Pastas. Sauces. Gelato. Tasting Italy: Authentic recipes from every region

Written with National Geographic — cookbook + travel guide [America's Test Kitchen and National Geographic's Tasting Italy]( [Tasting Italy]( [Cover Price: $40; Your Price: $29.99] [order now]( Eat your way through Italy with world-famous dishes and hidden gems Dear friend (Ciao amico), Embarking on this project with National Geographic has been an exciting way for the test kitchen team to connect the Italian food we know and love with the country’s culture, traditions, and stunning landscape. While you may think you know the most important Italian dishes, there are hidden gems from every region of the country just waiting to be discovered (and devoured). Watching our talented and persistent test cooks develop foolproof versions of all these quintessential recipes, using ingredients easily found in American supermarkets, was a fascinating process. As always, we’re not afraid of using modern conveniences to simplify recipes (such as a microwave to drive off excess moisture from eggplant for [Pasta alla Norma]( as long as we maintain all the flavor and integrity of the original dish. We traveled through Northern Italy in our October email (see link to catch up below). This time we’re exploring Central Italy, and in December we’ll cover Southern Italy. If you want more of it all now, there’s no need to wait. Order your copy of [Tasting Italy]( and enjoy exploring this old-world country and it’s up-to-the-moment culture and food. From a proud Italian American, with a whole new appreciation of my grandmother’s birthplace after reading this book, [Jack Bishop Signature] Jack Bishop Chief Creative Officer The next best thing to eating in Italy [ORDER NOW]( [Map of Italy's regions]( Each of Italy’s 20 regions has traditional cooking styles and key ingredients Map: Julia della Crocce The Land of Plenty Tasting Italy explores the country’s 20 administrative regions through key ingredients such as celebrated cheeses and prized crops, specialties such as [trademark pasta shapes and local breads]( and food attractions such as famous farmers’ markets and festivals. Hundreds of spectacular photographs transport you from ancient villages perched on seaside cliffs into the hearts of Rome, Milan, Florence, and Venice. Thirty detailed maps chart the country’s rulers, cultural and social influencers, and evolution—even Italian ancestry in America. And, region by region, recipe by recipe, the test kitchen brings foolproof versions of universally loved dishes and authentic hidden gems home to your kitchen. Eat your way through Italy [save 25%]( [Part Two of Tasting Italy: Central Italy: From Ancient Roots, A Superlative Cuisine]( Neither the cool, cosmopolitan north nor the hot, passionate south, central Italy strikes just the right balance for discerning travelers and their palates. The landscape seems quintessentially Italian: rolling hills intensely cultivated and dominated by small farms, tall cypress trees along ancient roads, terra cotta–tiled farmhouses, and exquisite cities including Rome, Orvieto, Urbino, and Florence. [Tuscany: Simple, Excellent, and Essential. The dome of Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Flore in Florence.]( [Tuscany Map]( Tuscany’s iconic landscape is a rumpled quilt of small green and gold fields, vineyards heavy with dusty purple fruit, and woodlands that are dark, cool, and filled with porcini mushrooms and truffles, chestnuts, and game. Unpretentious yet demanding, Tuscans like food made with prime ingredients and with a minimum of fuss. Grilled Steak with Olive Oil and Lemon Bistecca alla fiorentina Nobody asks you how you like your steak in Florence: You get it al sangue, bloody, enclosed in a salt-charred crust and garnished with lemon wedges. Our foolproof recipe takes the intimidation out of grilling thick-cut porterhouse steaks to perfection (we recommend rare). We think Tuscans would approve. [Crostini with Chicken Liver Spread, Tuscan White Bean Soup, Almond Biscotti]( Olive Oil: Lucca's Liquid Gold Almost every region in Italy grows olives, but a few locales are especially famous for the aromatic, rich extra-virgin oil they produce. Tuscany is one of those places, and within Tuscany, the extra-virgin of Lucca near the Tyrrhenian coast is among the best of all. Lucca has the largest concentration of biodynamic farmers in Italy. This system, while cutting into yields, produces exceptional olives that are harvested by hand without breaking the fruit skins, and pressed within 24 hours under cool conditions. [Order Now]( [Umbria: Italy's Heart and Soul. A fishing boat on Lake Trasimeno.]( [Umbria Map]( Less well-known than neighboring Tuscany, Umbria is like the overlooked second child, diminutive in size but shining quietly with a brilliance and beauty uniquely its own. Umbria is home to olives and vines, hogs and game, and most spectacularly, six species of prodigious truffles, predominantly black. These foods have inspired its native cooking style, which is rustic and rich in flavor. Orecchiette with Sausage and Cream Orecchiette alla Norcina To re-create this dish, we wanted a rich-tasting and moist sausage; store-bought links wouldn’t cut it. Fortunately, going the handmade route with ground pork and the traditional flavorings of rosemary, nutmeg, and garlic turned out to be surprisingly easy. [Lentil and Escarole Soup, Sausage with Grapes, Vegetable and Farro Soup]( [save 25%]( [Lazio: The Eternal City and Its Environs: In a word, Lusty. Viterbo in springtime.]