If you love Italy, you likely know of Katie Parla, cookbook author, host of her own television show ('Katie Parla's Rome'), and frequent contributor to a variety of publications. And she appeared on Stanley Tucci's 'Searching for Italy' and 'Chef's Table: Pizza,' among others. And she leads culinary walking tours in Rome (and elsewhere in Italy). So it's not surprising that she's been referred to as the "Italian Goddess From Jersey" (she grew up in New Jersey, which she has referred to as "Italy's unofficial 21st region"). I was fond of her books Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors & Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City (with Kristina Gill), Food of the Italian South: Recipes for Lost, Classic and Disappearing Dishes, and The Joy of Pizza (with Dan Richer, owner of Razza Pizza Artigionale in Jersey City). So when I learned her next book was Food of the Italian Islands I was really looking forward to its publication. I admit I was also curious to see if the book was really going to cover all the islands of Italy or if it would only represent some of them. Followers of this blog who know me also know that I am crazy for the Italian island of Pantelleria (which I have not yet posted about), so what I really wanted to know was if Katie would include Pantelleria in her book, and I was prepared to judge the book by the island's inclusion (or not).
I needn't have even had the thought, because of course Katie included Pantelleria. ! And she really did include all the individual islands and island archipelagos of Italy, and I like that when she mentions the Venetian lagoon she acknowledges there are 120 islands there, and she writes "To be honest, the lagoon merits a hundred books of its own - hmm...maybe my next project?" The book is simply great, and it's equally a practical cookbook with uncomplicated recipes (which are from acquaintances and friends, and from cooks, farmers, winemakers, and professional chefs) and an inspiring travel book (with photographs and a QR code to access her travel tips to the islands - some of the links are here: the general Islands guide; Sicily and its neighboring islands; Palermo; Amalfi Coast; Naples; Venice). These are found in the 'City Guides' section of Katie's site, and this is a good place to see her recommendations for other destinations in Italy and further afield (Istanbul, Paris, Greece, London, etc.). Like the best cookbooks, this is far more than a collection of recipes, and various features throughout the book - such as 'Palermo Street Food,' 'Badass Sardinian Shepherd Culture,' 'Fiat Panda 4x4,' and 'Al Dente as a Digestion Strategy' - are worthy on their own. As for the recipes, I was happy to see how easy it is to make Crema di Pistacchio, one of the most delicious spreads I've ever eaten.
Katie's writing style and voice in all of her books is very appealing, and it's clear she's also funny and has a sense of humor (the description of her train trip from Rome to Palermo in the Islands book Introduction is comical). But what endeared her to me in the Islands book is a page very near the end, 'Donate.' As she writes, "The Italian islands may conjure images of romantic getaways and spritzes at sunset for many tourists. But they are also the site of rescues at sea and reception centers for many of the nearly seven hundred thousand migrants who have arrived on Italian shores since 2014. Support the organizations devoted to caring for the world's most vulnerable communities." Would that there were more people like Katie. The organizations she lists are the International Rescue Committee, Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, Migrants of the Mediterranean, and United Nations Refugee Agency.
I have reserved a tour in Rome with Katie this fall, and I positively cannot wait to meet her in person. In the meantime, we corresponded by email about her Islands book:
Q: First off, how did you land on writing a book about the Italian islands? Other than Giuliani Bugialli's Foods of Sicily and Sardinia and the Smaller Islands and The Islands of Italy by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (not a cookbook and only about Sicily, the Aeolian Islands, and Sardinia), I think your islands book is a first as I don't believe anyone else has focused on Italy's islands.
A: When I wrote my previous solo title, Food of the Italian South, I deliberately excluded Sicily so it wouldn't steal attention from Molise, Basilicata, and the other southern regions. When I thought about a follow-up, I wanted to do another regional cookbook, including Sicily and Sardinia was the logical pair. Eventually it morphed into an island book.
Q: You have previously posted about how you decided to forgo using an established publishing house to print, produce, and market this book, so I won't repeat it here; now that the book has been out in the world for eight months or so, are you pleased with the process? Has the book's success met your expectations?
