We don’t often base a post on some assertion or other by one of the ‘pop’, Food Network-school celebs. But today we’re making an exception. It’s as much recognition of the idea behind the source post as it is a recognition of the poster…
Giada de Laurentiis: Still cookin’ after all these years…
With a new Super-Italian cook book on the racks!
I can vividly recall how fresh and creative – no to mention authentic – Giada De Laurentis seemed when she first came on the Food Network scene…
Felt a kinship
I actually felt a kinship with her, based on her attitude toward food, unabashed love for the cuisine of her ancestral home place, and her obvious love of the special little techniques and cultural details behind the dishes she presented.
But she, like most of the other high-profile presenters on the ‘Food TV’ scene, got stale for me when she started to repeat concepts and dishes. Not her fault, really; more like the ultimate price you pay for success in the ‘from my kitchen’ food TV genre. You eventually run out of ‘safe’, ‘comfortable’ show topics.
Like many food TV celebs, Giada eventually revived her TV career by branching out into the Food Game Show genre. Alas, those formulaic, often exploitative, offerings quickly became more ‘game’ than ‘food’ focused for me, and I just lost interest.
Crossed paths
Then, more or less ‘out of the blue’, as they say, I crossed paths with Giada again a few days ago. And again, I have Sister Erin and her uncanny ability to sniff out post topics to thank for that!
The important point is that I rediscovered the kinship I originally felt for De Laurentiis – on several levels – through that one small post…
Nailed me 3 ways
The substance of the Giada post in question was ‘3 Superfoods You Should Be using In Italian Dishes’. And she managed to nail my attention to the fridge door three different ways at once!
Olive Oil
I’ve always loved Olive Oil. It’s a unique ingredient that is truly iconic in Italian and virtually all other Mediterranean cuisines. But it also lends itself to inclusion under other cultural umbrellas. From her approach to Olive Oil in her ‘superfoods’ post, it’s clear that de Laurentiis is in full and seamless agreement with me on that topic.
“If [it’s] not a synthetic oil and [it’s] real olive oil from real olives [it’ll be] high in polyphenols, really great for the heart, really great for all of the circulation in your body,” she recently reminded Food & Wine‘s Merlyn Miller. “It gives you so much energy. It also gives you clarity. It also keeps your skin and your heart running really well.”
Cruciferous Veggies
Next, she mentioned cruciferous veggies – a recent emphasis of mine in this space! I was gratified, not mention more than a little surprised, that Giada is also focusing on healthy eating in general, and superfoods in particular in her latest cook book, Super-Italian: More Than 110 Indulgent Recipes Using Italy’s HealthiestFoods.
Giada recommends, “Wild arugula. It could be artichokes, it could be dandelion greens, it could be broccoli rabe,” as classic Italian ingredients that are also undisputed superfoods.
Anchovies
I’m not among those who insist that you need anchovies on your pizza for authencity. But I do under-stand and appreciate their importance to Italian cuisine. I also agree with De Laurentiis as to how anchovies should be used. That is, as a donor of earthy, umami, savoury undertones to a wide range of foods while not really making themselves stand out.
For example, she points out, “[A] lot of Americans love Caesar salad. What do they think is in a Caesar salad dressing? It’s always anchovies. It can be anchovy filets, it can be anchovy paste, it can be anchovy oil, known as colatura. But anchovies are the backbone of [many] flavors that we all love.”
My take
Thanks again, Erin! And bless you, Food & Wine, for conniving (albeit almost coincidentally) to bring Giada De Laurentiis back to my conscious awareness. I’d forgotten why I loved her so much in the first place!
And I’m going to take more than just a passing glance at her new cook book when it shows up on the stands. Actually… It’s supposed to be released today (March 4, 2025) on Amazon!
~ Maggie J.