Coffee Table Book - Our Poor Kitchen – Everyday Italian Eats

La Nostra Cucina Povera – Italian Everyday Cooking

Luca & Salla-Maria Platania

Texts & recipes: Luca & Salla-Maria Platania
Editor: Elina Lähteenmäki
Translation: Rebecca Watson
Photography & Layout Design: Viola Minerva Virtamo

Language: English

Embark on a culinary journey under the southern sun—from Parmigiana di Melanzane to "wrong" Carbonara, from Minestra di Verdure to small pizzette —and, of course, Grandma 's sweet treats! This book brings together 40 everyday recipes that have been beloved by the Platania family and passed down through generations. Each dish evokes memories of Luca's childhood and youth in Rome.

Cucina povera— "poor cuisine"—is a traditional Italian cooking style that emphasizes simple, honest ingredients. Originating in the Middle Ages from the need to use up leftovers, this style of cooking is more relevant today than ever: after all, good, affordable food never loses its value.

This book demonstrates that the best flavors come from real ingredients and creativity—not from excess. It also offers practical tips for pantry storage and small ideas for adding a personal touch to each recipe.

Luca and Salla-Maria Platania, an Italian-Finnish couple, love preparing simple, honest dishes together in their family kitchen. For Luca—a restaurateur and pizza enthusiast—cooking is a language of affection, one he learned from an early age from his southern Italian mother.

Be my cozy