- Gourmet Entertains: Puglia Menu; Cookbook Author Ursula Ferrigno’s Umbria Menu
- Gourmet Travels: Umbrian Countryside; Orvieto; Ferrara; Venice Restaurant Scene
- The Farm Bill
- Seasonal Kitchen: Passover Dishes
- Exclusive Book Excerpt: “Passion on the Vine,” by Sergio Esposito
- Roadfood: The Sterns Devour the Best Subs in Atlantic City, NJ
- Kitchen Notebook: Homemade Pasta
- The Last Touch: Ricotta
Gourmet Entertains includes two menus: “Head over Heel” (page 108) offers a Puglia menu, which reflects the southern region of Italy’s long coastline: Octopus Salad; Baked Stuffed Mussels; Tomato Focaccia; Olive-Oil Pepper Biscuits; Orecchiette with Chickpeas; Black Cod with Olives and Potatoes in Parchment; Sautéed Dandelion Greens; Chocolate Hazelnut Spiced Cookies; Lemon Crostata; and Creamy Limoncello. In “Under the Umbrian Sun” (page 128), acclaimed cookbook author Ursula Ferrigno (Truly Italian, The Bread Book), who spent ten years in Umbria, presents her menu of rustic seasonal dishes: Flatbread Stuffed with Cheese and Prosciutto; Fava Beans with Red Onion and Mint; White Lasagne with Parmigiano Besciamella; Fennel and Celery Salad; Pork Roast Braised with Milk and Fresh Herbs; Asparagus, Peas, and Basil; Perugian-Style Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake; and Apricots with Amaretto Syrup.
Gourmet Travels spotlights the Umbrian countryside. In “Fresh Waters Run Deep” (page 48), Robert Sietsema, restaurant critic for the Village Voice, travels along Lake Trasimeno, the largest lake in the Italian peninsula, which sprawls across the Umbrian countryside, to sample Etruscan cuisine. “The Details” (page 159) features where to stay, eat, and visit in Umbria. In “A Cut Above” (page 53), award-winning author Diana Armstrong visits Maria Giuseppina Bellapadrona, a fourth-generation local butcher in Lubriano, a small medieval village northwest of Rome, just outside Orvieto. In “Life of Po” (page 122), Dan Hofstadter, an expat living in Italy and the author of Falling Palace: A Romance of Naples, visits Ferrara, an ancient walled town on the Po River that was once one of the great cultural centers of Europe. Ferrara hangs on to its rich history through curious breads, copious pastries, and pasta. Hofstadter interviews cookbook writer Giuliana Berengan about the cuisine of Ferrara. “The Details” (page 127) highlights where to stay and eat and what to visit in Ferrara. In “Venezia Nuova” (page 138), Gourmet contributing editor Colman Andrews remarks on the changes in the Venetian dining scene and visits the new wine bars along the Rialto and restaurants around the fish market. “The Details” (page 142) recommends new Venice restaurants.
Seasonal Kitchen: In “Who Knew?” (page 144), Gourmet food editor Melissa Roberts offers creative Passover dishes (Passover starts April 19, 2008), from pasta to cheesecake: Spinach and Matzo Pie; Spiced Matzo-Stuffed Chicken Breasts; Passover Pasta Primavera; Lemon-Almond Tuiles; Roasted Rhubarb with Rose Water and Strawberry Sorbet; Passover Lemon Cheesecake; and Walnut-Date Torte.
In “Betting the Farm” (page 90), Sam Hurst, columnist for the Rapid City Journal, profiles the Stiegelmeiers, a sixth-generation farming family in Walworth County, South Dakota, who went back to an old-fashioned, diversified, organic system of farming. Meanwhile, politicians in Washington are disputing this year’s Farm Bill, which many are hoping will be revamped since it encourages overproduction of crops, driving down prices and undermining the livelihoods of small farmers.
“In Vino Parentis” (page 42), by Sergio Esposito, proprietor of New York’s Italian Wine Merchants, is an excerpt from his new book, Passion on the Vine, in which he rediscovers classic wine and attempts to entertain his difficult parents.
In Roadfood: “On a Roll” (page 38), Jane and Michael Stern visit two institutions in Atlantic City, New Jersey: the Italian bakery Formica Bros. Bakery, which delivers its bread to White House Sub Shop, which makes the best sub sandwiches in Atlantic City.
Kitchen Notebook (page 150) includes “Two Doughs, Two Techniques,” with tips for homemade filled pastas.
The Last Touch: “Take the Easy Whey Out” (page 162) features ricotta dishes: Ricotta Gnocchi; Ricotta and Mint Spread; Penne with Herbed Ricotta; and “Cannoli” Ice Cream Sandwiches.
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