So exciting! Can't wait to see what you two are cooking up!
What motivates you to buy a new cookbook?
I love when cookbooks offer unique ways to cook everyday (and occasion!) meals that broaden my palate and pantry. I always appreciate a mix of simple and more intensive recipes, too.
What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
Authenticity and personal connection, plus some lesser known foods that give a real taste of the culture beyond the tourist palate.
What is your struggle when you follow a new recipe?
Understanding how much time will be required, knowing everyone's prep speed differs.
What is your main struggle in the kitchen right now?
Having enough stove and oven space (and pots and pans) to cook more than two components of a recipe at once. It gets cluttered fast, so one-pot or just a few dirty dishes are easier to achieve.
What are you searching for in a recipe? Inspiration? An insight into its origins? Clear instructions? A general method? Step-by-step photos?
All of the above! As well as versatility or flexibility for my city's seasonal produce or available ingredients.
When it comes to ingredients, how accessible are for you fresh vegetables? Or do you usually buy frozen or canned ones? Do you buy your vegetables from farmers’ markets? CSA boxes? Supermarkets? Or do you have your own vegetable garden?
Fresh veggies from the supermarket, supplemented by market trips.
Speaking of Italian ingredients, what are the most typical cheeses you can find? What do you find typically Italian in your neighborhood or in the closest shops? Flour? Canned goods? pasta?
Parmigiano, Pecorino Romano, Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Burrata are the most widely available cheeses. Canned tomatoes, several varieties of pasta, and even Tipo 00 / Semolina are easy to find. Some cuts of meat and cured meats are harder to find in my area.
What is missing in contemporary cookbooks that you would love to see featured?
Cook times, process photos, and alternative ingredients for hard-to-find items. Organization by occasion / meal time, rather than by components.
If there's something that makes our previous books stand out, what it is?
Your photos and storytelling are always spectacular! Your books are great representations of you.
Sorry Juls I'm a little late answering! In choosing a cookbook I really look for personal content. I love reading the story/history behind the recipes. I love cookbooks that you can curl up on the couch and read. And the more photos, the better! Of the ingredients, the process, you cooking, the surrounding countryside, etc.. In regards to ingredients, I am lucky enough to work in a local, family owned grocery store that imports a LOT of products from all over Europe but particularly, Italy. So finding ingredients isn't usually a problem for me. I did purchase Cucina Povera and it's just wonderful! Much love from Ohio, Siena
How nice of you to ask us these questions! I have some thoughts but right now there's one thing about recipes I'd like to mention--this drives me crazy. I tend to follow recipes that feature fresh produce that I grow or get from farmers markets, or have put up. Some recipes will include produce that is not available at the same time. One that comes to mind is a pasta recipe that features fresh corn and sugar snap peas. Perhaps in some places these are in season at the same time, but I don't know where an early spring and a mid-summer crop would be available together. One or the other would be packaged, frozen, or canned. I like to see recipes where all ingredients are in season at the same time. I'll try to give some thoughts on the other questions tomorrow. It's fun to think about these things. Thank you.
What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
Recipes that remind me of my mother's Italian cooking heritage.
What is your struggle when you follow a new recipe?
Too many steps that are not necessarily in a makes-sense order.
What is your main struggle in the kitchen right now?
Trying out new seasoning blends that work.
What are you searching for in a recipe? Inspiration? An insight into its origins? Clear instructions? A general method? Step-by-step photos?
Inspiration, insight into the origins, uncomplicated instructions.
When it comes to ingredients, how accessible are for you fresh vegetables? Or do you usually buy frozen or canned ones? Do you buy your vegetables from farmers’ markets? CSA boxes? Supermarkets? Or do you have your own vegetable garden?
I have good access to the usual vegetables - I go to the farmer's market when I can. CA boxes usually contain too much of the same ingredients (There are only two people in my household.). I'd love to grow my own, but there are too many critters that enjoy the fruits of my labor before I do.
Speaking of Italian ingredients, what are the most typical cheeses you can find? What do you find typically Italian in your neighborhood or in the closest shops? Flour? Canned goods? pasta?
Parmesan (not my favorite), a local supermarket has been carrying Murray's from NY so there have been some fun alternatives. I love pecorino but it is hard to find a good tasting version that isn't more than a half hour away. I travel 20+ miles for flour, some cheeses and canned goods. I make my own pasta when possible.
