“Cucina povera” or the exquisite simplicity of peasant cuisine in Italy

lLaura Zavan’s latest cookbook, called La Cucina Povera. The simple art of eating well, It shows a photograph of an ideal pantry on the cover. On the shelves of a closet, food seems to pose like a family portrait. The Italian author and food stylist, originally from Treviso, takes the time to make presentations.

First of all, the essentials: bottles of olive oil (extra virgin) and balsamic vinegar (from Modena), which will be used to season the dishes or to deglaze, followed by cans of peeled tomatoes or coulis (passata), bases of many sauces. Then the main body: jars of carnaroli rice (for risottos) and bags of dried pasta (with durum wheat semolina) of all shapes.

Finally, the extended tribe: dried porcini mushrooms, saffron, preserved sardines, Ligurian taggiasche olives, anchovies in oil, capers in salt and dried oregano in branches. All these ingredients constitute the base of the kitchen sink : this peasant cuisine, which has become the quintessence of a certain Italian lifestyle. A basic cuisine, a synthesis of typical recipes and local specificities, updated in the 70s following the Italian artistic movement of arte povera.

“Accessible ingredients”

“Today, the kitchen sink inspires the contemporary kitchen with its simplicity and durability, explains Laura Zaván. She turns the simple act of eating into an art, making accessible ingredients incredibly good! » With a smile on her face, the author proposes exploring the cuisine of her roots through practical cards.

The opportunity to discover the history and good use of some emblematic vegetables such as Tuscan black palm cabbage (slightly bitter, star of the ribollita soup), cime di rapa (turnip sprouts, which he prepares with fresh pasta and fish), artichokes (fried or fried with beans and peas) or late treviso (in salad or shortcrust pastry). An aperitif, before devouring the eighty recipes in this inspiring book, which will find its place on the supermarket shelf.

The star product Puntarella, chicory florets, similar to the tips of asparagus, eaten in Rome as a salad.

The graphic key The landscapes and products of the Italian countryside photographed by Valérie Lhomme.