Italian food "cucina povera"

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

La cucina povera is an Italian phrase that means "cooking of the poor," or "peasant cooking."

Just wondering if anyone has any recipes that may fit this category, I don't mean standard pasta dishes, but dishes I have tried like

Minestrone
Tuscan bean soup
Jamie Oliver's basic beans recipe.

There is a book on amazon that is all about this style of cooking, but its £40

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Italian-Country-Cooking-Secrets-Cucina/dp/1876624698

Penelope_Penguin

Whole thread here - Italian cooking I'll merge this thread to that later to keep ideas together

How about pizza, gnocci and ice cream

I googled Italian Dishes and got this :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Penny. x

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

TY PP

I was hoping for rustic Italian bean dishes really.

Not Risotto or Pasta as there are so many on google.

MrsBartolozzi

Some sample recipes here. (a pdf of sample recipes from a book called Cucina Povera).

A google of " cucina povera" brings up other recipes, but this site suggests that, far from emulating the traditional Italian foodstuffs which might cost us an arm and a leg to import, Cucina Povera might be a state of mind. The author goes on to talk about what is essentially store cupboard cookery, something that is highly recommended here on the OS board. Take a look in your cupboards and make a tasty meal with what you find in there rather than buying in ingredients to make a foreign dish.
"
The spirit of la cucina povera is about embracing constraints and discovering the delicious creativity that can spring from making do with what you've got - which is very much in line with our mission here at the Kitchen. Our culture pushes us hard the other way, of course, which is what the author is talking about when he says: [this is from a blog and is reviewing an article]
"America gives us more choices than we need: too many channels, too many Benjamin Moore paint chips, too many ways for Starbucks to overcharge you. Eventually you learn to shop first and ask questions later. This is how you find yourself buying a $40 bottle of olive oil when what you are really hungry for is a plate of beans."

The author then goes on to say that he will spend a month living in the spirit of Cucina povera by eating out of his storecupboard. There are a few recipes in the comments bit too.


MrsB.

freyasmum

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

I googled Italian Dishes and got this :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Penny. x

Thank you Penny

No wonder I'm so fond of Italian cuisine :rotfl::rotfl:

Most of the now popular Italian dishes (if I'm not mistaken) started life as peasant food - something the mamas conjured up to use up all the scraps they had left. How the tables have turned, because eating 'peasant' food is trendy now, lol.

Try Panzanella - a salad made with stale bread.

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

Thank you Mrs Bartolozzi, the lentils with potato and rocket in the PDF is exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of.

MrsE_2

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

Some sample recipes here. (a pdf of sample recipes from a book called Cucina Povera).

.

That looks like a nice book:D

absolutebounder

Ask Quasar she is MSEs brain in the Italian kitchen

thriftlady_2

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

A google of " cucina povera" brings up other recipes, but this site suggests that, far from emulating the traditional Italian foodstuffs which might cost us an arm and a leg to import, Cucina Povera might be a state of mind.
.

Thanks for this link Mrs B. a bit further down the page in the comments section there is this

My mom and dad use to call the best meals "poor man's meal" in Spanish "comida de pobre" and I never fully understood what that meant till I was older. All it meant was; as described above, you ate what you had. No going to the market for last minute ingredients. If all you had were potatoes, carrots, and onions you ate some form of soup. Rice or noodles whatever you had were thrown in. If there wasn't enough meat for the entire family that's when you made soup instead of stew.

How many times have I said 'I don't need to buy anymore food' and yet still do? Even if I can afford to, it is still wasteful. A storecupboard challenge is order I think.

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

A storecupboard challenge is order I think.

An authentic Italian person to do a Cucina Povera challenge is in order with a bit of luck