Nº 92: Italian Cookies with Domenica Marchetti

WATCH THE EPISODE HEREIn this EpisodeHighlights & “Must-Listen” Moments* 0:04 — Another chaotic start: David accidentally goes live 10 minutes early, Amy drops off before we’ve even begun, and Domenica Marchetti is sitting patiently waiting while the hosts sort themselves out. Welcome to live television, folks, take two.* 5:47 — Big news: SiriusXM signed us!: David announces that SiriusXM has reached out, signed a $2.1 million contract, and created an entire channel called “Culinistas” for them. Amy plays it beautifully straight — until someone notices it’s April 1st. David: “Do you realize SiriusXM has no idea who we are? I bought it!” April Fools. Amy: 1, David: 1.* 9:39 — Amy’s food week: Providence, Rhode Island food festival: Amy attended a celebration of Providence’s dining scene — a city that, like Portland, Maine, punches way above its weight in food culture. She toured Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts, did a panel with food writer elyse major, and came away wanting to move there immediately.* 11:41 — This week’s bread bake: the Levain: Amy’s sourdough rhythm continues — this week a classic nearly-all-white sourdough with a touch of rye flour. A Levain. Beautiful and tangy.* 11:53 — Amy’s Passover Seder prep: Amy is getting her brisket going and making chicken stock for matzo ball soup. Her Seder menu also includes crispy glazed sweet potatoes (mandolined, stood up like hassleback, glazed with brown sugar and butter) and roasted asparagus with Parmesan.* 13:02 — David’s food week: Portuguese Flourless Almond Cake disaster: David attempted his Portuguese almond flourless cake — a recipe he hadn’t made in 25 years — for Passover at Fred and Ginger’s house. He forgot the butter. Alan had to drive to the gas station to buy eggs. ADHD: 1, David: 0. He went to an ADHD coach this week, however — and reports it’s going well.* 15:01 — Domenica’s food week: Domenica’s retired husband has been doing all the cooking, which has been wonderful. Highlights: grilled swordfish steaks with asparagus and roasted red pepper, and enchiladas made with a whole rotisserie chicken — left on the counter overnight, tragically.* 17:00 — Crab cake catastrophe: The One was making crab cakes from one-year-old canned crab. The tongue-tingling was histamine poisoning. They tasted it anyway. Don’t be like David.* 19:41 — Book spotlight: Pimento Cheese: The Cookbook by Rebecca Lang: David recommends this deep dive into pimento cheese from the author of Around the Southern Table — lemony goat cheese pimento, Tex-Mex pimento, pineapple pimento, and pimento cheese with chili crunch. David riffs on his own deep-fried pimento cheese balls: firmed in the freezer, rolled in panko, fried at 375°F until oozy and golden.* 22:31 — Mrs. Appleyard’s Vermont kitchen: Amy goes vintage with Louise Andrews Kent, who wrote under the pen name Mrs. Appleyard — a sort of 1940s–50s Martha Stewart of northern Vermont who wrote seasonal cookbooks chronicling life in the tiny town of Crosbury Common. Charming, funny, and findable in used bookshops.* 24:52 — Food news: Copenhagen’s $340 chicken prix-fixe: A restaurant called Kylling (Danish for “chicken”) invites guests to spend the first 90 minutes of their dinner interacting with the chicken that will be served. The bread basket features cardamom buns made with chicken schmaltz. Art, or a lie? David fell for for. Again, April Fools. Amy: 2, David: 1.* 26:03 — Instagram’s shadow ban on non-overhead food photos (April Fools, part 2): A “leaked memo” claims Instagram will shadow ban any food not photographed from above — including soup shot from the side. Amy almost sold it. David: “It was believable. I believe everything.” April Fools. Amy: 3, David: 1.* 27:53 — Guest: Domenica Marchetti on Italian Cookies: The main event. Domenica is a prolific food writer and the author of nine acclaimed cookbooks. Her new book, Italian Cookies: Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region, drops April 14th. It covers the genuine, regional Italian cookies — not Italian-American cookies (no rainbow cookies, no iced anise rounds) — organized by the north, central Italy, the south, and the islands.