Description:
‘Italians are taught from a young age to cherish the ingredients we cook with, whether home grown or store bought. We have observed our nonnas caring for these ingredients with passion and knowledge, and turning them into meals we will never stop craving or recreating.’

Australia’s favourite Italian home cook, Silvia Colloca, shares the 100 recipes that will show you how to cook like a true Italian, using the most humble of ingredients: end-of-summer tomatoes, salty anchovies, vibrant greens, oozy burrata and many more.

These are the dishes made lovingly in homes around Italy every day, and they are often brought to life with only a handful of ingredients and the simplest equipment. Try silky handmade noodles, savoury pies filled with fresh ricotta and parmigiano, crispy fried seafood, or slow-cooked ossobuco over saffron risotto. The Italian Home Cook is your essential guide to shopping, cooking and eating like an Italian, and will help you bring a little slice of Italy into your own home.

Another great book from this wonderful cook! I love Silvia’s recipes and I am going to share one of my favourites with you:

P214 POULTRY & MEAT

Saltimbocca alla Romana (Roman-style veal with sage and prosciutto)
“The name of this classic Roman dish pretty much explains how delicious it is. Saltimbocca literally means ‘jumps in the mouth’, and I can guarantee this is going to be your wish the second you are presented with succulent veal delicately wrapped in savoury, crisp prosciutto and sage, and drizzled with wine-infused pan juices. The fact that this takes only 20 minutes to make should be enough for you to immediately bookmark this page.” p214

Ingredients: Serves 4

4 × 200 g veal minute steaks
4 thin slices of prosciutto di Parma, cut in half
12 sage leaves, plus extra as desired
150 g (1 cup) plain flour
2 1⁄2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
25 g butter
1 garlic clove, bashed with the back of a knife
150 ml dry white wine
sourdough, lemon wedges and green leaves, to serve (optional)

Method
Beat the veal steaks with a mallet until thin, then cut each steak into three pieces. Press a slice of prosciutto onto each piece, then place a sage leaf on top. Fold the meat to half enclose the prosciutto and sage, trying to keep it nice and flat.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Dip each steak in the flour, shake off the excess, then place on a platter.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and as many extra sage leaves as you like, then add the veal, sage leaf–side down, and cook for 3–4 minutes or until the prosciutto is crisp. Turn and cook for 1–2 minutes or until the veal is almost cooked through.

Add the wine to the pan and deglaze, scraping up any bits caught on the base. Cook out the alcohol for 1–2 minutes. Transfer the saltimbocca to a platter, drizzle over the pan juices and serve straight away with your choice of sourdough, lemon wedges and fresh green leaves.