What, NO MEAT? Traditional Italian Cooking the Vegetarian Way by Roberta Roberti

From the Publisher

Food is an integral part of Italian life. It is used to celebrate, mourn, comfort, and to enjoy just for its own sake. For me, holidays were always about a crowded dining room table overflowing with food, voices, and the sound of utensils clanking against dishes. I was the baby of my family and didn't have much to say during those countless feasts.

So as I sat at the table, I just ate and listened and observed, as something quietly formed in my head. Those holiday dinners became the seedlings from which this book would spring. Our holiday meals were usually hosted by my mother, Rosa, and my Aunt Maria (it didn't matter whose house it was in, they always hosted together), and food was abundant.

When my brother, Fabio, a vegetarian since 1986, declined the main entre (always meat), someone would invariably say, 'What, no meat?' Year after year, the question was put to him. It became almost amusing. It also showed how unaccustomed old world Europeans were to the concept of vegetarianism. The odd thing is that Italians are not the big meat eaters that people think they are. While the idea of excluding meat from their diets may seem strange to Italians - frightening, even - the truth is they wouldn't miss it that much, for many traditional Italian dishes are vegetarian.

When I first told my parents that I'd become a vegetarian - seven years after my brother had - they said, 'What does this mean, you won't eat meat?' I wanted to say something sarcastic, but it would have been lost in the translation. So I just let them continue.

'So what will you eat' Chicken? Fish?' All I could do was roll my eyes.

Since I was the second veggie child in the family, I wasprepared for the broken record that would undoubtedly play every time that meat platter came around the table. Maybe because of my brother, my family caught on more quickly with me. When I said, 'No, thanks,' they left it at that. But it took them a long time to understand that meatless meals can still be complete. I have to admit that it took some learning on my part, too.

When I first gave up meat, I discovered that I did not know how to prepare vegetarian meals. It was not just a matter of eliminating the meat and eating what was left. I had to learn how to build fulfilling, nutritious meals. It became necessary to learn how to make a variety of dishes so that I would not drown in pasta with marinara sauce; as much as I love that, one can eat only so much of it. So I began buying cookbooks to learn the process of cooking all over again. There were plenty of vegetarian cookbooks on the market, but they did not reflect the tastes and techniques I'd grown up with. I enjoy all types of food, but Italian is my go-to cuisine, my comfort food. Italian cookbooks, on the other hand, posed a different problem: I used only a fraction of the recipes, since so many contained meat. What a waste.

My goal was to cook authentic meals that would rival my mother's. I wanted to lay out a feast like she did, and fill my guests' bellies without having them miss the meat. Then it occurred to me that rather than learn from total strangers who were fortunate enough to get a book published, I would learn from those around me, the people who influenced my daily life - my mother, my aunt, my friends...and me. The recipes in this book are a combination of these sources. Many are my mother's recipes, those I remember from childhood. The others come from family and friends and my own creative juices.

There are many things that we, as human beings, take for granted: our ability to walk, speak, think, breathe. The rising of the sun and moon. The existence of cats and dogs. And food. The fact that food exists, that we can purchase it or grow it, prepare it and eat it. Too many people don't realize that food was not always 'just there.' It is accurate to say that foods were waiting for us to discover them, but knowledge about their properties and uses came to us a little at a time. Other species eat the same foods all their lives, and are happy to so do. But because humans are such curious, adventurous, and easily bored creatures, we discovered what was okay for us to eat and what wasn't. Through trial and error, we now have an immense array of foods to choose from.

Since I was learning a new way of cooking and eating, I began to examine the individual components of the meals I was preparing. How did people know that tomatoes would make a great sauce? How come the word pepper applies to two completely different things? Where do spices come from? For thousands of years, people used foods for many purposes. Why should we just assume that a particular item was always eaten or that it was always used just for sustenance? It was necessary for me to understand the role of food in our lives, physically and spiritually. Within these pages, you will find much of what I discovered.

None of this is to say that the only purpose of this book is to discuss the history of food or vegetarianism. Ultimately, it is a cookbook and the most important thing is the food itself. Eating is one of the joys in life that, done in a healthy manner, you can indulge in guilt-free. Mark Twain, writer and vegetarian, said, 'He who does not mind his belly, will hardly mind anything else.' In other words, if you don't take care of yourself properly, you won't take care of anything else properly. If you take the time to eat right, you will do other things right as well. Just remember that eating properly is an important part of a long, healthy life. Even my family members, who were so accustomed to eating huge meals loaded with fat, turned over new leaves. They all eat healthier now, at first because they had to, but now because it's their way of life.
Don't misunderstand; this book is not intended to be used as a nutritional guide for diets or health issues, just for fun and enlightenment. As you go along, I hope that both my recipes and the fascinating - sometimes bizarre - facts and legends about food please you. After all, the need for food is the one thing all living creatures have in common.

My family is from the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region known as Basilicata, and many of the dishes I have chosen to include are in the style of Basilicata or its neighbor, Naples. However, I've tried to create a nice mix of flavors and styles by touching on other parts of the country.

Most of the recipes in this book are easy and can be made in a short amount of time, an important factor these days. There are some recipes that require a little time and patience, both of which are precious commodities in our hectic, nano-second world. However, as my family - and probably yours - can tell you, some of the best things in life are worth waiting for. Or, as Julia Child put it, 'Non-cooks think it's silly to invest two hours? work in two minutes? enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, well, so is the ballet.'

So pour a glass of wine (or tea, as the case may be) and take your senses on a journey of classic and ancient culinary delights. I share with you the precious offerings of my family and our culture. I sincerely hope you enjoy them all.

Buon appetito!

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