Fall is almost here. Can you feel it in the air?
I don't know about you, but as the weather cools, I want to be in the kitchen more and more — and of course, that usually involves lots of Italian comfort foods, which also means I'm turning back to the work of Giada De Laurentiis.
De Laurentiis is one of the foremost, widely-known Italian-American chefs and is both stalwart in the food media world and in my home kitchen.
Back when I first started whipping up dishes in middle school, she and Rachael Ray were two of my go-tos. Their Italian-leaning, simple, quick meals taught me some of the bare bones fundamentals of cooking, culinary intuitiveness, knife work and much more.
De Laurentiis' 2005 cookbook "Everyday Italian" and her show of the same name steered me in the right direction, helping inspire my decision later on to attend culinary school. This is where the lessons taught by my family, my Food Network favorites and a multitude of recipes were clarified and sharpened by professional chef-instructors.
My copy of De Laurentiis' debut cookbook, now stained with tomato sauces galore and with lots and lots of bookmarked pages, was one of the books that I returned to again and again in order to sharpen my skills. Her style is simplistic and direct: Nothing frilly, nothing ostentatious — just really, really good Italian-American dishes made well.
Giada's Italian-coded dishes shine any time of year, but there's something special about cooking (and enjoying) her recipes in the fall.
As that familiar chill creeps into the air, stock up on some Parmigiano Reggiano, lots of tomatoes and basil, some proteins, tons of pasta and a few other staples to make some cozy comfort food favorites that'll satisfy you and all of your loved ones this autumn.