( [Lazio Map]( Eighty percent of Lazio’s population lives in Rome, one of the world’s oldest cities and the epicenter of Western culture. The surrounding countryside, the agro romano, is where most of the region’s food is grown. There’s a local saying, “May heaven deliver us to a place where we can eat.” In other words, Romans love to eat. The food is designed to sate the carnivore, the fish lover, the vegetable lover, the pasta lover, the polenta lover, and the rice lover alike. Spaghetti with Cheese and Pepper Cacio e pepe One of Rome’s famed pasta dishes combines spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and fresh-cracked black pepper in a creamy, intensely flavored sauce. In theory, the sauce forms itself when cheese and some cooking water are stirred with the pasta. In practice, however, the cheese clumps together. We tweaked the traditon to create a foolproof recipe. [Jewish-Style Artichokes, Herb-Roasted Pork, Roman Gnocchi]( The Truth About: Gelato vs. Ice Cream Rome is a temple to gelato, with some 2,500 gelaterie around the city. What’s the difference between gelato and ice cream? Simply put, gelato is creamier but lower in fat and added sugar, sweetened by the products that define its flavors. Chilled and churned, ideally in situ and in small batches to preserve its taste and silkiness, it is produced, and eaten, the day it is made. The best Roman gelatai prepare their confections in-house, using fresh dairy and quality raw ingredients for their artisanal scoops–seasonal, local fruits, premium chocolate, local nuts–and, often, fine wines and spirits. Try an exquisite favorite flavor, gelato di ricotta alla romana, made from the day’s fresh local ricotta. our top-rated ice cream maker (Great for gelato too!) Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker [BUY NOW]( [Order Now]( [Le Marche: A Cuisine of Sea and Mountains. Fried Stuffed Olives, Seafood Soup, Hunter's Style Chicken.]( libations: Coffee, Corrected Caffe corretto is a shot of espresso coffee with a splash of liquor. While typical all over Italy, it reaches a new level with a local drink, moretta, in Fano in northern Le Marche. To make a moretta, add equal parts anise (typically, Meletti from Ascoli), rum, and brandy with sugar, lemon zest, and espresso coffee (or hot water in the evenings before bed). It is always served in a small, clear glass, and in three layers: liquor, coffee, and schiumetta del caffe, or the coffee foam. The drink may have been invented to keep the port of Fano fishermen and sailors warm at work. our top-rated espresso machine Gaggia Anima Automatic Coffee Machine [BUY NOW]( [Abruzzo & Molise: Where the Chefs Come From. Chitarra Pasta with Lamb Ragu, Linguini with Seafood, Spring Vegetable Stew.]( The Truth About: Fork It Over If you talk to a French chef, she will say that Renaissance France had a cuisine sophisticated enough to stand up to the Italians. Talk to an Italian, and the French back then were barely civilized enough to sit at a table. When 14-year-old Catherine de Medicis married Henry II of France, she brought many Tuscan customs with her. She has been variously credited with introducing the French to artichokes, aspics, baby peas, broccoli, cakes, candied vegetables, cream puffs, custards, frangipane, ices, lettuce, macaroons, milk-fed veal, parsley, pasta, quenelles, scaloppine, shervet, spinach, sweetbreads, truffles and zabaglione, flowers on the table, sugar sculptures, olive oil, Chianti wine, bechemel, white beans, and duck a l'orange. She may even have suggested savory and sweet flavors to be separated. The French don't concur, although both acknowledge her role in encouraging use of the fork. Eat your way through Italy, no plane ticket needed [save 25%]( Continue the Journey . . . We’ll send the final regional email in our Tasting Italy series—focusing on Southern Italy—in December. Read the first email in the series, on Northern Italy, now. Even better: Order [Tasting Italy]( and your copy will ship right away from our shop. Order two or more copies, check some folks off your holiday gift list, and enjoy free shipping (always available on orders of $40 or more and to All-Access Members of our recipe sites). [Southern Italy and the Islands. Grilled Swordfish, Eggplant Parmesan, Fried Risotto Balls.]( Catch up on the email you missed: [Part one: Northern. Squash-Filled Pasta. Part Two: Central. Seafood Soup.]( Authentic recipes from every region of Italy [order now]( [Tasting Italy: A Culinary Journey]( Featuring authentic, kitchen-tested recipes; 300 gorgeous color photographs; and 30 maps, [Tasting Italy]( takes you on a captivating journey through the rich history of Italian cuisine, region by region. Discover the origins of celebrated cheeses, the nuances of different wine-making regions, the best farmers’ markets in Venice, and so much more. 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