Melissa Pellegrino – författare

The Southern Italian Farmer's Table is a sumptuously illustrated cookbook featuring authentic recipes from over thirty agriturismi (working family farms that provide room & board to travelers) in central and southern Italy, where the cuisine served epitomizes the farm-fresh movement underway in the United States, the UK, and beyond. Visitors to agriturismi, who come from all over Europe and North America, indulge in such delights as vibrant green olive oil fresh from the press, a myriad of hand shaped pastas cooked to perfection, and wedges of aged pecorino redolent of verdant green pastures. Professional chefs who are fluent in Italian, Matthew and Melissa have transcribed more than 150 authentic Italian recipes from these family farms—few of which are found in cookbooks available outside of Italy. Full-color photographs and anecdotes about the farms and their residents bring Italy's glorious countryside to life and complement such recipes as fried spaghetti nests, crepe lasagna with pork ragu, spicy Calabrian chicken, and sweet cakes filled with ricotta and chocolate. All recipe ingredients are given in both U.S. and metric measurements.