What is missing in contemporary cookbooks that you would love to see featured?
Specific information on what is actually in season and what season to cook for. I get bored with using the same ingredients all year long.
If there's something that makes our previous books stand out, what it is?
We love our fresh veggies from local supermarket and farmers markets. And I love a new spin on anything - accessibility of ingredients and simplicity of recipe breakdown are two of my tops for buying a new cookbook. I love Carla Lalli Music’s most recent cookbook That Smells So Good and Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food. Can’t wait to read your new one!
I'll take #2 What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
A part of me wishes I could find more food like my grandparents ate in Florence and a little bit west of Florence. One of the first Italian cookbooks I bought was because it had a recipe for "Frittella" that was made exactly how my grandmother made them (with cooked leftover rice, some lemon rind, egg, flour and sprinkled with regular sugar when it came out of the frying pan.) I've since learned that there are lots and lots of different kinds of "frittella"--most of which I've never had. My grandmother had a very small repertoire of things she cooked--but she did them all very well. I never saw a written recipe in her house--but I did learn from her some of her recipes by standing at her side and watching and helping.
As an American, I love regional Italian cookbooks from Florence and nearby so I can feel closer to my ancestors.
I concure with and second all of Sidney's answers to your questions. Those are essentially the same answers I would have provided. I use cookbooks for inspiration for meals that are for an occasion but also like approachable every day meals especially if they are one pot preparation for the most part. Also love your photos and your story telling in your cook books and recipes!
What motivates me to buy a new cookbook? My interest in the cuisine, photographs, and stories related to the cuisine. The stories can be about the author’s relationship to the cuisine, or food origin stories behind the recipe being shared.
Also, thank you for the recipe! I was able to try schiacciata all’uva on a recent visit to Florence, and it would be lovely to try making it at home in the future.
I am a professional chef and restaurant owner with over 50 years experience in all venues of operations. I love all facets of the food world, especially publishing, and helping people understand value and content. My compliments to you and your husband for raising your children and excelling at writing your cookbook. We are now on Samos Greece traveling from Ikaria to Samos and speaking with other chefs about world food. We enjoyed your cookbook and wish you well, keep in touch chef bill and karen
I am motivated to buy a new cookbook because it explores new techniques. I want new techniques to be step by step and then several adaptable recipes that follow that technique. We live in the mountains of Colorado, so we have a very short growing season. I buy organic fruit & veg from a CSO & grow lettuces on my deck. I try to cook seasonally & only buy organic grocery store produce that I know is in season regionally. I want a cookbook that gives me lots of choices for veg that can be substituted.
I have to order semolina & 00 flour online but I do keep it stocked all the time. We typically keep Parmigiano Reggiano because I bring it home from trips or buy it at Whole Foods. Any other Italian cheese has to be purchased a 2 hour drive away or online.
I want a cookbook that focuses more on a regional cuisine or a specialty area of cooking like bread or preserving food.
This recipe is so irresistible! and perfect timing, we just foraged heaps of wild grapes and concord grapes are all around us at the market. I'm going to come back to your other questions, I'm too sleepy now to give a good answer but I love that you are using this space to lock down the best book proposal for your next gem. x
What motivates me to buy a new cookbook--either I feel a relationship with the writer (and I know I want to read what they have to say) or it feels fresh to me, covering something I don’t already have a million recipes for.
Main struggle...I cook for us 3x a day so I often hit the wall. What too cook?!
In Boston I can find most things--Italian cheeses, produce, etc. Flours like semola rimacinata and 00 are easily found. We can get lots of fresh produce (although zucchini flowers are hard to find!)
Hi. I’ve been building a library of cookbooks (and foraging books) for about four years. What excites me are these:
- vegan or vegan option recipes with zero (!!!) nutritional yeast.
- foraged ingredients
- pounded options (as opposed to food processor or blender, though I have those)
- vegetable forward recipes that may include a vegan bacon or other v-meat component. For example, I just saw a wonderful pork belly recipe by Full of Plants blogger.
- authentic Italian or other cuisine (why I bought your recently published book and today bought Pasta Every Day (if I’m not mistaken I heard about that one from you).
