Make It Italian The Taste and Technique of Italian Home Cooking

Flavors That Say "Italian" Years ago, I read a recipe for "Italian Spaghetti Sauce" that used canned tomato soup as the base. Like many American children, I had eaten my share of that reconstituted staple, so I could imagine the look and taste of the finished sauce. It would be sort of pinky red and oddly "tomatoey," but its flavor would not remotely resemble Italian tomato sauce. Whether dishes are classic Italian, or Italian-American, or even Italian-inspired innovations, they share some unmistakable characteristics that make them Italian. No matter how widely the foods of the twenty regions of Italy may vary-not only from each other, but from Italian-American food-they share certain characteristics that just say "Italian." For a finished dish to taste Italian, it must have Italian beginnings. If you stock your kitchen with some basic ingredients, you will not only produce Italian food, you'll do it quickly. Keep in mind the Italian expression "What you put in there you will find" (Quello che si mette, si trova), meaning that the ingredients you add to a dish will be tasted, so they must be good. In this case, they should taste Italian. Stocking an Italian Pantry When I think back on it, my grandmother's pantry wasn't a single room. It rambled throughout the house. A large alcove, just off the kitchen, held colorful cans, jars, and bottles of foods she had preserved or purchased. Hanging strings of sausages and netted cheeses swung from basement beams above bottles of my grandfather's homemade wine. On Sundays, Nonna's bed might be covered with a clean sheet dotted with homemade ravioli. Tucked into bedroom and hall closets were baskets and sewing boxes filled with sweet biscotti and wandi. With a few purchases from the pushcart outside her door, the makings of a meal were always close at hand. Such pantries are not merely romantic memories of bygone days. My own kitchen holds most of the same staples that Nonna had on hand and I have spent many a happy hour exploring the larders of contemporary Italian friends. Ceramic jars of green and black olives, tins of salted anchovies, tiny tomatoes strung up to dry, and salamis left to cure-their food storerooms are marvels of texture, color, and taste. Following are some of the items that I think you should have on hand -- though not necessarily all over the house -- and suggestions for choosing and using them. Cooking Fats GRASSO Cooking fat not only coats the pan but serves as a flavor carrier, so the fat you choose will influence the flavor of the entire dish. Typical Italian choices, alone or in combination, are olive oil, seed oil, butter, and pork. In most cases you can substitute one for the other and create remarkably different dishes with otherwise identical ingredients. OLIVE OIL OLIO D'OLIVA When I use olive oil, I want to taste olive, so I use only extra-virgin olive oil. Many affordable, very fine-tasting brands are available in American markets or specialty stores, and through the Internet. Depending on where and how it was produced, the oil may be fruity, peppery, full-bodied, or mild. Which one you choose should depend on your taste, but I suggest you avoid any that taste overly unctuous. I think such oils make a dish heavy and unappealing. All regions of Italy except for Piedmont produce some olive oil. My preferences are for those from Apulia, Tuscany, and Umbria. Italian olive oils are graded according to the amount of oleic acid they contain and whether or not heat or solvents were used in the processing. Storage: Store the oil away from the heat and the light. If you have a large can, transfer some of it to a smaller oil decanter or a clean, dark wine bottle for easier handling. You can buy cork-bottomed stoppers with pouring spouts at kitchen-supply storesBarr, Nancy Verde is the author of 'Make It Italian The Taste and Technique of Italian Home Cooking', published 2002 under ISBN 9780375402265 and ISBN 0375402268.