Slow by Gennaro Contaldo | Cookbook corner

As winter approaches, I can’t think of a better book than this to be a cooking companion for the frigid months ahead. Within its pages are recipes that promise to warm us, strengthen us, and comfort us. calmly. This isn’t specifically a cold weather cookbook, but slow cooking really comes into its own this time of year, and I say make the most of it!

I always feel more comfortable and safe when something is simmering gently, and as a general rule, the lower and slower the cooking, the less you, the cook, need to do. And Gennaro Contaldo certainly makes everything as simple as possible. The book starts with a cooking conversion times chart to help you change temperature and times depending on whether you’re using an oven, slow cooker (slow cooker), or pressure cooker, and the recipes are both simple and substantial: Onion Soup with Fontina Cheese; a bright and fabulous beetroot and celeriac soup; the rich and glorious Ragù Antico; Bollito Misto, this great Piedmontese dish composed of mixed poached meats and spicy salsa verde; a Tyrolean beef stew alongside goulash; Lamb stew with butternut and saffron; Cook potatoes with beer; Venetian roast; and many types of Italian bread to dip in these dishes! I’ve barely scratched the surface of the savory dishes on offer (I recommend a deep dive) but I don’t want you to think that’s all that’s on offer; in fact, I’m eyeing the Ciambella all Mandorle, a leavened tea cake, sprinkled with almonds and dried fruits and baked in a crown as well as a very beautiful Italian nougat. And besides, even though I know that soups, stews and roasts will continue over the coming months, it is in the sweet section that I chose the recipe that I am sharing with you today. Unlike some of the ones I’ve mentioned, this is not an everyday dish, but rather a festive dish and, furthermore, one that I intend to have on my table this Christmas. I thought you might feel the same way, so let’s sound the trumpets for Contaldo’s irresistible Babà all’arancia – orange-infused baba – which trades aromatic brightness for the more familiar rum.

Recipe from “Slow: Easy, Comforting Italian Meals Worth the Wait” by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books).
Photo by Laura Edwards.