Excerpted from Rome by Katie Parla:

Pollo alla cacciatora, or “hunter’s chicken,” is a staple of central Italian home cooking, though its form varies widely from region to region—and even more so across the Atlantic. I grew up eating the Italian American version in New Jersey, where tomato sauce, mushrooms, peas, and more often made their way into the pot. But when I moved to Italy, I discovered that the Roman and southern styles lean more herby and acidic, relying on white wine and white wine vinegar instead of tomatoes to brighten the dish.

My version takes inspiration from Stefano Callegari’s at Trapizzino, which, in turn, is influenced by his mother Luana’s recipe. I skip the breasts and use only dark meat so everything stays tender and juicy. Plus, the dish only gets better after a night in the fridge. Season the chicken with salt at least a few hours and up to 12 hours before you intend to cook it.

Hear our conversation with Katie:

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds bone-in chicken legs and thighs, separated

• Sea salt

• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

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Excerpted from The Italian Summer Kitchen by Cathy Whims:

This is one of those easy-to-throw together pastas that everyone should have in their repertoire, the kind of recipe you can make on the spur of the moment after a big day out at the beach. Because it’s so elemental, the ingredients really count. Look for good Gulf shrimp or prawns—the bigger the better—which will be wonderfully meaty and sweet. And use young, fresh garlic, even green garlic if you can find it, for a milder and more pleasant flavor. It’s more than likely you already have most of the ingredients on hand. If you keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer, you can have this herby, garlicky tangle of noodles kissed with lemon on the table in minutes.

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Excerpted from The Italian Summer Kitchen by Cathy Whims:

Panna cotta is a lovely make-ahead dessert any time of the year, but it’s particularly welcome in the summer, when it offers a silky-cool, light and creamy backdrop to all the luscious fruit in season—especially fresh berries, cherries, or other stone fruits. If you want to get a little fancy, poached fruit, compote, or Piemontese Baked Peaches [recipe in The Italian Summer Kitchen] are fabulous accompaniments. Stirring in a cup of plain yogurt adds a tangy richness that makes it even more irresistible, sort of a hint of cheesecake but without the heft. Keep in mind the dairy is the star of the show here, so choose wisely. I love Nancy’s brand yogurt because it’s Oregon made and wonderfully tart, but the complex richness of sheep’s milk yogurt is another great option, or a whole milk yogurt from a local creamery.

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Excerpted from Family Style by Peter Som:

When I want a burger, I go all in. My friend Angie Mar’s burger at her restaurant, Le B, is the epitome of going all in—but when I can’t have hers, I make this one. Here, usual suspects bacon and cheese are present (they are technically optional, so you do you), but now my beloved char siu sauce has been added to the mix. Char siu is a Cantonese-style BBQ sauce—most often found slathered and glistening on big hanging slabs of roasted pork. This particular sauce was perfected with my late dear friend Pam, a native New Yorker whose parents owned a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn (where a young Barbra Streisand worked!), so she knew of what she spoke. Over the course of a month during the pandemic, we mixed, tasted, and tweaked the recipe together to achieve the right blend. Here, that sauce is used both in the patty and as a spread for the buns. It’s so good I’ve called it gum ho la sauce, which in Cantonese roughly translates to “wow, so good.” And that’s what this sauce is: part BBQ vibes, part special sauce from you know where.

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Also from Family Style:

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Excerpted from Family Style by Peter Som:

OK, let me set the record straight: These are not the traditional Chinese kind of scallion pancakes, which are undeniably tasty but have a few steps and techniques that require a bit more patience than I usually have. When I’m in that mood, I turn to these babies. Crunchy exterior, pillowy interior with just a bit of chew (from the rice flour), and packed with scallions, cheddar, kimchi, and Spam. A dunk in a quick soy dipping sauce adds brightness. ’Cause honestly, who needs patience when you’ve got this level of yum at your very fingertips?

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Excerpted from Family Style by Peter Som:

“Should I make apple cake?” Grandma would ask. The answer was always a resounding chorus of yes. Of all the sweets I remember Grandma making, apple cake is at the top. The memory of arriving at her apartment to the aroma of warm apple cake was a joy that my sister and I shared with anticipatory fervor. Apple-packed, with just enough cake to hold everything together, it was the perfect (and rare) sweet treat for us kids. Simple and delicious. I’ve gilded the lily (or rather, the apple) with a quick salted maple caramel to drizzle atop.

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This recipe is for La Ribollita (Tuscan Black Kale and Bean Soup) from John Bersani’s cookbook, 20 Amici, 40 Ricette.

