There are so many Italian cookbooks in production so what makes this one different? Firstly, this is a cookbook that is centered around various Italian deli ingredients. Theo Randall ran the kitchen at River Cafe in London, which has been known for its unfussy Italian dinners. These recipes showcase many of the pantry staples that we all have in our larders and refrigerators, such as cured meats and cheeses, tinned fish and many others.

In an effort to find easy week night meals to make, I stumbled upon a recipe in the book that was for an eggplant dish where you made a spiced tomato sauce using nduja, a cured spiced prosciutto paste. The addition of this one product completely transforms your simple passata-based sauce into something transformative. In fact now, when i’m looking for an easy to make sauce, that is what I make. A total of 3 ingredients, a tube of nduja, passata, and garlic and you’ve got yourself a robust red sauce that will pair with just about anything!