Authentic Italian Family Recipes to Make at Home
Inspired by her Mamma Livia's cherished recipes, At Nonna's Table by Paola Bacchia is a collection of 60 delicious dishes that celebrate the best of Italian home cooking
A treasure trove of traditional and contemporary recipes, all created with love and care, we're sharing three recipes which showcase the fresh ingredients and bold flavours that make Italian cooking so popular.
Zucchini with Prosciutto
There was peperonata with zucchini, grilled zucchini, and stuffed zucchini. At the age of 87, she surprised us all with this rather delicious, buttery, zucchini dish, which she wrote down for me after we pronounced it was our new favourite way to eat zucchini. We had no idea where it emerged from, and it was only while writing this book that I found it in a Lisa Biondi cookbook. You need a kilo of zucchini for this recipe, so it's a great way to use up excess large overgrown zucchini. If your zucchini are overly large, I recommend scooping out the large seeds from the centre and trimming away the skin as well, which can be slightly bitter. This dish is tasty and delicate and can be served as a side to grilled chicken, or even tossed through pasta.
Fish Fillets with Onion, Anchovies & Capers
It's salty, sour and a little sweet, and reminded her of the quintessential Venetian dish, bigoli in salsa. This recipe is an amalgam of a couple of Marcella Hazan recipes with a few of Mamma's suggestions thrown in. I use whatever firm white fish I can find at a good price from the fishmonger - often flathead tails, but also sustainably caught swordfish or flake. This dish works really well with a side of potatoes or fresh bread, to mop up the delicious sauce.
Amaretti & Chocolate Semifreddo
My father declared it was better than ice cream, so from then on Mamma made it on repeat for dinner parties. The texture is slightly chewy, light and creamy. It is not in the least bit icy, like homemade ice cream can sometimes get. You will be hooked, I promise! You will need a 1.5 litre loaf or terrine tin for this recipe.