Hear our conversation with John here:

Also from 20 Amici, 40 Ricette:

John writes in 20 Amici, 40 Ricette1:

No book about regional Tuscan cuisine would be complete without a recipe for the classic ribollita. It’s a hearty vegetable soup with cannellini beans and cavolo nero taking the starring roles. Once it’s finished, the soup is usually fortified by the addition of Tuscan bread. And in the most traditional renditions, it’s left to cool and meld together overnight, then reheated in a pan (the literal translation of ribollita is “reboiled”) just before serving.

Personally, I prefer my ribollita without the bread, and many restaurants offer the dish “con or senza pane,” with or without bread. Of course, purists will say that without the bread it’s no longer ribollita, it’s just a “minestra” (plain old soup). But, hey—it’s all about personal preference.

This recipe serves 6.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium carrots

• 4 medium zucchini

• 3 medium yellow onions

• 4 medium celery stalks

• ½ cup (120 ml) high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 g) butter

• 3 large bunches Tuscan black kale (cavolo nero)

• 6 (1-lb/455-g) cans cannellini or navy beans (preferably packed in their own juices)

• 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes

• 5 cups (1.2 L) chicken or vegetable stock or water

• Kosher or coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 or 4 slices 2- or 3-day-old rustic country bread (optional)

• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the carrots, zucchini, onions, and celery into equal bite-size pieces. Place the vegetables into a stockpot large enough to hold the finished soup. Add the olive oil and butter to the pot. Warm the contents of the pot over medium-low heat. You want the vegetables to begin to soften and become translucent—they should not caramelize or take on color.

2. Meanwhile, chop the Tuscan kale into 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide strips. Add the chopped kale to the pot and stir to combine. Continue cooking the mixture until the kale has wilted and melded in with the rest of the vegetables.

3. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Add two-thirds of the beans to the vegetable mixture and stir well to combine. Quarter the cherry tomatoes and add them to the pot. Add the stock to the pot until the liquid just covers the vegetables. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to a steady simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Place the remaining one-third of the beans in a bowl or tall container and puree to a smooth consistency with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a food processor. Or you can just break the beans up and mash them using a fork or other utensil. Add the bean puree to the pot.

5. Allow the entire mixture to simmer slowly until the vegetables and kale are soft and the liquid has taken on the consistency and taste of a broth, about 1 hour. If the soup seems too thick, add a bit more water. If it seems too thin, continue to cook and reduce the liquid a bit longer. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. If serving without the addition of bread, ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top, as an option.

6. If using bread, remove and discard the crust and cut the remaining interior crumb of the bread into small pieces. Add the bread to the soup and stir to combine well. Continue to cook until the bread has broken down, incorporated itself into the soup and thickened the mixture. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top, if using.

Note: The soup can also be cooled, stored in the refrigerator overnight, and reheated in a pot the next day. The “with bread” version is also sometimes reheated in individual portions over high heat in a nonstick pan to produce a crustier result.

Make It a Meal: There’s nothing like a big, stand-alone bowl of this soul-satisfying soup on a cold winter’s evening. The only other thing you’ll want are some grilled slices of country bread smothered in olive oil and a glass of your favorite red wine.

Find more recipes like this one in 20 Amici, 40 Ricette by John Bersani. You can purchase a copy via these links:

Bookshop // Omnivore Books

This recipe is for Tagliatelle al Funghi Porcini (Tagliatelle with Porcini Mushrooms) from John Bersani’s cookbook, 20 Amici, 40 Ricette.

Hear our conversation with John here:

Also from 20 Amici, 40 Ricette:

John writes in 20 Amici, 40 Ricette1:

Early spring in Chianti can be cruel. It’ll tease you with a string of warm, sunny weather, then rain for days on end. There is a silver lining: fresh porcini. Porcini-based dishes can be found on trattoria menus throughout the year. But the mushrooms have either been frozen (something that by law must be noted on menus) or imported from other parts of Europe. Spring rains bring fresh, locally foraged porcini to restaurant tables—in salads, in omelets, and, of course, in this iconic Tuscan pasta classic.

Note: If you don’t have the time or inclination to prepare the fresh pasta, there are many high-quality fresh and dried pasta noodles available in better supermarkets and specialty food shops.

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This recipe is for Gochugaru Caramel Corn (고추가루 카라멜 팝콘) from Deuki Hong & Matt Rodbards’ cookbook, Koreaworld.

Hear our conversation with Deuki & Matt here:

Also from Koreaworld:

Deuki and Matt write in Koreaworld1:

In addition to being a killer pastry chef, Elaine Lau is a popcorn master. When we started collaborating on a Korean caramel corn, we wanted it to channel the spice and savoriness of kimchi but without the funky fermentation flavor. (You can look to our Kimchi Salt Popcorn in Koreaworld for more of that.) Here, gochugaru and a hint of soy sauce bring heat and rich umami to the basic Cracker Jack formula. We brought a few very large containers of this to a Super Bowl party, and it was gone before Rihanna took the stage.

