THE GLORIOUS VEGETABLES OF ITALY

A 2013 New York Times Notable Cookbook

Named one of five essential Italian cookbooks by Serious Eats

This book is a tribute to Italy’s many glorious vegetables, from the tender green fava beans of early spring to the bright, sweet orange-fleshed pumpkins of autumn. Organized by course, this lavishly photographed cookbook lauds the latest dining trend—the vegetable’s primary role at the center of the plate. Cooks of all skill levels will enjoy more than 100 recipes mixing tradition and innovation, ranging from the basics (Fresh Spinach Pasta Dough and Fresh Tomato Sauce) to the seasonal (Spring Risotto with Green and White Asparagus) to savory (Grilled Lamb Spiedini on a Bed of Caponata) and sweet (Pumpkin Gelato). This indispensable recipe collection will appeal to Italian cuisine lovers looking to celebrate vegetables in any meal, every day.

PRAISE AND REVIEWS

"The Glorious Vegetables of Italy ~ glorious indeed! Domenica Marchetti reveals the last, great secret of the Italian kitchen: the abundance and staggering variety of vegetable dishes that Italians enjoy on a daily basis. What's the secret? The recipes are not from limited restaurant menus, but from la cucina, the home kitchen. That's where the chickpea, eggplant, fennel, and radicchio reign. Domenica, at home in the tradition, reveals all: lore, history, tips, and, best of all, a thousand thrilling tastes from the garden that is Italy."

Frances Mayes, author of seven books on Italy, including Under the Tuscan Sun

"Domenica Marchetti has created a work of art, just as so many Italian masters who have come before her have done. Fresh vegetables, prepared so beautifully at the peak of ripeness, result in a book you won't want to live without. The really special part is that Domenica creates a perfect marriage between classic Italian vegetable dishes and the seasonal abundance that is available at your local farmers' market. This is truly an inspirational cookbook and one that I will enthusiastically return to for years to come."

Tracey Ryder, cofounder, Edible Communities

"The more you explore the world of vegetable cookery--whether in China, India, Europe, or the South--the more you realize that plants are every bit as delicious as meat. Period. Marchetti's Eggplant "Meatballs" in Tomato Sauce is simply dazzling as a proof of concept--rich, succulent, vibrant, satisfying. Her Smashed Green Beans and Potatoes with Pancetta proves again that some vegetables should not be al dente: The beans meld with the potatoes in comfort food of the highest order. This simple, contemplative, seductive book offers Bread Soup with Summer Squash; Beet and Beet Green Gratin; Riccioli with Peas and Porcini; and staples like Basic Beans in a Pot."

Scott Mowbray, editor, Cooking Light

"Local markets are fundamental to Italian cuisine, and this tribute to the vibrant range of the country's produce shows well how carefully Italian home cooks prepare this bounty. Organized by course, it offers more than 100 recipes with vegetables playing a starring role, whether they're worked into frittatas and savory tarts, topping pizza or boosting pasta and risotto. Special chapters on vegetable essentials, and preserves and condiments, make it a thorough collection."

La Cucina Italiana

"Marchetti takes us on a tour of just about any Italian vegetable you could find stateside, from artichokes and cardoons to tomatoes and winter squash, utilizing the produce in multitudinous ways. Her "vegetable essentials" chapter is a wonderful primer on picking, storing, and simply preparing your farmer's market haul with Italian flair...Marchetti offers recipes for every course, from appetizers to dessert to condiments, each highlighting a particular quality of vegetables...Like the previously reviewed The Glorious Pasta of Italy, this vegetable version is drop dead gorgeous. The photography, by San Francisco-based Sang An, is soft, rustic, and made me want to drop everything and get in the kitchen right. That. Instant. But unlike many glossy, well-shot cookbooks these days, the recipes inside are totally on point and the writing between them is warm, inviting, and informative." {full review}

Kate Williams, Serious Eats

"With this cookbook, we get many of our nearest and dearest Italian dishes, but with vegetables firmly taking center stage for a change. The chapters are divided into appetizers, soups and salads, pasta (along with risotto, gnocchi, and polenta), pizza and its cousins, main courses, side dishes, and a handful of desserts. The recipes aren't strictly vegetarian, but the recipes that do incorporate meat do so in a way that still puts the accent on the veg rather than the protein. Also, in your haste to get to the recipes, don't skim over the intro chapter too quickly — it is a font of knowledge about the core vegetables in Italian cuisine and its basic recipes. This is also an incredibly beautiful book, one of those cookbooks where you get lost in lush photographs and swooping calligraphy. It's almost a shame to bring this one into the kitchen where it risks getting splattered with tomatoes and olive oil. Almost." {full review}

Emma Christensen, The Kitchn

"The Glorious Vegetables of Italy is a place where imagination reigns: the fragrance of warm olives and citrus zest, lightly roasted with rosemary and served with snow white ricotta salata cheese, or capricci pasta boiling away on the stove, about to be sauced with a rose-colored slump of cherry tomatoes stewed with thyme and cream. Cannelloni with Italian sausage are nice, but Marchetti's version, delicate crepes nestled against one another, napped with balsamella and barely containing a filling of porcini and zucchini, are even more appealing.What's more, this approach to keeping vegetables at the center of the plate is, in a way, deeply, authentically Italian." {full review}