Origin of the Recipes

To collect recipes for this book, I sent a letter to owners and sommeliers of 180 enotecas in diverse regions of Italy. I asked them to send a copy of a typical menu, if it exists, and recipes for a few of their most popular and distinctive dishes. I selected this core group to see what kind of a response I would receive. To encourage them to send the recipes or menus, I enclosed a self-addressed envelope. Although I already had collected menus and had taken extensive notes about dishes that I enjoyed in the many enotecas that I had visited, I hoped to unearth a few undiscovered gems through the mailing. As a recipe addict, I can never have enough.