Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, is the homeland of Elfisio Farris the chef and owner of Arcodoro in Houston and Arcodoro & Pomodoro in Dallas.  In his first cookbook, “Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey”, Farris provides us a culinary tour of the food of Sardinia and along the way introduces us to the Sardinian people and their lives.  The book, named after two signature Sardinian ingredients, is packed with great recipes, wonderful photographs and interesting stories that will open your eyes and stomach to a new culture of amazing food.  Farris provides interesting introductions to the recipes and details such as when the recipe would be served or eaten in Sardinia.  For an example, see the recipe for Pasta with Ricotta and Bottarga below.  Details are also provided on ingredients that are native to Sardinia such as Bottarga which is Sardinian Caviar.   If you are looking to explore new cultures and culinary worlds from your home this cookbook is a great place to start.

Pasta with Ricotta and Bottarga (Macarrones Kin Recottu)

From Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey by Efisio Farris, Rizzoli 2007

You might have a creamy sauce like this one in any shepherd’s home (perhaps made right in front of you in the same pot as the ricotta). When I make this dish at home, I like to indulge the sea in me and add bottarga; the combination is not traditional but honors my devotion to land and sea and enhances the flavor of all the ingredients. The thick sauce calls for short macarrones like malloreddus, because it coats the pasta inside and out and would weigh down any larger shapes.

• 1 pound malloreddus pasta (or short tubular pasta)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sheep’s milk ricotta cheese (or other creamy ricotta cheese)
• 4 tablespoons grated bottarga di muggine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add malloreddus and boil for 10 to 12 minutes, or until al dente.

While cooking the pasta, heat the heavy cream in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add ricotta and stir well to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, continuously stirring until the sauce thickens and is well combined. Stir in 2 tablespoons of bottarga and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Drain pasta and add to ricotta mixture. Add parsley and toss well to combine; stir in the olive oil. Pour pasta mixture into a ceramic serving dish, then sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of bottarga.

About Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey

Sardinia now rivals its northern neighbor Provence as a vacation destination. The coastline lures visitors, but it is the food that will make you linger. Chef Efisio Farris is poised to become the next great ambassador of Italian regional cuisine. To promote the cooking of his native Sardinia, he has appeared on the Food Network, given demonstrations at food festivals across the country, and even launched his own company that imports Sardinian specialties for his restaurants and for retail. It is Mediterranean cooking at its purest, making liberal use of olive oil, fish, and fresh vegetables. But it’s also distinguished by indigenous ingredients that are becoming hot trends in America: pecorino, flatbread, fava beans, fregula, and bottarga. Farris has pulled together more than one hundred recipes – many of them family secrets for Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey. Among them are Watermelon Salad with Arugula and Ricotta Salata; Pannacotta with Bitter Honey; and Bruschetta with Sausage and Pecorino Sardo. More than 150 breathtaking images take you on a tour of the countryside – from the terraced olive groves to the riverbanks full of wild asparagus. In sidebars, the author relates charming anecdotes and Sardinian history. Readers will come away not just with a taste for the island’s flavors but also a sense of Sardinia’s magical beauty and culture.