The Silver Spoon Puglia by Phaidon

Devoted cookbook collectors love Phaidon. Phaidon publishes high quality books that take the reader on a culinary tour of the region, restaurant or subject matter. Two of my favorite books are Phaidon’s Mexico and Thailand that were published last year.

Puglia arrived this week and as is usual with Phaidon publications – it is beautiful. The photographs of Puglia and the food are inspiring. The narrative whisks you away to a cherry orchard in the summer or the breathtaking coastline.

From the first recipe for pancotto, bread soup, to the calzoni di castagne, chestnut pastries, you are drawn into the delicacies of Puglia and it’s people. The timballo di pasta will whip Big Night movie fans into a frenzy of pasta building masterpieces.

Before each recipe there is a wonderful page or two of glorious words weaved together to provide you information on the area of Puglia and the ingredient from which it originates– for example, octopus — “The town of Fasano, situated right at the top of Italy’s stiletto heel, is where its plains stewn with olive trees meet the clear blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. It is here also that the region’s finest octopus is caught…” You are there in Fasano harvesting octopus to make the polpi in umido for your family that will be served on rustic wooden table near a warm hearth.

My desire is to attempt every recipe in this gorgeous book including the lagana chiapputa (pasta and almond dessert), sfoglio a cerchi (artichoke pie), strascinati con pomodoro e basilica (strascinati with tomato and basil), biscotti glassati alle noci (iced walnut biscuits), pasta e cavolfiore (pasta and cauliflower), zuppa di natale (Christmas soup) and the torta di bietoline e ricotta (chard and ricotta pie).

Tonight I made the pancotto, the bread soup. Easy and incredibly delicious. One recipe down! Tomorrow the Torta Salata Di Pasqua, Easter savoury pie is on the menu.