A Blissful Feast

January 13, 2020
Chef Lust (Pass the Polenta) chronicles her culinary journey across three regions of Italy—the Piedmont in the northwest, from where her maternal grandparents hail; the Maremma in southern Tuscany; and Le Marche in central Italy—in this inviting collection of essays. After a trip to Italy to visit extended family in the Piedmont, she decided that she wanted “to explore connection to my mother’s cooking, wanted to trace the origins of the dishes my grandmother used to make, wanted to expand my repertoire.” The narrative follows her across multiple visits to Italy, where she meets family, sharpens her Italian language skills, apprentices in village trattorias, and samples specialties such as scrambled eggs with asparagus in Le Marche and chestnut tortelli in Maremma. The book’s dozens of recipes include rabbit with white wine and rosemary; turkey and ricotta meat loaf; and bruschetta with figs and gorgonzola. Throughout, Lust offers entertaining food history facts, including the fact that pizza didn’t become popular in Northern Italy until after WWII and that Napoleon recruited Italian bakers to make bread sticks for him at home in Paris. This is a satisfying celebration of Italian food and family, complete with delectable recipes.

January 1, 2020
A combination of a culinary travel adventure and a search for the author's Italian family's home cooking. In a knowledgeable, robust narrative that emphasizes proud traditions, Lust (Italian/Dartmouth Coll.; Pass the Polenta: And Other Writings From the Kitchen, 1998) chronicles her trips of discovery to Italy's backcountry. After years working in a New England restaurant, she headed for Rocca Canavese in the Piedmont, where a sumptuous meal by her mother's cousin proved to be inspirational. In early chapters, the author details specific dishes from that menu, including gnocchi, braised rabbit, stewed turnips, bagna cauda (a fonduelike dish with garlic and anchovies), and trout baked in parchment. Gastronomic history and the lore behind certain dishes intertwine with memories of the author's relatives. She also describes her stateside quest to re-create rustic flavors, which highlights the differences in food culture between Italy and the U.S.--e.g., in America, rabbit never took hold as a staple. The many included recipes feature fresh ingredients and minimal steps, with helpful suggestions for substitutions. In the middle section of the book, Lust takes readers to the coastal area of Maremma, where she immersed herself in language study. "To make myself at home at the Italian table would require real fluency," she writes. Throughout the book, Lust emerges as both an observer and apprentice, and her journey toward an authentic, down-to-earth cuisine is sincere rather than pretentious. Beloved regional dishes and lessons from a skillful hostess make clear the seasonality and intuitive approach of Italian cookery. The final section, set in Le Marche, focuses on foraging, with a dense botanical appreciation that is sometimes dry but reflects Lust's farm-to-table ethos. A mildly humorous essay on the effects of eating asparagus offers a few curious historical references, but its place in the collection is tangential. For foodies, Lust hits all the right notes; she demonstrates abundant love and respect for the food and the people dedicated to making it right. An exploratory, celebratory memoir that elevates family repasts.

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February 15, 2020
Ah, to be a wandering eater in Italy (as well as a chef and Italian speaker of Italian ancestry). A modern-day M.F.K. Fisher, Lust (Pass the Polenta, 1998) peregrinates through three regions of Italy?Piedmont, Maremma, and Le Marche?consulting with cousins, opting for the family version of Airbnb, and learning the language in various local schools. Each chapter of this culinary travel memoir focuses on a recipe or ingredient (or two or three) that introduces the regional specialty via a story of a new encounter or meet-up with Zia Giuseppina or Catterina and Augusto. The 35 dishes are captured at the end of each chapter in traditional format, but even more intriguing instructions lie in the narrative itself: how exactly to slaughter a rabbit, celebrate with a bagna cauda (think fondue with oil, not cheese) event, or create a lighter-than-air zabaglione. Winery visits, conversations with cranky locals, even the association of asparagus with malodorous urine make for delightful reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)