Although I was born in England some of my earliest memories are as a 3 - 6 y.o. living in Naples. Scrumping finocchi (fennel) with my older brothers and buying water melons from street traders that were so large we used the pushchair to carry it home in. It was a long walk home up the slopes of Vesuvius for my baby sister.
I learnt to cook Italian food from about the age of 7. We were back in England and I used to help my dad prepare the sauces and fell in love with the smell of garlic being fried in olive oil.
My dad said 'Son, you're going to grow up in England and marry an English girl. English girls can't cook Italian food so you need to learn.' (It was the 60's)
By the age of 15 all my schoolmates would come round my house and I would cook pasta for them.
Over the years the dishes have acquired English influences. Mainly because Italian ingredients were hard to come by then and we would have to find the next best thing. This is typified by the pasta fazool dish, a pasta dish with cannellini beans. Cannellini beans were not readily available but tins of baked beans were plentiful. So the Borriello version of pasta and beans was invented.
Now, fifty years later, it's my turn to pass on my recipes. It was my son's idea to create a record of my dishes, so this book is dedicated to my son Adam and my English wife Jenny.
Don't worry about following the recipes exactly, adjust the seasoning for your own taste. I've tried to take away the 'science' of cooking by using a
'mug' for measuring. Play about and use different meats and vegetables and even mix & match recipes. Most importantly have fun cooking and you'll love Cooking4mugs and start to 'Cook like an Italian'.
Bruno Borriello.
I learnt to cook Italian food from about the age of 7. We were back in England and I used to help my dad prepare the sauces and fell in love with the smell of garlic being fried in olive oil.
My dad said 'Son, you're going to grow up in England and marry an English girl. English girls can't cook Italian food so you need to learn.' (It was the 60's)
By the age of 15 all my schoolmates would come round my house and I would cook pasta for them.
Over the years the dishes have acquired English influences. Mainly because Italian ingredients were hard to come by then and we would have to find the next best thing. This is typified by the pasta fazool dish, a pasta dish with cannellini beans. Cannellini beans were not readily available but tins of baked beans were plentiful. So the Borriello version of pasta and beans was invented.
Now, fifty years later, it's my turn to pass on my recipes. It was my son's idea to create a record of my dishes, so this book is dedicated to my son Adam and my English wife Jenny.
Don't worry about following the recipes exactly, adjust the seasoning for your own taste. I've tried to take away the 'science' of cooking by using a
'mug' for measuring. Play about and use different meats and vegetables and even mix & match recipes. Most importantly have fun cooking and you'll love Cooking4mugs and start to 'Cook like an Italian'.
Bruno Borriello.