I did not really know how to cook when I became vegan so have been learning. There is a historic tradition of Buddhist mock meat so now-a-days I’ll buy a cookbook that includes meats and seafood but I will Not buy one that includes nutritional yeast. It’s actually not a healthy ingredient and is a monotonous crutch when umami is wanted. If you’d like to know more about options let me know
1. I’m motivated to buy based on the cuisine (especially if I have experience eating it), the chef being someone who I like or find interesting, photos. It has to have millions of photos. Methods of prep, intermediate steps, techniques HAVE to be pictured. I’m not interested in drawings. Don’t tell me that there are videos on YouTube, I’ll never watch them. I want to see sharp pictures and plating.
2. In an Italian cookbook I want the classical method AND a shortcut method for a Monday night when I get home from work.
3. When complicated recipes don’t contain references to the ingredients that are composed of complicated steps. I don’t want to have to do my own research to figure out what something is that needs to be completed prior.
For example, if I have to do a bechamel please tell me at the beginning and include it in the glossary or addendum.
Also obscure ingredients with no clue how to get them or what to substitute.
3. Timing and temperatures. I’m so tired of recipes that underestimate how long to cook something properly. The classic is the fantasy recipe that carmelizes onions in 5-10 minutes. The other is not giving accurate temperatures. What is a hot oven? Even Medium High is a wide range. (Yes, I’m the jerk who brings an IR temp gun and points out during cooking class that the temperature was very different on the three dishes you told us were medium high.) We have driverless cars and microwaves but we can’t give a temp in C or F? My induction range has actual temperature settings. (Sorry for the rant.)
4. Putting together a logical menu from recipes in a cookbook, especially for entertaining. Also options for plating or serving family style.
5. I love all of those.
6. I always buy fresh. If I can’t find fresh really good frozen. No to canned unless it’s seafood from Spain.
7. Cheeses are the hardest depending on where I am living. California has everything but some places have little or nothing. Many ingredients are available on Amazon.
8. Actual menus that use many of the recipes and alternates for some of the dishes. I would love a traditional dinner menu for 4, 8 and suggestions to stretch if your guests bring unannounced friends. I love the confidence to know how to gracefully stretch or do a quick course with no preparation.
We need your help for a book proposal
So exciting! Can't wait to see what you two are cooking up!
What motivates you to buy a new cookbook?
I love when cookbooks offer unique ways to cook everyday (and occasion!) meals that broaden my palate and pantry. I always appreciate a mix of simple and more intensive recipes, too.
What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
Authenticity and personal connection, plus some lesser known foods that give a real taste of the culture beyond the tourist palate.
What is your struggle when you follow a new recipe?
Understanding how much time will be required, knowing everyone's prep speed differs.
What is your main struggle in the kitchen right now?
Having enough stove and oven space (and pots and pans) to cook more than two components of a recipe at once. It gets cluttered fast, so one-pot or just a few dirty dishes are easier to achieve.
What are you searching for in a recipe? Inspiration? An insight into its origins? Clear instructions? A general method? Step-by-step photos?
All of the above! As well as versatility or flexibility for my city's seasonal produce or available ingredients.
When it comes to ingredients, how accessible are for you fresh vegetables? Or do you usually buy frozen or canned ones? Do you buy your vegetables from farmers’ markets? CSA boxes? Supermarkets? Or do you have your own vegetable garden?
Fresh veggies from the supermarket, supplemented by market trips.
Speaking of Italian ingredients, what are the most typical cheeses you can find? What do you find typically Italian in your neighborhood or in the closest shops? Flour? Canned goods? pasta?
Parmigiano, Pecorino Romano, Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Burrata are the most widely available cheeses. Canned tomatoes, several varieties of pasta, and even Tipo 00 / Semolina are easy to find. Some cuts of meat and cured meats are harder to find in my area.
What is missing in contemporary cookbooks that you would love to see featured?
Cook times, process photos, and alternative ingredients for hard-to-find items. Organization by occasion / meal time, rather than by components.
If there's something that makes our previous books stand out, what it is?
Your photos and storytelling are always spectacular! Your books are great representations of you.
