Book excerpt: “It has always been true for me that to know a place, I must first know how it eats and drinks. Everything unravels at the table.” –Marlena de Blasi Marlena de Blasi’s lifelong affair with cooking began at age nine on a beach along the coast of southern Italy, where she met an elderly woman roasting potatoes coated with olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt over an open fire. Now, in A Taste of Southern Italy, de Blasi brings to life the spirit as well as the cuisine of this bountiful region. With de Blasi we travel down remote country goat paths in tiny island villages and along sun-washed avenues of great cities in search of some of the most treasured recipes in the world. This is as much a storybook as it is a cookbook: a gathering of small rhapsodies, impressions, and romantic notions from a land where such delights are plentiful. In our journey through the kitchens of southern Italy we find tantalizing recipes for a host of mouthwatering dishes, including Gnocchi di Castagne con Porcini Trifolati Insalata di Pesce Dove il Mare Non C’é Pane di Altamura Frittelle di Ricotta e Rhum alla Lucana Peperoni Arrostiti Ripieni La Vera Pizza Pomodori alla Brace Pesce Spada sulla Brace alla Pantesca Ricotta Forte Pasta alla Pecoraio La Torta Antica Ericina Un Gelato Barocco With these authentic recipes at your fingertips, you can master the luscious tastes and rustic ambiance of southern Italy. These dishes are sure to become a tradition in your home, and will fill it with tantalizing aromas and love. From the Hardcover edition.