were straight forward and simple, the most difficult task was choosing from an endless collection of ideas like the Roasted Apples with Hazelnut, Bitter Chocolate, and Lemon Zest or the Pumpkin Tortelloni with Brown Butter, and Sage. Thanks Welcome Books for the great read.

Polenta with Warm Cream and Gorgonzola

10 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups coarsely ground yellow polenta

For Warm Cream and Gorgonzola

2 tbsp salted butter

Method

1. Bring water to a rolling boil. Add salt and olive oil. Add in polenta gradually, almost raining it in. Use a whisk to stir continuously.

2. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir continuously until it's a mass.

3. Warm butter and cream together in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk to combine. Cook over low heat for five minutes.

4. Serve by adding polenta to a bowl and topping with a ladle of warm cream and a slice of gorgonzola.

Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage

2 small red onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red cabbage, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 large sweet red apple, sliced thinly

1

Method

1. Saut

2. Add garlic, cabbage, and apple to the skillet and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.

3. Add in red wine and salt and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes.

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