Read an Excerpt
Introduction
In its own way, food is the language we use to express our life stories, through every phase, twist, and turn.
The dishes we cook tell the story of where we come from, the people we hold dear, and the moments of hardship or abundance. We tell the stories of the winter when we didn’t have enough time, and the summer when we had too much time. We tell the stories of the people we’ve lost and gained, the experiences that shaped us, the year we saw the world, and the year we saw only our apartment.
This book is a record of my personal journey through food, and my desire to share it with you so that you may enhance your own story. I grew up in a big Italian family where meals were savored over conversation. Food was prepared with love and with a larger purpose in mind. Food fed more than our bodies; it fed our souls. Meals were about connecting, sharing, and nourishing.
As time passed, life got in the way—as I’m sure it does for most of us. My entire adult life has been spent either cooking for others in professional kitchens or teaching home cooks how to make healthy, nutritious meals without sacrificing flavor. It’s been incredibly rewarding professionally, but behind the scenes, I almost never joined the table to appreciate the meal myself. As my career progressed, the personal joy of home cooking and the significance it held became distant. The light that came from cooking for myself, family, and friends—a formative part of my childhood—had dimmed.
Everything changed during the pandemic. I, like most of us, found myself at home, cooking and sitting down for meals surrounded by family. I was doing what I love, for the people I love, for the first time in decades. I started preparing the meals I relished making when no one was watching, the meals that were meant to nourish and bring comfort when I wasn’t worried about counting every calorie. I once again felt the power of cooking and enjoying weekday meals with my family—an everyday luxury for some that for me had become a rarity at best.
Of course, I’m not immune to the labor of cooking: It can be hard work. As a home cook preparing nightly meals, I also experienced the fatigue of spending hours planning and cooking every night, and the frustration of making the same dish again and again. I found myself trying to remember those favorite simple go-to recipes from my youth, recipes that were passed down in my family for generations, the dishes I learned to make growing up in the vibrant city of New York, and the recipes I created and loved during my years in professional kitchens.
Day by day, I started writing down ideas. My notebook became filled with scribbles and inspirations and notes like “Mom’s smashed garlic” or “Dad’s fish market trips” or “Robert’s mom’s ceviche.” I started cooking from the heart, from my memories and my stories.
That’s what inspired this book. Incoherent scribbles in my notebook became a collection of over one hundred of the best no-fuss recipes that have stuck with me throughout the years.
These are my absolute top recipes from over forty years spent cooking.
The best part? These are also the dishes made by the hardworking moms I learned from growing up who didn’t have all day to spend in the kitchen, and the busy restaurants I worked in where it needed to be ready 5 minutes ago. The vast majority of these recipes come together in 30 minutes or less, with flavors that will stick with you for the rest of your life.
If I’ve come to understand one thing, it’s that food brings joy. I’ve watched food bring comfort and moments of hope, even during the dog days of the pandemic. We’ve returned to our busy work schedules, commutes, and obligations, but we find ourselves with a new understanding of what we can accomplish in our kitchen, and a renewed excitement to share in life around the table. What we’ve lost in the bargain, though, is time.
In this book, I’ll teach you the tools, ingredients, and tricks I use to build flavor quickly, with foolproof recipes you can turn to time and time again. That means less planning, less prep, less time cooking, and more time enjoying meals with the ones you love.
These are the recipes I turn to when I have 30 minutes to spare and just a few ingredients in my pantry. They’re the meals I make for myself at home, or to please a crowd, or just on a Sunday evening when my downstairs neighbor, chef buddy, and best friend’s five-year-old are all breaking bread at my table.
Be it a weeknight Penne alla Vodka (page 27) with your family, Butterscotch-Glazed Short Ribs (page 247) for Sunday supper with your friends, or a Crab & Heirloom Tomato Salad (page 103) for a lazy summer afternoon on the porch, you’re sure to find an exciting take on your favorite classic, or a recipe to start a brandnew tradition of your own.
With food’s ability to tell our story, to connect and unite in even the most difficult times, I can’t think of a better time than now to share these recipes with you. You’ll be shocked by how quickly your own stories and traditions come together—and how much time you have to spare.
Buon appetito!
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