One of the best ways to get through an entire year of no travel due to a pandemic is through the kitchen. Cooking recipes from far away lands is often an ideal way to recreate the smells and sounds of open markets, bustling restaurants, and sizzling street food vendors from countries far and wide.
Now that we’ve officially slid into 2021, the year has started off with a delicious surprise. Famed Los Angeles Chef Daniele Uditi, of Pizzana, has released his first-ever cookbook to help you get into the spirit of wandering the bakeries of southern Italy.
“Growing up in Italy, I was always surrounded by dough,” says Uditi. “My family were bakers and I wanted to be able to share everything I learned about baking and let people experience the love that surrounds it with family, friends, and more in their own home kitchens.”
For those not in the know, Uditi is a critically-acclaimed chef whose pizza has garnered critical accolades including a spot on the Los Angeles Times and Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list, as well as a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide.
The book, Ricettario Vol. 1 – Sourdough, is a first-of-its-kind digital e-cookbook that takes readers on a journey through fermentation. Downloadable on iPhone/iPad, Kindle, or as a PDF, the book gives hungry bakers of all levels the tools to make crispy focaccia, crackling sourdough loaves, and sizzling pizza that rivals the pies from Uditi’s own restaurant. Inside are also some surprise recipes that will leave your mouth watering before you even begin to bake.
Interactive elements of the book include helpful videos that you can link to from the recipe to help with trickier steps, in addition to links for all the products you’ll need to master the art of sourdough like Daniele.
The book is also for a good cause. A percentage of all sales will be going to World Central Kitchen, a foundation that was set up to help both restaurants and their workers get through the pandemic.
“I see so many restaurants struggling to stay alive and I wanted to do something about it,” Uditi says. “I thought, maybe I can help restaurants while also giving people tools to cook at home.”
In addition to selling books, Uditi is offering Zoom classes where he gets hands-on (virtually) with you and your friends to teach recipes directly from the book.
Uditi is launching the e-book on his website and it will be the first of seven volumes, where he’ll dabble in pasta, sauces, and other Italian treats.
If you’re ready to taste and feel the majesty of Italy (especially after realizing you can’t get on a plane until this summer), travel vicariously through Daniele Uditi’s new cookbook and bring Italy into your own kitchen.
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