Sorry Juls I'm a little late answering! In choosing a cookbook I really look for personal content. I love reading the story/history behind the recipes. I love cookbooks that you can curl up on the couch and read. And the more photos, the better! Of the ingredients, the process, you cooking, the surrounding countryside, etc.. In regards to ingredients, I am lucky enough to work in a local, family owned grocery store that imports a LOT of products from all over Europe but particularly, Italy. So finding ingredients isn't usually a problem for me. I did purchase Cucina Povera and it's just wonderful! Much love from Ohio, Siena
How nice of you to ask us these questions! I have some thoughts but right now there's one thing about recipes I'd like to mention--this drives me crazy. I tend to follow recipes that feature fresh produce that I grow or get from farmers markets, or have put up. Some recipes will include produce that is not available at the same time. One that comes to mind is a pasta recipe that features fresh corn and sugar snap peas. Perhaps in some places these are in season at the same time, but I don't know where an early spring and a mid-summer crop would be available together. One or the other would be packaged, frozen, or canned. I like to see recipes where all ingredients are in season at the same time. I'll try to give some thoughts on the other questions tomorrow. It's fun to think about these things. Thank you.
What motivates you to buy a new cookbook?
A new take on local ingredients
What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
Recipes that remind me of my mother's Italian cooking heritage.
What is your struggle when you follow a new recipe?
Too many steps that are not necessarily in a makes-sense order.
What is your main struggle in the kitchen right now?
Trying out new seasoning blends that work.
What are you searching for in a recipe? Inspiration? An insight into its origins? Clear instructions? A general method? Step-by-step photos?
Inspiration, insight into the origins, uncomplicated instructions.
When it comes to ingredients, how accessible are for you fresh vegetables? Or do you usually buy frozen or canned ones? Do you buy your vegetables from farmers’ markets? CSA boxes? Supermarkets? Or do you have your own vegetable garden?
I have good access to the usual vegetables - I go to the farmer's market when I can. CA boxes usually contain too much of the same ingredients (There are only two people in my household.). I'd love to grow my own, but there are too many critters that enjoy the fruits of my labor before I do.
Speaking of Italian ingredients, what are the most typical cheeses you can find? What do you find typically Italian in your neighborhood or in the closest shops? Flour? Canned goods? pasta?
Parmesan (not my favorite), a local supermarket has been carrying Murray's from NY so there have been some fun alternatives. I love pecorino but it is hard to find a good tasting version that isn't more than a half hour away. I travel 20+ miles for flour, some cheeses and canned goods. I make my own pasta when possible.
What is missing in contemporary cookbooks that you would love to see featured?
Specific information on what is actually in season and what season to cook for. I get bored with using the same ingredients all year long.
If there's something that makes our previous books stand out, what it is?
The authenticity and freshness of the pasta.
We love our fresh veggies from local supermarket and farmers markets. And I love a new spin on anything - accessibility of ingredients and simplicity of recipe breakdown are two of my tops for buying a new cookbook. I love Carla Lalli Music’s most recent cookbook That Smells So Good and Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food. Can’t wait to read your new one!
I'll take #2 What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
A part of me wishes I could find more food like my grandparents ate in Florence and a little bit west of Florence. One of the first Italian cookbooks I bought was because it had a recipe for "Frittella" that was made exactly how my grandmother made them (with cooked leftover rice, some lemon rind, egg, flour and sprinkled with regular sugar when it came out of the frying pan.) I've since learned that there are lots and lots of different kinds of "frittella"--most of which I've never had. My grandmother had a very small repertoire of things she cooked--but she did them all very well. I never saw a written recipe in her house--but I did learn from her some of her recipes by standing at her side and watching and helping.
As an American, I love regional Italian cookbooks from Florence and nearby so I can feel closer to my ancestors.
I concure with and second all of Sidney's answers to your questions. Those are essentially the same answers I would have provided. I use cookbooks for inspiration for meals that are for an occasion but also like approachable every day meals especially if they are one pot preparation for the most part. Also love your photos and your story telling in your cook books and recipes!
Would love to but can't afford it right now!
What motivates me to buy a new cookbook? My interest in the cuisine, photographs, and stories related to the cuisine. The stories can be about the author’s relationship to the cuisine, or food origin stories behind the recipe being shared.
Also, thank you for the recipe! I was able to try schiacciata all’uva on a recent visit to Florence, and it would be lovely to try making it at home in the future.
I am a professional chef and restaurant owner with over 50 years experience in all venues of operations. I love all facets of the food world, especially publishing, and helping people understand value and content. My compliments to you and your husband for raising your children and excelling at writing your cookbook. We are now on Samos Greece traveling from Ikaria to Samos and speaking with other chefs about world food. We enjoyed your cookbook and wish you well, keep in touch chef bill and karen
I am motivated to buy a new cookbook because it explores new techniques. I want new techniques to be step by step and then several adaptable recipes that follow that technique. We live in the mountains of Colorado, so we have a very short growing season. I buy organic fruit & veg from a CSO & grow lettuces on my deck. I try to cook seasonally & only buy organic grocery store produce that I know is in season regionally. I want a cookbook that gives me lots of choices for veg that can be substituted.
