Talisman of Happiness

I somehow missed the news about the English-language translation of the Talisman of Happiness, the Italian equivalent of The Joy of Cooking. It’s one of those cookbooks that everyone gifts to new cooks because it covers just about everything.

But I quickly became obsessed with the book due to its annoyingly brief instructions. The translator kept the tone and vagueness of the original text because that was the point. She gives you the basic knowledge to go from ingredients to a finished dish, but you, as the cook, are supposed to adjust it to your taste. Each recipe is a tiny puzzle to figure out, and because so many of the recipes are things I have never eaten, I can play with them to make them into something I enjoy.

We started with her penne alla vodka because I’m already familiar with the dish (it was amazing!), and her spaghetti alla carbonara di magro because it was mentioned in a newspaper review of the book (equally good!). My plan is to write what I attempt in the white space around the recipe so I can keep making it when I land on a version that works. I need a project. Cooking it is.