Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for “Triple Slow Cooker Entertaining: 100 Plus Recipes and 30
Party Plans.” The winner is Carolyn Totten. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Carolyn Totten, you are eligible to win the drawing for “Recipes and Dreams from an Italian Life,” by Tessa Kiros.

This cookbook is special. Many good ones entwine family and cultural history and narrative with recipes, but this one brings to mind a day in your grandmother’s attic as well as her kitchen. Old framed photos, stories, old-fashioned jewelry, lace, roses, mementos, stunning food and still-life photography grace super-thick cardlike paper that I wouldn’t dare get a spot of food on. To use it, I’d make a copy of the recipe I want and put the book safely away.

I think I might actually have a little crush on this book and am sorely tempted to keep it, but I’m afraid it would languish on my shelf, like a beautiful blank journal I’m reluctant to write in lest I mess it up.

To enter the drawing, please send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com. Include your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, and NAME OF THE BOOK YOU WANT. I do not store or share this information.

Oh, yeah, and the recipes look fabulous, too. Here’s a simple one:

CROSTINI WITH ANCHOVY, SUN-DRIED TOMATO & MASCARPONE
2 1/2 tablespoons sliced red onion
Splash of red wine vinegar
1 ounce sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 anchovie fillets, chopped coarsely
1 heaping tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
5 slices country-style bread, roughly 2 1/2 inches in diameter
About 4 tablespoons mascarpone
1. Soak the onion in cold water with the splash of vinegar for 20 minutes or so. At the same time, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water to plump them up.
2. Drain the tomatoes and chop them into quite large, long pieces. Put them in a bowl with the olive oil. Drain the onion and add to the bowl, along with the anchovies, parsley, rosemary, and a few grinds of black pepper.
3. Broil the bread. Roughly spread a couple of teaspoons of mascarpone over each crostino, then top with the anchovy mixture and serve.
Makes 5 crostinis
– “Recipes and Dreams from an Italian Life”

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for “Bake It In A Cupcake,” by Megan Seling. The winner is Katy Lemmer. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

This week we’ll get off the dessert cart with "Lidia's Favorite Recipes: 100 Foolproof Italian Dishes, from Basic sauces to Irresistible Entrees," by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. (I’m pretty sure I spelled those right. Just don’t ask me to say them out loud.)

The book contains about half recognizable Italian classics, such as Eggplant Parmigiana, Spaghetti and Meatballs and Wedding Soup, right alongside recipes that broaden your horizons, including Tagliatelle With Wild Mushroom Sauce and Spaghetti in Tomato Apple Sauce.
If you are not Katy Lemmer, you are eligible to enter the drawing, send me an e-mail at jennie.geisler@timesnews.com. Please include your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and the NAME OF THE BOOK YOU WANT.

Here’s a simple, elegant dish from Lidia’s book:

TOMATO BREAD SOUP
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oi, plus more for the finished zuppa
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
3 28-ounce cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 cups water
5 1/2-inch slices stale Italian bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 fresh basil leaves, washed
Freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a deep, heavy 4- to 5-quart pot. Add the onion and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, crush the tomatoes with your hands or a vegetable mill.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice to the pot, add the water, and bring all to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the tomatoes have boiled for 10 minutes, add the bread to the pot and bring back to a boil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the basil leaves and adjust the level of heat to maintain a simmer.
4. Cook, uncovered, whisking occasionally to break up the pieces of bread, until the mixture is dense and silky, about 40 minutes.
5. If desired, remove garlic cloves and basil leaves. Season the soup to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve in warm bowls, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and shreds of fresh basil leaves and sprinkled with the grated cheese.
– “Lidia’s Favorite Recipes”