Delicious UK

An award-winning magazine, delicious. features 50-plus triple-tested, foolproof recipes and astounding complementary editorial and photography every month.

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WHAT'S ON THE ITALIAN MENU? • Head of food Tom Shingler combines dishes from Italy’s four corners

If you make one thing… • Through the simple alchemy of a little heat and whisking, eggs, sugar and sweet wine are transformed into the silky cloud of loveliness known as zabaione

APPETISERS

OVER TO YOU

delicious. discoveries Italian special • The best new Italian stuff from producers big and small, plus all-time favourites of the delicious. team and friends

Hot on the shelves • The best Italian products to steer your trolley towards

5 OF THE BEST Italian cookbooks of all time • We set Mark Diacono the cruellest of challenges this month: to select the cream of the crop from the countless titles published on Italy’s diverse cuisine. Naturally, all his choices are still in print

A glass of greco di tufo with Gennaro Contaldo • The genial chef recalls his aunt’s unbeatable ragù, getting to grips with British fish and chips, the good fortune he had to be born on the Amalfi coast – and his special ritual when returning home. Can you guess what his favourite pizza topping is?

Welcome to your ITALIAN TOUR • Here it is: your culinary journey the length and breadth of Italy, with at least one recipe from all of its 20 regions. From the meaty rib-sticking fare and dairy farming of the Alpine north to the olive oil, seafood and tomatoes of the Mediterranean south, it’s a tour that takes in a world of flavours. And from the Austrian influence of the Alps, down to Sicily where Arab, Greek, Spanish and other peoples have left their mark, it’s a trail that offers a taste of many cultures. What holds it all together, though, is that countrywide Italian knack of making a virtue of simplicity, letting good ingredients shine. And what ingredients they are: sensational seafood, lovingly tended veg, world-class cheeses, expertly cured meats, 350 types of pasta… Enjoy the ride – and buon appetito!

TUSCANY • With the hilltop villages of ‘Chiantishire’ and cities such as Pisa, Siena and Florence, Tuscany is Italy’s second most visited region (after Veneto). From the Apennine mountains to the Tyrrhenian coast, fine produce from borlotti beans to olives is enjoyed as simply as possible. The Tuscans love their meat too (see the steak on p116) and they have the red wines to go with it: chianti, brunello di montalcino, sangiovese…

UMBRIA • This fertile pocket of central Italy is a must-visit for its pork and truffles. Umbria produces more truffles than any other part of Italy, with the prized underground fungi lurking in the chestnut woodlands, ready to be uncovered by trained dogs. Pork reigns supreme as pigs snuffle among the trees, but the hills are home to sheep, too. Game is also a speciality: hare ragù and slow-roasted pigeon are classics.

PUGLIA • The heel of Italy’s ‘boot’, Puglia produces nearly half the country’s olive oil and more wine than any other region, and it’s where most of the durum wheat is grown. Despite this, Puglia has traditionally been a poor region. Simple dishes make the most of what’s at its best, with meat as more of a treat. Along the coast, fish and seafood are more prominent, but it’s really the seasonal veg, egg-free pastas and breads that stand out.

BASILICATA • Wild, rugged and mountainous, Basilicata is a hidden gem of southern Italy and a region with some serious history. This is the home of Matera, one of the world’s oldest cities. Breadmaking here can be traced back to 7,000BC and some claim it as the birthplace of pasta -all thanks to the abundant durum wheat grown in the region. Basilicatan food, like that of the region’s southern neighbours, is simple, with vegetables...