* 29:51 — The cookie that started it all: Canestraletto di Torigna: In 2017, Domenica bit into this crumbly, flower-shaped butter cookie from Liguria (Genoa) and fell down a rabbit hole. She went to the town where it’s baked, found it has a history dating to the 15th century, and discovered a town of 2,000 people with eight bakeries dedicated to this one cookie.* 31:16 — Cookie pilgrimage: from Liguria to Saronno: From there it was the amaretti di Gavi (soft almond cookies from Gavi), then Voltaggio, then Saronno — where Domenica interviewed Paolo Lazzaroni, patriarch of the Chiostro di Saronno, the family behind the famous crunchy amaretti. His grandfather purchased a medieval cloister in the early 20th century, where the family has lived and worked ever since.* 34:03 — What’s in the book (and what isn’t): The book is organized regionally — cookies of the north, central Italy, the south, and the islands. In the islands chapter: Sicilian cucidati (buccellati) — butter pastry filled with fig paste, nuts, and chocolate. Not included: rainbow cookies, Italian-American iced anise rounds. This is Italy, not the neighborhood bakery.* 36:21 — Deep dive on the Serpetti: From the Castelli Romani hill towns outside Rome (where the Pope summers), these S-shaped butter cookies are made by a fifth-generation family in Monteportio Catone. The baker, Paola Rosazza Battore, wouldn’t share her recipe — but let Domenica watch. Through pure visual reporting, Domenica reverse-engineered it.* 44:31 — Regional cookie trends from north to south: Butter in the north. Olive oil in the south and Calabria. Lard in some regions. Honey and mostocotto (cooked grape must) in areas where sugar was once scarce. The cookies reflect the landscape, the agriculture, and the history of each place.* 56:54 — Coming back: Domenica hints that this conversation is far from over. David floats the idea of a live “Mouthful” where Domenica bakes a cookie while they talk to her. She’s in.* 57:51 — Farewell to Domenica: She’s a prolific food writer, author of nine acclaimed cookbooks — from handmade pasta to preserving to traditional Italian cooking — and one of the most trusted voices in regional Italian cuisine. Italian Cookies drops April 14th. Pre-order now on Amazon.Recipes Mentioned* Matzo Ball Soup (with homemade chicken stock)* Brisket* Crispy Glazed Sweet Potatoes (mandolined, hassleback-style, brown sugar and butter glaze)* Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan* Portuguese Flourless Almond Cake* Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Asparagus and Red Pepper (Domenica’s husband’s)* Enchiladas (with rotisserie chicken — RIP, left on the counter)* Crab Cakes (from very old canned crab — do not recommend)* Deep-Fried Pimento Cheese Balls (David’s riff — panko-crusted, fried at 375°F)* Pimento Cheese with Chili Crunch (from Pimento Cheese: The Cookbook)* Canestrelletti di Torigna (Ligurian flower-shaped butter cookie)* Amaretti di Gavi (soft almond cookies from Gavi)* Amaretti di Saronno (the classic crunchy ones from Chiostro di Saronno)* Serpetti (S-shaped butter cookies from the Castelli Romani, outside Rome)* Cucidati / Buccellati (Sicilian fig-filled butter pastry cookies)* Occhi di Bue / Frolini al Burro (jam-filled bullseye butter cookies, northern Italy)Books and Publications* Italian Cookies: Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region by Domenica Marchetti — dropping April 14th; pre-order on Amazon now* Pimento Cheese: The Southern Spread by Rebecca Lang* Mrs. Appleyard’s Vermont cookbooks by Louise Andrews Kent — vintage, findable in used bookshopsWhere to Find Us* Amy Traverso* Instagram | Yankee* David Leite* Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Youtube This is a public episode. 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