Gennaro’s Verdure
In Gennaro’s Verdure, Gennaro transforms humble vegetables from side dish material into the hero of the plate, using punchy flavours from staple ingredients in his unique and much loved Italian style.
‘The don of Italian cooking takes veg to the next level. Belissimo!’– Jamie Oliver
‘Gennaro's food is full of passion and wonderful flavour; his delightful book puts vegetables at the centre of the table and makes them the star of the show’ – Ainsley Harriott
Structured by colour chapters that group recipes into vegetable families, Gennaro champions their versatility and breaks the common misconception that vegetables lack texture and flavour.
While not all recipes are entirely plant-based, Gennaro ensures that every dish includes the beauty and goodness of plants. With his signature Italian touch, these innovative meals are designed to please not only vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians, but also meat-eaters looking to incorporate more vegetables into their diet.
Green Vegetables, Gennaro highlights the crisp freshness and health benefits of greens like asparagus, spinach, and broccoli.Try Gennaro's Asparagus Carbonara and be tempted by his Spinach ‘plumcake’, a unique creation that combines savoury and sweet flavours.
In Red Vegetables, Gennaro celebrates the rich flavours of produce such as tomatoes, Swiss chard and red peppers. From Chard Calzone to a zingy Tomato Sorbet, Gennaro proves that these red gems can be the star ingredients.
Sunshine Vegetables radiates with the vibrant colours of yellow, cream and orange vegetables. Gennaro showcases the natural sweetness and sunny disposition of carrots, onions and pumpkins, from comforting Pumpkin Gnocchi to Carrot Soufflé.
Purple Vegetables uncovers the hidden treasures lurking in the depths of our refrigerators like aubergines, purple radicchio and beetroots. Savour Beetroot Capracchio and Raddchio Terrine over a picnic lunch on a summer’s day, imagining you are on the Amalfi Coast.
Gennaro Contaldo’s warmth, Italian spirit and sense of fun have led him to be one of the UK’s most-loved chefs. He is renowned for being a mentor to Jamie Oliver and teaching him, with Carluccio, everything Jamie knows about Italian cooking. In 1999, he opened Passione in London, which was awarded Best Italian restaurant in 2005. He is a favourite on Saturday Kitchen, has his own YouTube food channel, and is an ambassador for Citalia, Parmigiano Reggiano and Birra Moretti. He lives in East London with his wife and twin daughters. @gennarocontaldo (773k followers, Instagram)