This series has been about explaining the virtues and principles that underpin good Italian cooking . First and foremost, the Italian menu is arrang ed and determined seasonally : a risotto in colder weather, insalata di riso in the summer, is how it works.
Moreover, Italians tend to shop locally where possible. And the more local the better! If they can grow something in the g arden – as local as local can get – they do so. Other wise, they’ll go to local producers or the local farmers’ market. This preference for local is precisely what g ives such character and diversity to the Italian menu from one end of the peninsular to the other.
Italians also hate waste. With a little Italian ingenuity, coupled with a conscience borne from more difficult times, leftovers are never discarded but always transformed into something delicious. Think Sicilian arancini or an oven-baked pasta smothered in mozzarella and you’ll get the idea.
