it's January, time to set goals and self imposed deadlines.
This year I want to complete an illustrated book with seasonal Italian recipes given by my mother Valeria and previously collected on The Dead Chef blog, Italian Version.
There is quite a lot of work to be done:
-I have to try all the recipes and translate them from the Metric system to the Imperial. Personally, losing the metric system is one of the most traumatic loss I experienced moving to the States, so I consider this a pretty heavy task.
-I should add more steps to the introduction and preparation of the recipes: my mother is a very skilled cook and she leaves out many passages that she takes for granted, like the temperature of the oven, or how many minutes it takes for a chunk of meat to "look good" in her knowledgable eyes.
-Find and eventually substitute seasonal products that are easily and cheaply available in Italy with the ones I find in America.
The stuff on sale is usually on season, but not many people know about seasonal products, unless they shop often at farmer's markets.
-When all the recipes are tried and proofed, I have to find a style and illustrate the book.
I like the sketch book look to a collection of recipes given by my mother, it gives a homey and nostalgic feel to this project.
During the years I have played around with illustrated recipes, here are some examples:
And these are some sketches and ideas for the book starting with the month of January:
See you next time!
