Recipes from my ITALIAN KITCHEN

book of the month.

These recipes, from my new book Acquacotta, are an ode to a beautiful sliver of the Maremma, in Tuscany. It’s a little corner of paradise by the Tyrrhenian Sea known locally as la Costa d’Argento, the Silver Coast, named for the metallic shimmer of the sand. Simple one-pot dishes are a preferred way of cooking in the area. Like most peasant cuisine, it’s about getting the best out of a few ingredients and providing a belly-filling, flavourful and nutritious meal that doesn’t cost the earth. It’s food I love to eat and love to cook. EMIKO DAVIES

RECIPES & LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS EMIKO DAVIES FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS LAUREN BAMFORD FOOD STYLING ALICE ADAMS STYLING DEB KALOPER

Polpo e patate, p55

TUSCAN SUNNY DELIGHT Emiko (above & right) enjoys cooking and eating outdoors in the Costa d’Argento

MEET EMIKO

She’s a keen traveller, having spent time in Australia (where she was born), China, the US and Italy, where she’s collected traditional Tuscan recipes on her blog (emikodavies.com). She lived in Maremma, Tuscany, for six months in 2015 with her Italian sommelier husband Marco and their daughter. They now live in Florence, the capital of Tuscany and the focus of her first cookbook.

Buglione (lamb and tomato stew)

Buglione may be a muddle but it tastes marvelous

SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 35-40 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 1 HOUR 30 MIN

The name of this dish seems related to the French word bouillon but an explanation I like better is that buglione is an old Italian word for ‘confusing mixture’ or ‘a muddle’. In this case perhaps it refers to the mix of herbs and spices. Or is it because it’s so easy to make that anyone can muddle their way through the recipe? Perhaps it’s a bit of both.

MAKE AHEAD

Make up to 48 hours in advance. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge and warm thoroughly to serve. It can be frozen for up to a month.

EMIKO’S TIP

If you don’t fancy dicing lamb leg or shoulder yourself ask your butcher to do it for you (and ask for the bones). Alternatively, you can use diced lamb without bones.

FOOD TEAM’S TIP

If the stew is watery, remove the meat and bubble the sauce until soupy, then return the meat to the pan.