Notes on Ingredients

The Italians, with their innate sense of style, have created a cuisine that combines full flavor with simple technique. But as most professional cooks know, simplicity is difficult to do well. It requires both the best ingredients and culinary finesse. You must know how to let the primary ingredients shine, rather than drown them with too many other flavors.

One of the best ways to showcase ingredients is to taste as you cook, and to make seasoning adjustments along the way. Although I do not instruct to do so in every recipe (space is a valuable commodity in these pages), add salt in increments, not just at the end of cooking. It is wise to salt meat, poultry, and fish before they are put on to cook as well; it helps to develop their flavor. And when I say “salt,” I mean kosher salt or sea salt, rather than regular table salt, which I find has a chemical taste. Also, I prefer freshly ground black pepper, rather than white pepper. To my palate, the latter is hot and not as flavorful.