How this cookbook would have made the late Tony May smile! The champion of Italian food in America always insisted that Italian cuisine had been emphasizing fresh ingredients centuries before the farm-to-table fad. The Italian penchant for combining a few terrific fresh ingredients to make a dish underlies Serafina: Modern Italian Cuisine for Everyday Home Cooking by Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato, text by Lavinia Branca Snyder (Rizzoli, New York, 2022, $39.95).
Of course, a good origin story never hurts. Assaf and Granato were lost at sea in a small sailboat. They comforted each other by vowing that if they survived, they’d open a restaurant serving the best pizza and pasta in the world. And so they did, launching Serafina in New York in 1995. One spawned another and another and another and.… The Serafina brand is all over the world, including two in Boston. You can see them all at www.serafinarestaurant.com.
This cookbook goes back to the brand’s basics, which is why we know it would have pleased Tony. It contains 100 signature recipes augmented by vignettes that spotlight authentic Italian products. The photography by Mark Roskams immediately had us wanting to cook from every page. Alas, when the book arrived in late March, most of the fresh ingredients were not available locally. The essence of simple Italian cuisine is freshness. Now that our garden and local farms are coming into season, Serafina the cookbook is about to get a workout.
Here’s a simple example of a few ingredients artfully combined to create a masterpiece.
SPAGHETTI WITH ZUCCHINI
Spaghetti with zucchini is a summer classic. It’s both sophisticated and easy to make.
SERVES 4
6 small zucchini- Salt to taste
- 1 pound thin spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Parmigiano Reggiano shavings to taste
- Torn basil leaves to taste
- Crushed red pepper to taste
Thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
In a skillet melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the zucchini and 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Sauté until the zucchini are tender, about 8 minutes. When the pasta is cooked, drain and then add it to the skillet with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano. Toss over medium heat until the grated Parmigiano is melted, about 1 minute. Divide the pasta among individual serving bowls. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano and scatter on the shavings. Garnish with basil and season with crushed red pepper.