Description

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Tasty, colorful, and loaded with flavor, Gennaro's Verdure highlights the versatility of vegetables in various, delicious recipes.

In Gennaro’s Verdure, beloved Italian chef, Gennaro Contaldo transforms humble vegetables from side dish material into the hero of the plate, using punchy flavors from staple ingredients.

Structured by color, in chapters that group recipes into vegetable families, Gennaro champions their versatility and breaks the common misconception that veggies lack in texture and flavor. From Beet Carpaccio to Pea Souffle, Asparagus Carbonara, Tomato Sorbet, and Spinach “plumcake”; Gennaro maximizes the star-quality potential of the unassuming veggies that sit at the back of our fridge.

Not all recipes are entirely plant-based, but all include plants. These are innovative meals with an Italian touch; uncompromising in flavor and more than sufficient for hungry flexitarians, vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters alike.

About the Author

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Gennaro Contaldo is widely known as the Italian legend who taught Jamie Oliver all he knows about Italian cooking, as well as a renowned personality in his own right. Born in Minori on the Amalfi Coast, Gennaro’s quintessentially Italian spirit and positive nature has made him a TV favorite. He regularly appears on Saturday Kitchen and more recently his own TV series, “Two Greedy Italians” on PBS. Gennaro is currently involved in the Jamie Oliver restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian, where he creates dishes and trains chefs nationwide and abroad. He is the author of many cookbooks, including the highly-acclaimed Panetteria: Genarro’s Italian Bakery, and Passion: Simple, Seductive Recipes for Lovers of Italian Food. He has his own YouTube food channel and is an ambassador for Citalia and Bertolli. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.

Award-winning, influential and internationally acclaimed, David Loftus’ photographs for the books of Jamie Oliver, Rachel Khoo, Gennaro Contaldo, Elizabeth David and April Bloomfield have brought food to life for millions of people. For over 20 years, David has photographed over 100 books including all but one of Jamie Oliver’s international best-sellers. He has also directed television commercials including one of the most successful food ads of all time, for UK supermarket Sainsbury’s. He works with a range of advertising clients such as American Express, Dove, Fortnum & Mason, Nespresso, Pizza Express and Philips, to name a few.

Praise For…

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“Proper, old-school classics to use up every scrap”
— —Jamie Oliver

“The Amalfi Coast is known for extra-sweet, thick-skinned lemons, and native Contaldo digs into the area’s flavor in a collection as bright and cheerful as its subject … Whether codifying the 17-day process for crafting limoncello or explaining how friends at a hometown pastry shop candy citrus peel, Contaldo evokes joy.”
— —Publishers Weekly on Gennaro’s Limoni

“With each recipe, Contaldo brings joy and dazzlement.”
— —Publishers Weekly on Panetteria

“What a fantastic book – delicious Italian food, fast.”
— —Jamie Oliver on Gennaro’s Fast Cook Italian

“‘[An] excellent cookbook … fun to read …This delightful cookbook will educate and inspire.”
— —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Gennaro’s Pasta Perfecto!

“Italian master-chef Contaldo, who famously taught Jamie Oliver to cook Italian, recounts his childhood in exquisite detail, matching his recollections to the subject on point … Artfully arranged photographs and some well-worn and much-needed tips round out what will soon be an oft-referred-to classic.”
— —Booklist (starred review) on Passione

“Italian chef Contaldo, who has authored over a dozen books, comes quite close to an all-vegetarian cookbook with this celebration of all things verdure … Contaldo introduces each of the 28 vegetables he dubs most commonly found with quick fun facts plus good, sensible advice on cookery, prepping, cultivating, and similar topics. One to five dishes appear for each vegetable, from artichokes and asparagus to radicchio and tomatoes, categorized by color: green, red, sunshine, and purple … Contaldo ensures that all facets of the traditional menu are covered, particularly the main dishes and the sides. A rainbow of verdure.”
— —Booklist

“Celebrated author, YouTube channel host, and culinary pal of Jamie Oliver and Stanley Tucci, Contaldo (Gennaro’s Limoni) knows a thing or two about Italian cooking. Now Contaldo wants to show the rest of the world the way Italians do vegetables. First grouped by color such as green, yellow, and red, vegetables are then arranged by botanical family. A short but pithy introduction that covers everything from its botanical history to its place in Italian kitchens introduces each vegetable while recipes showcase the culinary possibilities of the vegetable itself. Recipes range from simple, such as green beans with tomatoes, to more challenging, such as pea polpette served with spicy tomato sauce. While not strictly a vegetarian cookbook, the focus is on plant-forward cooking with inventive dishes such as la Genovese “Scapatta” con ziti, in which onions take the place of meat in the traditional Bolognese meat sauce. VERDICT: Even with the bumper crop of excellent plant-based cookbooks available like Nick Sharma’s Veg-Table, readers will want to consider making room for this exuberant, enthusiastic guide to cooking vegetables with a bit of Italian flair.”
— —Library Journal

“Celebrated author, YouTube channel host, and culinary pal of Jamie Oliver and Stanley Tucci, Contaldo knows a thing or two about Italian cooking. Now Contaldo wants to show the rest of the world the way Italians do vegetables … [R]eaders will want to consider making room for this exuberant, enthusiastic guide to cooking vegetables with a bit of Italian flair.”
— — Library Journal