Acquacotta

Uncover the recipes and stories from a largely unheralded region of Tuscany, the Silver Coast; a place of wild natural beauty, idyllic coastlines and crumbling hilltop villages. Its cuisine is rustic, peasant food, often cooked in one pot. 'Acquacotta', which literally translates as cooked water, is its most famous dish, a soup made of slowly simmered tomatoes, onions and poached eggs. There are countless variations, and every town has its own version. The Silver Coast is surrounded by thick, wild, forest-covered hills and twisted, ancient olive trees. This backdrop provides the ingredients for hearty soups and stews as well as lighter seafood and vegetable dishes. Acquacotta offers more than 80 recipes across five chapters divided by themes: Dal Bosco - food from the woods (including foraged and hunted foods); Dal Mare - from the sea; Dal Orto - from the vegetable patch; Dal Fattoria - from the farm (including legumes, grains, rabbit, poultry and eggs); Dolci - sweets, preserves and homemade liqueurs. All the recipes are photographed on location and interspersed with some glorious images of this secret part of Italy.