Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes

The best writer on Italian food in the UK and perhaps the world, Anna Del Conte has written 12 books including the acclaimed Portrait of Pasta, Gastronomy of Italy and Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes. She won the Duchessa Maria Luigia di Parma award for Gastronomy of Italy, and was shortlisted for the Andre Simon award with Entertaining All'Italiana. The Classic Food of Northern Italy won awards from the Guild of Food Writers and the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. She has contributed to Sainsbury's magazine and received the Glenfiddich award for her journalism. Her memoir, Risotto with Nettles, was published by Chatto in 2009. This year Anna was awarded thehonour of Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblicao Italiana in recognition of the work she does for Italy and Italian food in this country. She lives in Dorset.

"The delightfulness of this book rests in the fact that the chapters centre on ingredients rather than regions, allowing for a wonderful spread of recipes and information that captures the flavour of the Italian kitchen" Guardian "This is a traditional nurturing home-style Italian cooking, ranging from the simplicity of 'la cucina povera' to the more elaborate cuisine of the old nobility, from rough rustic dishes like bread soup, to festive presentations like lamb with garlic and juniper berries with a dazzling sauce of vinegar, sugar and milk" New York Times "An excellent cook and a natural hostess, Del Conte has the gift for passing on knowledge and for organising. She is the best writer on Italian food in Britain" Financial Times "Those who think of Italian cooking as only tomato sauce and pasta will be surprised by the range of dishes presented here. Del Conte, the author of five other cookbooks, knows her culinary terrain intimately. This is the food of her childhood and Del Conte is as likely to invoke her father's notion of a proper soup as she is to discuss the 17th century chef Bartolomeo Stefani" Cookbook Review "The recipes are clear enough for rookie cooks to follow and they make sense in terms of the kinds of food many people want to eat today- fresh, flavourful, simple prepared, with less emphasis on meat and more on vegetables" New York Times