Milk Street’s latest cookbook an adventure through Italy’s back roads and kitchens

As a column reader, you may have noticed that you’ll rarely read about new cookbooks here. Instead, shared recipes almost always come from food-centric websites, believing most of us do just that — turn to the internet for recipes.

Here’s an exception: the new cookbook “Milk Street: Backroads Italy,” co-authored by Christopher Kimball (the originator of Cook’s Illustrated magazine) and J.M. Hirsch (James Beard award-winning food and travel writer), that just landed on my desk with a loud thud. Thud? It weighs 4 pounds.

It may just be worth using as a recipe source instead of the internet. Here’s why.

Kimball and Hirsch crisscrossed Italy, visiting farms, local markets, hole-in-the-wall trattorias and home kitchens, where they interviewed cooks, took pictures of them, ate their food, and shared their recipes. Page after page, the stories of their adventure fill this book.

Kimball and Hirsch share the stories of their journey and the people they met. It may seem odd to say this is a story-driven cookbook, but it is exactly that. This is that rare cookbook that many will find the time to read from cover to cover.

Why so heavy? Its weight comes from the quality paper used in its nearly 400 pages, bringing hundreds of stunning color pictures vibrantly to life, and making the food in those pictures look mouthwateringly delicious. Every time I opened their book, those pictures made me hungry and want to prepare almost every recipe I saw.

This book contains more than 125 recipes, many with familiar names, like Italian Wedding Soup (Minestra Maritata), or Ribollita (White Bean and Vegetable Soup), Fettucine Alfredo (made only with butter, cheese, and pasta), or Zuppa di Pesce (Italian seafood stew).

Yes, there are desserts, like Torta al Limone (Amalfi-style Lemon Cake) and, of course, Tiramisu.

Some recipes use just a few ingredients, like Pasta alla Gricia: Parmesan and Romano cheeses, pancetta, olive oil, and spaghetti. Some contain a fairly long list of ingredients and multiple steps, promising to be worth the cost and difficulty.

The stories, pictures, and recipes made me want to visit Italy to follow Kimball’s and Hirsch’s path. My chance of that happening is small to none, so “Backroads Italy” is my — and possibly your — best alternative.

Here’s a sample recipe to give you a taste of what you may find. About this recipe, they wrote: “In Rome, we learned to make pasta alla papalina — a lighter, brighter riff on classic carbonara.”

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

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Pasta alla Papalina (Spaghetti with Prosciutto, Parmesan and Peas)

5 large egg yolks

¼ cup heavy cream

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 cup), plus more to serve

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 pound spaghetti or linguine

3 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 2 or 3 pieces

1 small red onion, finely chopped

4 ounces sliced prosciutto, cut into ¼-inch ribbons

1 cup frozen peas

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cream, Parmesan and 2 teaspoons pepper; set aside. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain and return the pasta to the pot; set aside.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly crisped, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, transfer about one-quarter of the prosciutto-onion mixture to a small plate and reserve for garnish.

Scrape the remaining prosciutto-onion mixture into the pasta in the pot, then add the peas and ¼ cup reserved pasta water. Cook over medium-high, stirring, until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, add the egg-cheese mixture; stir until the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. If needed, toss in reserved water 1 tablespoon at a time to adjust the consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the reserved prosciutto-onion mixture and additional Parmesan.

Note: Don’t worry about thawing the peas. They will “cook” quickly when tossed with the hot pasta, retaining their bright green color and fresh flavor. Also, be sure to remove the pot from the burner before adding the egg-cheese mixture. Residual heat will gently cook the yolks, ensuring they don’t curdle but instead create a richness that coats the pasta.

— Excerpted from “Milk Street: Backroads Italy” by Christopher Kimball and J.M. Hirsch, 2025, CPK Media, LLC