I’m writing this on my phone in a the back of a car at the tail end of my North American tour, so please forgive my uncharacteristic brevity, but I couldn’t bear to let the last CookbookCorner of the year go past without speaking of my love for this book. I hate to think how many Italian cookbooks I have, and yet this one — from one my favourite restaurants in New York — feels as fresh as their famous green salad! And indeed, I did think of sharing that recipe with you, but in the end this dish of Barbabietole alla Scapece — beetroot/beets marinated in vinegar and mint — just insisted on being chosen! It’s just the thing to spruce up a table of cold cuts or bring brightness to the table when dim days demand it!
Via Carota by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi (Alfred A. Knopf, $40).
Photographs by Gentl & Hyers.