This recipe makes about 14 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil

• ½ cup popcorn kernels

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 teaspoons gochugaru

• ½ teaspoon soy sauce

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Grease a large sheet pan with neutral oil or cooking spray.

2. In a large heavy-bottomed pot combine 1 tablespoon oil with 3 popcorn kernels. Cover and place over medium heat. When all 3 kernels have popped, add the remaining kernels. Put the lid back on the pot and shake to coat evenly.

3. When the kernels start to pop frequently, shake the pot often to prevent burning on the bottom. When the popping almost completely stops, uncover and remove from the heat. Sift through the popcorn to remove any kernels and spread out the popcorn on the prepared sheet pan. You should have about 14 cups.

4. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, gochugaru, soy sauce, and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the granulated sugar, rice syrup, brown sugar, and salt and stir to mix well. Bring to a full boil and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture registers 250ºF on a candy thermometer, 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Add the baking soda to the caramel mixture and stir immediately until evenly combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the popcorn on the sheet pan and toss to coat evenly. It’s fine if there are uneven patches of caramel.

6. Bake the coated popcorn, stirring every 5 minutes, until the caramel starts to thin out and coat the popcorn evenly, 15 to 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 250ºF and bake for 15 minutes longer to ensure the popcorn is nice and crispy.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving. The caramel corn will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Find more recipes like this one in Koreaworld by Deuki Hong & Matt Rodbard. You can purchase a copy via these links:

Bookshop // Omnivore Books (signed)

This recipe is for Gilgeori Toast (길거리 토스트) [Sweet-Savory Egg-and-Cheese Street Toast] from Deuki Hong & Matt Rodbards’ cookbook, Koreaworld.

Hear our conversation with Deuki & Matt here:

Also from Koreaworld:

Deuki and Matt write in Koreaworld1:

Deuki did a VICE Munchies video for this recipe that was viewed more than 250,000 times, and the comments are wild. “This is the type of dude that I want to see on a travel show, not a random celebrity,” one commenter wrote. Another noted Deuki’s “battle scars,” which were on full display, his forearm having had a run-in with a hot hotel pan that week. But mostly everybody was like, “This is the recipe we need,” and here we are with it. In Korea, street toasts are typically sold by vendors as a quick snack for students and those on the run. It’s an eggy Tilt-A- Whirl Of a recipe that marries the dearly beloved sweet and savory. While variations exist (including an incredible ham and raspberry jam version at Queens in San Francisco), the constants are eggs, sugar, cabbage, and margarine. If that doesn’t sound satisfying, you’ll just have to trust us. And while butter works perfectly well, margarine is way more common in Korea and adds both a texture and a flavor that make this distinctly Korean.

This recipe makes 1 major sandwich.

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This recipe is for Cast-Iron Corn Bread from Elizabeth Poett’s cookbook, The Ranch Table.

Hear our conversation with Elizabeth here:

Also from The Ranch Table:

Elizabeth writes in The Ranch Table1:

My fluffy, tender, and slightly sweet corn bread is baked in a hot cast-iron pan so that the outer crust crisps up before the interior gets dry. I also like to serve it right in the pan. I don’t generally like to add too many things to my corn bread, because I think the flavor is great on its own, but a handful of fresh corn kernels adds a nice pop of flavor to each bite.

This recipe serves 4 to 6 people.

Total time: 1 hour | Active time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup reduced-fat buttermilk

• 2 large eggs

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• ¾ cup fresh or frozen and thawed corn kernels

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• Honey Butter (optional, see recipe in The Ranch Table)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and eggs and whisk well until combined, then whisk in the oil. Mix in the corn.

3. Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron pan in the oven for 3 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and tip and rotate it so that the melted butter coats the bottom and sides. Pour the batter evenly into the hot pan.

4. Bake the corn bread for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out moist but clean.

5. Let the corn bread cool for 10 minutes before serving with honey butter, if desired.

Find more recipes like this one in Elizabeth Poett’s The Ranch Table. You can purchase a copy via these links:

Bookshop

This recipe is for Butternut Squash Soup with Sage from Elizabeth Poett’s cookbook, The Ranch Table.

Elizabeth writes in The Ranch Table1:

We grow a lot of different kinds of squash on the ranch, and after the fall harvest, Katie and I store crates and buckets of them to cook with all winter long. I like to bring out the squash’s natural flavor by roasting it, then I simmer it with some fresh sage, which grows all year round in my garden. I also make this soup with other kinds of hard winter squash, depending on what I have in my pantry.

This recipe serves 6 to 8 people.

