Welcome back Acquacotta!

A peek at the new edition of my 2nd cookbook and its eponymous recipe

I probably shouldn’t be playing favourites to the books I’ve written (they are kind of like children after all — all the energy, love, effort, blood, sweat and tears put into them!) but I will admit, Acquacotta is it.

How Acquacotta came about is with a bit of serendipity. It was 2015. I was still working on my first cookbook, Florentine — we had just done the photo shoot for the recipes. We had left Melbourne with our 2 year old and moved to Porto Ercole, a tiny fishing village in southern most Tuscany (closer to Rome than Florence), when Marco accepted a job as head sommelier of the insanely chic Hotel il Pellicano’s Michelin-starred restaurant.

I could see the port from the balcony of our little rental apartment and soon learned there were baby wild boars rummaging through the bins in the bottom of the building and to tell when it was “scirocco” or “maestrale” — the direction the wind was blowing — from the chat I overheard in the little mini market or the fish shop in town. Apparently all the locals ever talked about was the direction of the wind, but especially when it was scirocco, because it brought with it an oppressive humidity and in that record-breaking heat that summer, it was felt.

As I was still editing Florentine, I was in touch with my publisher frequently, and I kept waxing lyrical about the entirely new place we were living in — how the landscape, the sea, nearby islands and the lagoon dictated the local cuisine. It was all so different to the Florentine cuisine I knew so well. And yet we were still in Tuscany. Even my Tuscan mother in law was surprised at the different offerings everywhere from the pastry shop to the fishmonger. This was a Tuscan cuisine I wanted people to know about.

“Well — start writing!” My publisher suggested. She drafted up a contract immediately for the book because we knew that we would be there for at least the next 6 months but I wasn’t sure we would stay longer than that. And that’s how I started writing two cookbooks at the same time before even my first cookbook was published!

I think, in a way, Acquacotta was always under the shadow of Florentine. They came out within 1 year of each other (Acquacotta was first published in March 2017) and the cuisine of Florence (being a better known place) got a lot more attention that the virtually unknown, under-the-radar cuisine of the Maremma. And even though Acquacotta is the one I’m most proud of because it was shortlisted for the 2017 Fortnum and Mason award for Best Cookery Book (judged by none other than Diana Henry!), one of the reasons I’m so pleased about this second edition is that it gets a second chance.

This new, second edition includes a foreword by Stephanie Alexander, Australia’s own Julia Child, who even came to visit the area after reading Acquacotta, and I’ve added a special index that makes it easy to find the vegetarian/vegan recipes and the gluten free recipes, they are a plenty in Acquacotta! It’s odd to me that Tuscan food isn’t associated with these things when actually, being based on peasant cuisine, there are plenty of great options. I often get asked if I have vegan or gluten free recipes in my cookbooks — well this is the one I would suggest you look at!

It’s also just a celebration of la dolce vita, summer holidays and coastal living, full of (my film!) photographs of the area, of actual fishermen and women, hot springs, lagoons, winemakers, medieval villages and islands. And many more wonderful people and places I mentioned here.

Here is one of my favourite recipes from Acquacotta — yes, it’s namesake, of which there are three versions in the book, a totally comforting and wonderful, easy meal of eggs poached in a hearty tomato and onion soup, delicious with some garlic-rubbed toast and some grated cheese over the top — it’s officially out worldwide in mid-February. You can order it online here or ask for it at your local bookshop and Booktopia have 22% off Acquacotta at the moment!

Acquacotta Maremmana
From Acquacotta: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany’s Secret Silver Coast

Acquacotta recipes will differ from kitchen to kitchen in Maremma, and partly the idea is to use what you have on hand. But when I think of acquacotta, this is what I have in mind. A thick, slow-cooked stew of vegetables, mostly tomatoes and onions, poured over a slice of day old, toasted bread, and a sunken egg “in camicia” (“in a shirt”, as poached eggs are described in Italian, which makes me imagine the yolks, buoyant and still runny, dressed in oversized, floppy white shirts), nestled in the soup. It's the soft-yolked egg that makes the dish. Break into it with your spoon and let the creamy yolk run into the soup (or, if you prefer a completely cooked egg, you can beat the egg and pour it into the hot soup, like a kind of egg-drop soup). It's warming, comfort food at its best.

This is perfect for using up overly ripe fresh tomatoes in the summer but otherwise use tinned, whole peeled tomatoes for this recipe. Passata or tomato puree is too smooth. You can prepare the soup in advance, right up to the point just before you put the eggs in; this can be kept in the refrigerator overnight or you can freeze for later use. To be honest, it tastes better when it’s had a day’s rest. Just reheat with a splash of water and once simmering, add the eggs.

Serves 4

• 1 kg fresh, ripe tomatoes (or tinned tomatoes)

• 4 large yellow onions, finely sliced

• ½ stick celery, finely chopped

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 125 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine

• 1 red hot chilli, optional

• 1 litre vegetable stock or water

• 4 eggs

• 4 slices of stale Tuscan bread (or other crusty country bread), for serving

• A handful of grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, for serving

If using fresh tomatoes, score a cross on the bottoms of the ripe tomatoes with a sharp knife. Place them in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds, then remove them and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water until cool enough to handle. Their skins should be very easy to peel now. Chop them into quarters and remove the watery seeds. Chop the rest of the tomatoes into cubes and set aside.

Heat a deep skillet with the olive oil over low heat. Add the onions and celery along with a good pinch of salt and let it cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add a splash of water if you see the onions are sticking. Add the white wine and turn the heat up to medium heat and let it simmer for about 3-4 minutes to reduce.

Pour over the tomatoes with another pinch of salt and, if using, sprinkle over the chilli. Add half the stock (or water) and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low on the lowest burner and let it cook slowly, uncovered, about 45 minutes. During this time, check on it here and there, stirring occasionally. The liquid should reduce to a nice, rather thick consistency, but there should still be enough liquid to be able to poach the eggs in it. Top up with the rest of the stock (or water) as necessary.

Taste for seasoning and if necessary, add any salt or freshly ground black pepper. Then crack in the eggs, one by one, not too close together. Poach them for a few minutes or until the whites are cooked and the yolks still soft and runny. Remove from heat.

Serve with a slice of stale bread at the bottom of each bowl. With a ladle, carefully scoop out each poached egg one by one and place on top of the bread. Scoop out more soup and pour over the top to soak the bread. Sprinkle each dish with grated cheese, if desired and, let sit for a minute or two to let the bread absorb some of the liquid before serving.