From the winner of the Andre Simon and Guild of Food Writers comes a book of sumptuous recipes, flavours and stories from Rachel's two kitchens in Sicily and Rome.
Rachel's first book, FIVE QUARTERS: RECIPES AND NOTES FROM A KITCHEN IN ROME, won the Andre Simon Food Book Award and the Guild of Food Writers' First Book Award and she writes a weekly column in Guardian Cook.
'Rachel Roddy describing how to boil potatoes would inspire me. I want to live under her kitchen table. There are very, very few who possess such a supremely uncluttered culinary voice as hers, just now.'
Simon Hopkinson
'This is a recipe book that reflects the way I cook and eat: uncomplicated, direct and adaptable Italian family food that reflects the season. The two kitchens of the title are my kitchens in Rome and Sicily. In a sense, though, we could have called the book "many kitchens" as I invite you to make these recipes your own.'
For the last twelve years Rachel Roddy has immersed herself in the culture of Roman cooking, but it was the flavours of the south that she and her Sicilian partner, Vincenzo, often craved. Eventually the chance arose to spend more time at his old family house in south-east Sicily, where Rachel embraced the country's traditional recipes and the stories behind them. Here she shares over 120 of these simple, everyday dishes from her two distant but connected kitchens. From tomato and salted ricotta salad, caponata and baked Sicilian pasta to lemon crumble, honeyed peaches and almond and chocolate cake, they are the recipes that you will want to cook again and again until you've made them your own.
List of chapters:
Vegetables and Herbs - Tomatoes; Aubergines; Peas; Broad Beans; Cauliflower; Potatoes; Onions; Herbs
Fruit and Nuts - Lemons; Peaches; Oranges; Grapes and Figs; Almonds
Meat, Fish and Dairy - Beef and pork; Chicken; White fish; Fresh anchovies and sardines; Eggs; Ricotta
Store cupboard - Chickpeas; Lentils; Preserved anchovies; Flour; Bread
Rachel Roddy describing how to boil potatoes would inspire me. I want to live under her kitchen table. There are very, very few who possess such a supremely uncluttered culinary voice as hers, just now. - Simon Hopkinson
Rachel Roddy's writing is as absorbing as any novel. Her prose is so elegant and her story-telling so compelling that I almost forgot I was reading a cookbook. - Russell Norman, Polpo
This very entertaining book is a perfect marriage of the personal with the practical. Rachel has the ability of combining intimate reminiscences with excellent recipes. If you want to know anything about the food of Rome or Sicily, this is the book for you. - Anna Del Conte
Rachel Roddy brings the warm flavours of the south into our northern kitchens. Her dishes from Sicily and Rome are linked by family stories, and both place and food are beautifully photographed. I shall cook from this book with pleasure. - Jill Norman
Roddy's writing often reminds me of a more generous, more evocative Elizabeth David. - The Art of Eating
Her writing is elegant and her recipes tempting - the perfect combination. - Evening Standard
This is the most wonderful cookbook, especially - though not exclusively - if you like really reading cookbooks, possibly in bed. - India Knight
Roddy is a gifted storyteller, and a masterful hand with simple ingredients. She brings to life in mouthwatering detail her culinary love and daily discoveries from a life lived well, of Roman markets and full family tables. - Guardian Cook
Rachel Roddy is an award-winning food writer and weekly columnist in Guardian Feast. Rachel's first book Five Quarters won the AndrA Simon Food Book Award in 2015, as well as the Guild of Food Writers' First Book Award. Her second book, Two Kitchens, was published in 2017 and her third An A to Z of Pasta in 2021.
She has written for the Financial Times, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Internazionale and the Passenger magazine.
She has lived in Testaccio in Rome since 2005 with her Sicilian partner and son.
racheleats.wordpress.com
Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelaliceroddy
Follow Rachel on X @racheleats