Cooking Alla Giudia: A Celebration of the Jewish Food of Italy

Guetta, creator of Labna, a kosher cooking blog specializing in Italian recipes, makes her U.S. debut with this fascinating deep dive into Jewish Italian food, a cuisine that reaches as far back as 66 CE when Jews arrived in Italy as slaves during the Jewish-Roman wars. Among their culinary contributions is the use of eggplant, exemplified here in appetizers including fried eggplant with melon, as well as a stew of eggplant and other vegetables. Jewish settlers of the 12th century imported orecchiette from France; the from-scratch version here is paired with a sauce of broccoli rabe, anchovies, garlic, and olive oil. Choices like chickpea soup with tendons and gristle embrace the centuries-long history of the Jewish ghetto, while more celebratory recipes geared toward holidays include Passover lamb with artichokes and fava beans, the Tuscan Hanukkah meal of fried chicken, and a variety of cookies and biscotti suitable as Purim treats. Following strictly kosher guidelines means an absence of pork and shrimp, nor can cheese or cream be included in any meat dish. As a result, there is goose prosciutto and salami, spaghetti carbonara with either dried beef or turkey bacon, and dairy-free lasagna with a béchamel sauce of olive oil and vegetable broth. Two cultures, each steeped in culinary tradition, complement each other in this insightful guide. (Apr.)