A: The book came out in March 2023 and it was kind of a huge experiment. When I had to decide on the print run, I looked at the sales record for my previous titles and thought I could sell 15K copies over the course of a few years. I worked incredibly hard to promote the book (3 book tours, for example), hired an incredible publicist (shoutout to Phoebe), and sold out my first printing in 9 months. It was a team effort for sure and the success has exceeded expectations.
Q: As I stated above, I am a big fan of Pantelleria and I was so happy that you included this unique island in your book. I guess it's obvious that with 'Italian Islands' in the title, Pantelleria would have to be included. Still, you could have chosen to give it short shrift in the event the island didn't appeal to you. Where did you go on the island, and did you stay in a dammuso or at one of the island's hotels?
A: I love to stay at Tenuta BorgiaTenuta Borgia but lately I have been hitting the same weekly rental nearby. It's a set of dammusi with a pizza oven and I love cooking there. Every morning I hop in my vintage FIAT Panda and head to the port to shop for produce, wine, and fish to cook. I drop the shopping back at the house and hit a beach for the afternoon.
Q: In your paragraph about Pantelleria on your site (under 'City Guides'), you mention the restaurant Osteria Il Principe e Il Pirata, which has a loyal following and apparently is a favorite of Giorgio Armani. When I was on the island in May of 2022, the restaurant was closed so I haven't yet been. What were your meals like there?
A: Ha! I didn't know about Armani. Osteria Il Principe e Il Pirata is perched on a windswept stretch of coastline. I always sit on the powder blue terrace and order a bottle of Tanca Nica Soki Soki to accompany pasta with pistachio and bottarga pesto followed by fried seafood and a bacio pantesco, fried pastry shells filled with sweetened ricotta.
Q: You devote a page in your book to capers, the culinary star of Pantelleria. Was visiting La Nicchia's caper operation and farm a highlight of your visit? One of the salad recipes in the book includes foglie di cappero (caper leaves), which are a fairly new part of the caper plant to eat. As you note, La Nicchia began brining caper leaves in 2016. Do the locals now eat the leaves or are the leaves more popular elsewhere? [Note to readers: the wonderful online Italian food company Gustiamo, based in the Bronx, carries La Nicchia caper leaves.]
A: Every part of a trip to Pantelleria is a highlight! Greeks and Cypriots eat caper leaves but Italians don't, although caper plants populate all the islands. La Nicchia has been curing them for a gourmet audience in Italy and abroad but it's a super small hand harvested production so I wouldn't say the custom has reached critical mass on the island or elsewhere.
Q: You own a boat, Laura, in Venice - how did that come about? How often do you get up to Venice?
A: I met my boyfriend, Roberto, while hosting a TV show called 'Great Getaways: Venice.' He's a glass maker in Murano (check out his company Wave Murano Glass). I'm up there some weekends and holidays, and our friend was selling his boat for a good price. I snatched it up and it's our ride when we need to hit the narrow canals of Venice.
Q: Sardinia seems to be a very favorite island of yours. As you write," ...I want it to be the destination of your next Italian holiday." What are some of its unique features that make it so special?
A: The interior of the island is a wild place where the sheep outnumber the citizens, the knife culture is excellent, and Cagliari, the region's capital, is one of Italy's most dynamic cities!
Q: Admittedly, winter temperatures in Rome don't typically fall below 39 degrees (F), but everything is relative and a chilly day is a chilly day. What dishes from the book might you make in winter to make you think of particular Italian islands?
A: We had a really warm winter and it was in the 60s all during the holidays from Rome south through Sicily. It's like we didn't have a winter. Fortunately some days were cool enough to enjoy the cold weather classics like gattò di patate (recipe and video here) and pasta patate e provola (my recipe on Saveur).
Q: Are you thinking of another book you'd like to write?
A: I'm always thinking of another book! The next one is a Rome cookbook-travelogue-memoir, coming 2025!
Q: Do you foresee staying in Rome for many more years?
A: That's been the plan since I was 16 years old and decided on my life plan. Rome is home for the long haul!
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