In anticipation of the new documentary “Marcella”, Esquire profiled our longtime ally and legendary home cook, Marcella Hazan. To Americans, she truly is “the woman who made us all Italian”. With her pragmatic style and reliable recipes, she
“demystified one of the world’s major cuisines for Americans trapped in a Wonder Bread world”
Her no-frills approach to cooking is what sets her apart in a world constantly chasing the next trendy ingredient or cheffy technique. In her now canonical cookbooks, Marcella brings classic Italian recipes down to their purest form. Just take her recipe for tomato sauce with onion and butter. In less than an hour, four simple ingredients transform into a succulent sauce for any occasion. But don’t mistake simplicity for ease. As Alex Beth writes for Esquire:
“Marcella Hazan, in her day, proved a stern—eye-rolling, dismissive, intimidating—taskmaster. She wanted you to do it right, and she understood that rigor is the only pathway to achieving simplicity.”
When interviewed for this article, our presidente Beatrice Ughi echoed this sentiment:
“Simplicity is the most difficult thing to accomplish”
The Best Italian Ingredients
To achieve this stellar simplicity, you need excellent ingredients for the best possible flavor. Otherwise, there’s no point. When a recipe only has a short list of components, the quality of each makes all the difference. As Marcella writes in one of her cookbooks:
“All that really matters in food is its flavor. It matters not that it be novel, that it looks picture-pretty… Do not strain for originality. It ought never to be a goal, but it can be a consequence of your intuitions.”
In her article, Beth describes Gustiamo as an “indispensable purveyor of fine Italian products”. Marcella and her husband Victor were customers of ours from day one, stocking up on pantry essentials such as San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar. She shared our way of thinking about food: the quality and provenance of your ingredients is everything.