Turn east at Tuscany—and discover the cuisine and culture of this rustic, unspoiled region with the beloved PBS host!
Just east of Tuscany, Umbria is lush with rolling hills and rustic small towns—and delicious, healthful, traditional Italian cooking. In her most intimate and personal cookbook to date, Mary Ann Esposito, host of the long-running series Ciao Italia, takes us through this delightful, unspoiled region . . . cooking, eating, and making friends along the way.
With sixty authentic recipes along with anecdotes, profiles, and cooking tips, this companion to Ciao Italia is a “traveling cookbook” that transports us to the unforgettable foods of Umbria and the people who prepare them. You’ll visit bustling food markets, glorious street festivals, aroma-filled home kitchens, family-run vineyards, top-secret truffle fields, and a heavenly chocolate museum. You’ll also find information on mail-order sources, web sites, and Umbrian restaurants.
Everyone who loves Italy will savor the bounty of Umbrian specialties on these pages, including hearty gnocchi, sizzling vegetables and pork sausages alla griglia (on the grill), delectable black truffles, simple ragus, healthful lentils and farro, hearty country breads, and Perugian chocolate desserts. So pull up a chair, pour a glass of Sangiovese, and come along to Umbria—and don’t forget to bring your appetite!
“The dishes from Umbria reflect a simple, rustic fare not overexposed in other Italian cookbooks . . . charming vignettes that enable the reader (even Italophiles who have shelves full of Italian cookbooks) to feel the experience.” —Publishers Weekly