Family Treasures

In Italy, the Italian cooks prefer to base their cooking on local ingredients because they regard quality and freshness more importantly than diversity. Vine-ripened tomatoes, eggplant, olives and bell are found in the south where my parents were raised while the dairy region of northern Italy uses butter rather that olive oil. Each region differs with their use of traditional recipes because of the influence of climate and what grows best in that region. Whatever the region, they insist on high quality ingredients because they know good food is essential to the Italian way of life. Growing up in an Italian family I learned that the cooks that I knew in our town were renowned for their use of seasonal ingredients and simple cooking methods. Their methods continued to be passed down from generation to generation with each adding their own distinctive touches to their recipes. Best of all, there are enjoyable to eat.