Cooking and Preparation

Just as in a language words and phrases are joined to form idioms peculiar to that language, in a cuisine there are procedures that transform ingredients in a manner that is characteristic of that cuisine. To spell out what I mean, I have used this section to call attention to some of the fundamental cooking methods and preparatory techniques that help state Italian flavor idiomatically. You will come across them often throughout the recipes that follow, together with other procedures incorporated into the recipes themselves.