Liguria: The Cookbook

Book excerpt: This book presents to an American audience the cuisine of Liguria—the Italian Riviera—full of dishes that are inventive, inherently seasonal, waste-conscious, plant-forward, and geared toward the home cook. Italian cuisine never goes out of style. Yet while many are familiar with various regional cuisines of Italy, one of its most gastronomically rich regions has been largely overlooked: Liguria, home of focaccia, pesto, and the Cinque Terre. Award-winning author and food writer Laurel Evans has been immersed in the cuisine of Liguria for 15 years, ever since her Italian boyfriend (now husband, and the photographer for this book) brought her to his family’s hillside villa in Moneglia on the Mediterranean coast. There, Evans immersed herself in kitchens, restaurants, and markets, building relationships with the chefs, shopkeepers, producers, and nonne who drive the local cuisine. This book showcases all that she discovered: a cuisine that is beautiful but humble, plant-based and waste-conscious at its core, with a particular spirit and history that she unravels for readers new to the region. From the ultimate pesto, to the definitive focaccia recipe coaxed out of local bakers, to recipes for lesser-known Ligurian specialties like Cappon Magro, Liguria: The Cookbook offers readers a personal journey into the heart of the cuisine of this timeless yet ever-evolving region.