Beyond the Recipe
Fifty-six chapters on the part recipes leave out.
Every recipe you've ever followed assumes things it never tells you. How the dough should feel when it's ready. Why the sauce broke. What to do when the pan's too hot and the fish is already in it. Recipes give you steps; they don't give you judgment, and judgment is the only thing that transfers from one dish to the next.
That's what this book is. Ratios instead of measurements. Why instead of what. Fifty-six chapters that add up to a system rather than a list — so that after the pomodoro in chapter 25, you can build a dozen sauces I never wrote down.
You can find any recipe online for free. What you can't find is somebody explaining why it works.
WHAT'S INSIDE
Chapter 19 — Olive Oil Cake, the dessert that closes most of my private dinners
Chapter 20 — Rubs & Seasonings, including the chimichurri rub in my pantry line
Chapter 25 — The Red Thread, the pomodoro everything else hangs off
Chapter 36 — Pasta by Hand, the orecchiette I roll the morning of your dinner
Chapter 43 — Learning Fermentation, focaccia and the patience it takes
BUY
ISBN 9798185040911
Signed copies are available at every class, private dinner, market, and festival appearance. I don't ship signed copies — they're worth more when I hand them to you, and they make a better gift that way.
BOOK CLUBS
If your book club cooks a chapter, I'll come
Genuinely — pick a chapter, cook it as a group, and I'll join you for the evening. It's my favorite thing I do all year, and it costs you nothing but the ingredients.