Vegetables

Vegetables are an important part of the Italian diet and there are vegetable preparations all the way throughout this book ­ in the antipasto, broth, pasta, pizza and risotto sections. What follows are a few stand alone dishes and some sauces.

Wherever Italians go around the world, they plant their vegetables. New immigrants have often become market gardeners and retailers. Fortunately some of them have remained doing that despite the inroads of the supermarket chains into their dwindling customers.

Retired Italian restaurateurs often go back to their gardens. Joe Molina started a farm and grew lettuces (we used some at Mietta's); Leon Massoni grew grapes and made wine for many years after retiring from restaurants. After selling Virgona's in Fitzroy, Mario Virgona settled back down on the Mornington Peninsula not far from where his grandfather first made a living from fishing and growing vegetables. Mario has a beautiful garden which he still looks after. Inside his home, a grand piano and countless recordings and memories of his too brief singing career.