By the time she was a teenager, Sara Jenkins had lived all over the Mediterranean, until her family finally settled in a small Tuscan village. Meals came from the garden and the surrounding pastures, and Jenkins grew up schooled in the tradition of cooking from what was on hand. Later a chef at such New York restaurants as 50 Carmine, Il Buco, I Coppi, Patio, and Porchetta, Jenkins here shares recipes from simple, flavorful cuisine she grew up with, including Peppery Braised Short Ribs and Classic Tuscan Eggplant Parmesan. Here too are small plates like Roasted Red Peppers with Garlic and Celery Leaves, and Chicken Liver Crostini; soups like White Almond Gazpacho and Rich Chicken Soup with Greens; and pastas from Spaghettini with Burst Cherry Tomatoes to Braised Rabbit Ragu and Homemade Lasagna.
"Having grown up as the daughter of a foreign correspondent and absorbing the culinary vernacular of the countries in which her family resided (Italy, Spain, Cyprus and France), Jenkins uses the Mediterranean pantry as her foundation. She instructs how to select appropriate oils and vinegars; make the most of briny olives, anchovies and bottarga; and select cured meats and cheeses. The recipes that follow are organized almost like a restaurant menu, from a small plate of Sweet Corn Sformato to mains like Slow-Braised Pork Loin with Prunes. Jenkins acknowledges the classics in dishes such as the Tuscan peasant soup Ribollita or the chestnut meringue dessert Montebianco, but she also makes room for her own mashup interpretations, tossing spaghettini with ground lamb, yogurt and mint, and melding jasmine tea and dark chocolate in an intriguing panna cotta. Labeled as 'slow-cook' or 'quick-cook,' recipes are designed for ease without compromising their rich, timeless flavors."—Publishers Weekly
