meet Aurora
The recipes my nonna taught me beside the stove.
I learned to cook at seven, standing on a chair at my nonna's elbow in the Val d'Orcia. Every Sunday, her sugo went onto the back of the stove in the morning and stayed there until the whole house smelled like tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil.
She never used a written recipe. She taught me by showing me the color of properly cooked garlic, the feel of dough ready to rest, and the exact moment pasta should leave the water. Those details were the difference between simply following ingredients and cooking food that tasted like hers.
I spent the last few years writing down forty-three of our family recipes before they disappeared — not only what goes into each dish, but what my nonna would have corrected if she were standing beside you.
inside the books
The Italian food families cook at home — not the dishes made for tourists.
These are practical recipes built from ordinary ingredients, patience, and a few details that change everything. Most need only the pots, pans, and baking tray already in your kitchen.
- Sunday sugo without sugar or shortcuts. The slow family sauce built from tomatoes, carrot, garlic, and time — including the color and texture that tell you it is ready.
- Napoli pizza dough with a light, blistered crust. The fermentation timing and dough cues that make real Neapolitan-style pizza possible at home.
- Nonna's tomato sauce with deep, honest flavor. The simple ingredients, gentle heat, and visual cues that turn tomatoes into a true family sauce.
- Simple cucina povera classics. Soups, vegetables, stale-bread dishes, and pantry meals created to turn inexpensive ingredients into deeply satisfying food.