I have to order semolina & 00 flour online but I do keep it stocked all the time. We typically keep Parmigiano Reggiano because I bring it home from trips or buy it at Whole Foods. Any other Italian cheese has to be purchased a 2 hour drive away or online.
I want a cookbook that focuses more on a regional cuisine or a specialty area of cooking like bread or preserving food.
This recipe is so irresistible! and perfect timing, we just foraged heaps of wild grapes and concord grapes are all around us at the market. I'm going to come back to your other questions, I'm too sleepy now to give a good answer but I love that you are using this space to lock down the best book proposal for your next gem. x
What motivates me to buy a new cookbook--either I feel a relationship with the writer (and I know I want to read what they have to say) or it feels fresh to me, covering something I don’t already have a million recipes for.
Main struggle...I cook for us 3x a day so I often hit the wall. What too cook?!
In Boston I can find most things--Italian cheeses, produce, etc. Flours like semola rimacinata and 00 are easily found. We can get lots of fresh produce (although zucchini flowers are hard to find!)
Hi. I’ve been building a library of cookbooks (and foraging books) for about four years. What excites me are these:
- vegan or vegan option recipes with zero (!!!) nutritional yeast.
- foraged ingredients
- pounded options (as opposed to food processor or blender, though I have those)
- vegetable forward recipes that may include a vegan bacon or other v-meat component. For example, I just saw a wonderful pork belly recipe by Full of Plants blogger.
- authentic Italian or other cuisine (why I bought your recently published book and today bought Pasta Every Day (if I’m not mistaken I heard about that one from you).
I did not really know how to cook when I became vegan so have been learning. There is a historic tradition of Buddhist mock meat so now-a-days I’ll buy a cookbook that includes meats and seafood but I will Not buy one that includes nutritional yeast. It’s actually not a healthy ingredient and is a monotonous crutch when umami is wanted. If you’d like to know more about options let me know
I hope this helps. Ty for your awesome work.
1. I’m motivated to buy based on the cuisine (especially if I have experience eating it), the chef being someone who I like or find interesting, photos. It has to have millions of photos. Methods of prep, intermediate steps, techniques HAVE to be pictured. I’m not interested in drawings. Don’t tell me that there are videos on YouTube, I’ll never watch them. I want to see sharp pictures and plating.
2. In an Italian cookbook I want the classical method AND a shortcut method for a Monday night when I get home from work.
3. When complicated recipes don’t contain references to the ingredients that are composed of complicated steps. I don’t want to have to do my own research to figure out what something is that needs to be completed prior.
For example, if I have to do a bechamel please tell me at the beginning and include it in the glossary or addendum.
Also obscure ingredients with no clue how to get them or what to substitute.
3. Timing and temperatures. I’m so tired of recipes that underestimate how long to cook something properly. The classic is the fantasy recipe that carmelizes onions in 5-10 minutes. The other is not giving accurate temperatures. What is a hot oven? Even Medium High is a wide range. (Yes, I’m the jerk who brings an IR temp gun and points out during cooking class that the temperature was very different on the three dishes you told us were medium high.) We have driverless cars and microwaves but we can’t give a temp in C or F? My induction range has actual temperature settings. (Sorry for the rant.)
4. Putting together a logical menu from recipes in a cookbook, especially for entertaining. Also options for plating or serving family style.
5. I love all of those.
6. I always buy fresh. If I can’t find fresh really good frozen. No to canned unless it’s seafood from Spain.
7. Cheeses are the hardest depending on where I am living. California has everything but some places have little or nothing. Many ingredients are available on Amazon.
8. Actual menus that use many of the recipes and alternates for some of the dishes. I would love a traditional dinner menu for 4, 8 and suggestions to stretch if your guests bring unannounced friends. I love the confidence to know how to gracefully stretch or do a quick course with no preparation.
What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
I want recipes that I enjoyed in Italy not Italian/American.
What are you searching for in an Italian cookbook?
I would love recipes for the tortas that they make in Italy. They sometimes have unusual ingredients & are delicious.