Welcome back! Let’s enjoy more culinary adventures with June Kitchen Reads as we move from Italy to England, then France and beyond. My passport is waiting, how about yours?
Inspired, educated, and humored, reading about Naples makes me think of my parents’ visit as newlyweds. Whether it be tasting Neapolitan pizza or perfecting Bolognese sauce, it's all about passion, passion, and more passion. Next, we’ll venture to England, and visit Neal's Yard Dairy, a must-visit, a when searching for the perfect tasty cheddar. Going further, we’ll learn about regional wine laws and how certain grape varietals can make dishes soar to new heights. Afterwards, we’ll circle back to France and test our ultimate bread-making skills, where we’ll move from passion to fermentation again and again!
Super funny and often-times nostalgic, Katherine Wilson’s culinary memoir Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-in-Law is by far a magical page-turner where to do anything, you must make the first move! Katherine’s love of adventure finds her true home in Naples where pizza, football, and petty theft are the norm. She begins teaching English, falling in love, getting married, having a family, and finally—the ultimate dream—living in Italy. What’s the Italian way? It’s taking the extra mile in self-care, eating well, and enjoying life. Page after page, discover how neighboring regions make their sauces, depending on local ingredients native to their surroundings. But food, schmood, all the food romance in the world wouldn’t have been possible, without first meeting her amore de vida and taking advice from her mother-in-law in the ways of raising beautiful Italian children.
Europe is best known for its slow living movement. In Cheese, Wine, and Bread: Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, Italy, and France Katie Quinn dives deep into the origins of these customary offerings at every dinner table. In Italy and France, several regional wines must follow specific laws, use regional grapes, which produce custom varietals, ultimately pairing with the right cheese, and fresh bread. Our next lesson in fermentation brings us to England, where cheese-making, like English Cheddar, is a tradition multi-generational families follow to this very day. Try a piece of Wensleydale, or a Stilton with a nice dry red on a water- or rye cracker. It’s delicious! France’s breadmaking skills is part science, part artform. Breads must be paired correctly, or the results can often be too sweet, soft, or chewy. For example, eat croissants in the morning, not with dinner; sweet white wines work best with spicy food, whereas an overly acidic wine can make the food taste spicier. After reading Katie’s book, bread, cheese, and wine will bring you closer to culinary bliss.
Following up, I suggest going to your local grocery store and enjoying some local cheeses, pair them with a nice crisp white or a full-bodied red wine, and a choose a crusty batard or a fresh baguette. Once you find a great type of cheese try many more. By expanding your palette locally, you can be like the Europeans. Ultimately, anyone can make cheese, wine, bread, and sauce, but the number one ingredient that makes the difference is passion for what you do.