Total time: 2 hours | Active time: 40 minutes

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This recipe is for Citrus Galette from Makenna Held’s cookbook, Mostly French: Recipes from a Kitchen in Provence.

» Hear our conversation with Makenna here:

» Also from Mostly French:

Makenna writes in Mostly French1:

This galette works with any citrus. It can be made throughout the year, but it is especially welcome in the winter when citrus is at its peak and good berries are nowhere to be found. The best combination is a mix of citrus, some sweeter than others, such as lemons, limes, and oranges. While it is great unaccompanied, you can also serve it with the Not-Too- Sweet Whipped Cream [Mostly French, pg. 59]. Thank goodness for small miracles!

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This recipe is for Braised Chicken in White Wine with Bacon-Radish Gremolata from Makenna Held’s cookbook, Mostly French: Recipes from a Kitchen in Provence.

Makenna writes in Mostly French1:

Coq au vin translates literally to “rooster (cockerel) in wine.” It was traditionally made with red wine so the tannins could break down the tough old meat. These days we are much more likely to use a well- plumped, tender chicken from the grocery store and thus, tannins are no longer necessary. The lighter wine also makes this recipe more appealing in the warmer months.

This recipe serves 4.

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This recipe is for Spinach Artichoke Dip Baked on a Grill from Tyler Florence’s cookbook, American Grill.

Hear our conversation with Tyler Florence here:

Also from Tyler Florence’s American Grill:

Tyler writes in American Grill1:

Add a Meyer lemon to just about anything and it instantly becomes not only a better version of itself—thanks to the sweet-tart nature of the citrus—but a California version of itself. The trees of this softer-skinned citrus grow particularly well in California, and the fruits are typically juicier than their Eureka counterparts, with more of an orange flavor than puckering lemon. It elevates this classic dip into something worthy of a fancy dinner party, especially when you let it bubble and broil on the grill. Serve it with chips, crackers, vegetables, or bread. Or just down it with a spoon when nobody’s watching.

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This recipe is for Reverse-Seared Pollo Asado from Tyler Florence’s cookbook, American Grill. This recipe serves 4 to 6 people.

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This is the recipe for Spaghetti alla bottarga della zia Milla (Aunt Milla’s spaghetti with bottarga) from Viola Buitoni’s cookbook, Italy by Ingredient.

You can hear Viola reading an excerpt on bottarga (and this recipe) here:

Viola writes in Italy by Ingredient1:

At fifteen, my larger-than-life mother crossed paths with a red-haired, gold-eyed beauty. Her name was Milla—short for Camilla—and she summered in the same town where my family has owned a place since the 1950s. It was an instant friendship that lasted a lifetime, and to this day carries between my sisters and me and zia Milla’s daughters. A love of and aptitude for good cooking were one of the threads my mother and Milla shared. Memories of her casual kitchen instincts still inform my cooking. From her, I learned that octopuses are tastier if you leave their small brains in, and that bottarga delivers such flavor, you need to do very little to it.

The caftan-clad zia Milla would swish into the kitchen, and in the fragments of time she’d steal from espresso sipping and Marlboro puffing, she’d string together the magic that would mesmerize me later that day at the table. This recipe is the story of how she could make both bottarga and a summer evening sparkle.

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This recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies comes from Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore’s book, Slow Food Fast Cars.

Hear our conversation with Lara here:

Lara writes in Slow Food Fast Cars1:

Italians are known for eating very sweet breakfasts, usually comprising coffee with a pastry or cookies. Alongside the more traditional Italian sweets, this tried-and-true recipe for North American chocolate chip cookies found its place on our breakfast buffet and never left. The reason could be because I am Canadian and Lara is American but most likely it is because Lara and Massimo’s son, Charlie, loves these cookies and we just can’t let him down. Enjoy!

This recipe makes 30 cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick (115 g) salted butter, at room temperature

• ½ cup packed plus 1 tablespoon (110 g) muscovado sugar

• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped

• 1 egg, at room temperature

• 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) all-purpose (plain) flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

• ½ teaspoon kosher (flaky) salt

• ⅔ cup (150 g) dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the butter and both sugars. Mix in the vanilla seeds and egg.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), and salt.

3. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter until well incorporated. By hand, fold in the chocolate chips. Let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4). Line two baking sheets with parchment (baking) paper. Portion the dough into 30 balls of about 1 ounce (25 g) each and arrange on the lined baking sheets, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. (Alternatively, the raw dough balls can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month.) Bake until the edges become slightly toasted—the cookies will flatten out, but the centers still seem slightly raw—about 8 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

Note: These cookies are best eaten as soon as possible but can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Find more recipes like this in Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore’s Slow Food Fast Cars. You can purchase a copy via these links:

Omnivore Books • Bookshop • Phaidon

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