Truly, what a great book. There are only a handful of books I’ve read in a day (Animal Farm, The Bell Jar, White Noise, Mr. Vertigo) and now I get to add this great one to the list. I didn’t intend to read it all on this past Sunday, but a cold kept me in bed and each chapter kept me enthralled. I love days like that. Favourite parts ahead.

The line, “Culinary creativity may be the most perfect art form. It allows for free personal expression like painting, musical composition, or writing and yet fulfills a most practical need: the need to eat. Edible art, what could be better?”
When his father would always comment, “My God, what does the rest of the world eat?!!!!” when his mother would cook some wonderful dinner reminds me so much of any time I cook something especially decadent for my own father and he always says, “I feel sorry for what the peasants are eating tonight!“
Genius idea: “The buttering of the corn… well, it wasn’t just “put knife into butter, put butter on corn with knife.” No. No. Good God. No. A piece of homemade bread was buttered and then used to slather the salted ear of corn, thus, in true Italian fashion, creating two dishes out of one, the ear of corn being the first dish and the homemade bread (now saturated with the melted butter, salt, and sweetness from the buttered kernels) being the second. This may have been the single most delicious part of an an already delicious meal. An act so simply it’s almost stupid.”
I love his entire rant on page 129 about what bullshit it is that certain celebrity chefs don’t really taste their food on certain food shows and that you can always tell.
When he’s talking about how fettuccine Alfredo should only be made with butter and cheese: “Over the years, in many restaurants, the sublimely simple combination of butter and cheese has been altered to satisfy American palates. Cream has crept its way in (unnecessary), as well as chicken (yuck), broccoli (why?), and turkey (really? Fuck off).”
I absolutely loved the chapter on his wife’s way to cook English roast potatoes. My dad has been trying to explain this to me for years and I still haven’t got it quite figured out because of all the smoke involved.
The entire chapter on his battle with cancer is absolutely wild and must have been so hard to write in such detail, especially since it’s all so recent. How his pregnant wife handled all of it is truly beyond me.
Reminders to myself:
- Why on earth haven’t I seen his movie Big Night yet?! Christ. I think it’s just so difficult to find. Have to get on this. Must also watch Babette’s Feast (he said it was part of his inspiration for making Big Night).
- Must remember to make the tomato salad on page 46.
- He mentions that “the truest ragu alla Bolognese recipe” is in the cookbook Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, published in 1891, by Pellegrino Artusi so now I must make it.
- When in Rome, eat the carbonara at the restaurant Pommidoro.
- For dried pasta, buy the Cav. Giuseppe Cocco spaghetti, can by found online. It’s supposed to be among the best dried pasta available.
- I have never tasted bottarga, but now I must?
- Visit the beautiful seaside town of Deauville in France, but do not order andouillette.
- Visit Dukes in London for a memorable martini.
- If I ever start making martinis at home, see page 201 for reference.
- Visit Lo Scoglio on the Amalfi Coast to eat the zucchini pasta that this man talks about at least once a day, it seems. (It’s also a beautiful hotel, so maybe stay there as well).

Fully recommend this book, especially if you want to stay in bed all day and dream of each dish he describes. (Thank you so much to my dear friend Diana for gifting this gem to me!)