Italians seldom stray from their tradition of growing and consuming fresh vegetables seasonally.
So it is with great excitement among proponents of consuming locally grown produce that a cookbook which first surfaced in 1950 in Italy has been resurrected for a new generation of home cooks.
Vegetables From An Italian Garden was first published by that country’s famed Silver Spoon Kitchen.
“The original book was so popular that every bride was given a copy by her mother,” says Emilia Terragni, editorial director for the New York-based Phaidon Press, a subsidiary of Phaidon Press Ltd., London.
The native of northern Italy is now based in London and arranged for Phaidon to purchase the entire archives of the Silver Spoon in Italy.
The English version was published in 2005, and has since sold more than 1.5 million copies throughout the world.
“We are constantly updating from the original and keep adding new recipes from all over Italy,” said Terragni in a recent telephone interview from London.
She says that Italian meals traditionally use a variety of vegetables throughout the entire meal.
“So you can have an antipasta, a pasta, a main course and a side all containing vegetables,” Terragni explains.
“And the recipes in the book are very simple to prepare.” This is particularly important for today’s time-pressed cooks who prefer to cook delicious and locally seasonally grown produce.
Terragni boasts that she never eats out of season.
“Mainly because the vegetables taste so much better,” she says.
The book is organized with recipes containing vegetables from spring, summer, fall and winter. Within those chapters are tips on selecting, growing and buying each season’s vegetables.
As far as growing your own, Terragni says “it is very easy, even if you don’t have a large garden or any garden.
“You can grow a lot of things in pots on small terraces and we suggest the best time to start so you get the idea of the growing cycles of the various vegetables.”
Asparagus is now in season and whether you have grown your own or buy this wonderful vegetable at your local market, here is an Italian recipe from the book.
Asparagus Parmesan
Makes 4 servings
2 lb (900 g) asparagus, spears trimmed
1 cup (250 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
30 mL (2 tbsp) butter
Salt
Cook asparagus in salted boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and gently pat dry. Arrange on a warm serving dish with the tips pointing inwards. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Melt butter, season with a little salt and pour over asparagus. Serve immediately.
Approximate nutrition per serving: 240 calories, 16 g fat, 13 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 5 g fibre
The Canadian Press
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