Meet My New Cookbook, Everyday Italian!

Plus a recipe and a giveaway

I know it’s only Thursday but I thought I’d pop by to tell you the good news that my latest cookbook, Everyday Italian, is out in the world! It’s my second collaboration with Williams-Sonoma and publisher Weldon Owen, and like WS Rustic Italian, my first project with them, it’s a beauty.

In short, Everyday Italian is a collection of mostly simple dishes I love to make for family, friends, and for myself. Although there are a few longtime favorites included, most of the recipes are fresh ~ ones I’ve been working on over the last couple years (those of you who follow me on Instagram might recognize a few from photos I’ve posted). For now, the book is only available at Williams-Sonoma stores and on the company’s website (it will become more widely available, for example, through Amazon, in April).

To celebrate the book’s publication, I’m giving away a signed copy (details below), and sharing the recipe for Short Rib Bollito with Salsa Verde (p. 124). First, here’s an excerpt from the book’s introduction, which explains what inspired me to write it:

In 2021, my husband and I bought a small house at the top of a medieval town in Abruzzo, Italy. We were swayed by the thick wood beams of the living room ceiling and by the view from the postage-stamp terrace over crooked terracotta-tiled rooftops and soft rolling hills out to the Adriatic Sea.

My mom was born and raised in Abruzzo, a region blessed with both mountains and coastline, and as a girl I spent many summers sunbathing on the beach and exploring the curvy mountain roads with my family and friends. I was thrilled to once again have a place here to call home.

In reality, the house needs work: furniture, new bathrooms, a fresh coat of paint. But the kitchen is small and functional, and it suits me fine. More and more, I find myself gravitating toward everyday Italian cooking, and for that you don’t need a fancy kitchen. Instead, I rely on a few good pots and pans and on recipes that I know will work time after time. I love making dishes that get their “wow” factor from fresh seasonal ingredients and good pantry staples, rather than from overwrought sauces or complicated techniques.

This book reflects my philosophy that simple everyday food is the best food, a joy to make and to eat.

Among the 90+ recipes:

• Pasta and White Bean Soup with Delicata Squash, a nourishing one-bowl meal finished with a drizzle of fresh olive oil and a shower of Parmigiano cheese

• Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, fat noodles tossed in a creamy sauce of sheep’s milk cheese and copious amounts of freshly ground pepper

• Whole-Wheat Focaccia with Sweet Onions and Sage, surprisingly light and airy, made with an easy slow-rise dough

• Chicken Ricotta Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, tender to the bite and a nice change from the classic version made with pork and beef

• Roasted Peppers with Anchovies, silky and assertive

• Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta with Amarena Cherries, as dreamy as it sounds

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GIVEAWAY

For the giveway, you need only to be (or become) a paid subscriber. I’ll choose a name at random and the winner will be announced in Sunday’s newsletter. Friendly reminder that a paid subscription is 20% off through Christmas!

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RECIPE: Short Rib Bollito with Salsa Verde

Short rib bollito, page 124 of Williams-Sonoma Everyday Italian (photo by me)

With everyone (including me) posting cookie recipes and pics right now, I thought something savory would be welcomed. Bollito misto is a traditional holiday dish in Piemonte and other parts of northern Italy. It typically involves a mix of meats (hence the name) such as oxtail, beef of veal tongue, cotechino sausage, and capon or hen. On Christmas Day, the broth that results from the poaching of the meats is served with tortellini, while the meat is served as a second course, accompanied by colorful sauces and condiments: green sauce (salsa verde), red sauce (tomato and pepper), and horseradish sauce.; as well as mostarda, a sweet and nose-tingling spicy concoction of poached fruit and potent mustard essence.

This version is a super simple, pared down riff on classic bollito misto; still special enough to serve during the holidays, if you like, or for a comforting dinner on a cold night. It requires just one cut of beef—short ribs, which get a gentle poaching in an herb- and vegetable-spiked liquid. I serve meat, vegetables, and broth together in shallow bowls; a dollop of piquant salsa verde at serving time punches things up nicely.

Makes 4 servings (can be doubled)

INGREDIENTS
Bollito:
2 1/2 to 3 pounds (1.1 to 1.4 kg) meaty beef short ribs
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large or 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch (7.5-cm) lengths
1 large celery rib or 2 medium, cut into 3-inch (7.5-cm( lengths, plus some leaves
1 yellow onion, quartered
3 fresh bay leaves
3 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, plus 4 more for garnish

Salsa Verde:
4 cups (60 g) lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 anchovy fillets in olive oil (I like Rizzoli alici in salsa piccante)
1 clove garlic, cut into pieces
1/2 cup (28 g) fresh bread crumbs
1 tabelspoon capers, rinsed and patted dry
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. To make the bollito, season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Arrange them in a single layer in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot and add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, and 3 parsley sprigs. Pour in water to cover the meat by 1 inch (2.5 cm) and set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that forms on the surface. Reduce the heat to medium low or low to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the meat is completely tender and a fork slides easily through it, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Taste the broth toward the end of cooking and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

2. While the bollito is cooking, make the salsa verde. In a food processor, combine the parsley, anchovies, garlic, bread crumbs, capers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a grinding of pepper and pulse briefly to chop the ingredients roughly. Sprinkle in the vinegar and pulse again briefly to mix to a rough paste. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil and process until you have a creamy paste. Add a drop or two more oil if needed to achieve a good consistency. Scrape the sauce into a bowl, cover, and set aside.

3. Spoon the short ribs into shallow bowls along with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid. Garnish each serving with a couple of pieces of cooked carrot, a parsley sprig, and a dollop of salsa verde, and serve, paswsing the remaining salsa verde at the table.

Thanks for reading, and see you on Sunday,
Domenica