Fabulicious!: On the Grill (2 page)

Chi mangia bene, vive bene.

“Who eats well, lives well.”

E
verything about Italy is hot: the climate, the people, the fashion, even the shape of the country—how much hotter can you get than a tall boot with a high heel?

Everything about Italians is hot, too—and not just on the outside. We're hot blooded. We are famous for our passion and our tempers, for our love and our loyalty. And when it comes down to it, we just like things hot. We like our partners hot; we like our weather hot; and we
love
our food hot.

If you've read any of my previous cookbooks, you know red pepper flakes are one of my favorite ingredients because I love to eat hot. If you've seen me on
The Celebrity Apprentice
or
The Real Housewives of New Jersey,
you know that I find myself in hot situations far more often than I'd like. (Every time I try to get out, they keep pulling me back in!) But both of my parents are from Italy, and I was conceived in the “old country,” so at least I come by my heat honestly.

I absolutely love-love-love the summer. I love when it's hot outside. Maybe it's because I love to be outside. The winters—especially the ones we've been having lately on the East Coast—are not my friend. When it's cold, everyone seems to hibernate. We hide in our houses. We hide our bodies under layers of clothes.

When it's hot, there's no hiding. You have to face yourself and your neighbors and your body . . . and that's an amazing, happy thing! To me, there's nothing
better than sitting in the warmth, surrounded by family and friends, with the delicious smell of food sizzling on the grill and a cold drink in your hand—just relaxing. The rest of the year, holidays and homework have us all running around like crazy. But in the summer, we can finally kick off our shoes and really enjoy our blessings.

One of my biggest blessings—besides my four beautiful daughters and my incredible family—is that I get the opportunity to share my family's authentic Italian recipes with you. I am so humbled and honored to be writing my fourth cookbook! That the first three have all been
New York Times
bestsellers blows my mind. But it really shouldn't because I know I have the best fans in the entire world.
You guys are sexy, smart, and you don't miss a thing. I wish I could have a big, fabulous summer party and invite all of you! I can give you the next best thing, though: a book full of my summer party favorites.

In just a few chapters, you'll become a grill god/goddess, learn ancient Italian secrets of cooking delicious and juicy food over an open flame, and unleash your own inner hot Italian. I've also adapted some of the most popular recipes from my previous cookbooks so that they can be cooked on the grill. Think you can't make lasagna or chicken Parmesan or pizza on the grill? Think again!

So fire up the grill, pop open a bottle of Fabellini, and let's get this party started!

Amicizie e maccheroni, sono meglio caldi.

“Friendships and pasta are best when they are warm.”

I
adore summer food. Unlike in the winter when even our food hides in cans and under thick creams, summer food comes out to play. Everything is fresh, crisp, colorful, and extra healthy. The farmers' markets are open; the produce section of the grocery store is overflowing; and we're spoiled for choice: avocados, berries, eggplant, figs, grapes, green beans, peas, peppers, peaches, plums, summer squash, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini (my favorite), and tons more. They're all my favorites, actually, especially when they're in season, inexpensive, and outrageously delicious.

There's a saying in Italy:
Pesche, fichi, e meloni sono migliori quando sono in stagione.
It means “peaches, figs, and melons are best when they are in season.” It's used as a proverb to explain that “everything has its time,” but it works literally as well because it's true: things taste so much better when they're in season. Think about a tomato. Sun-ripened and picked fresh from a local vine, they are sweet, tangy, zesty, and meaty. Grown in a hothouse and shipped across the country during winter months, they are tasteless, slimy, and—
Madonna mia
!—mealy.

Out-of-season and out-of-state-grown food doesn't just taste worse, it also doesn't cook as well, and isn't as good for you. Hothouse or imported produce has to be harvested before it's ripe, after which it is chilled, transported, stored, transported
again, handled by multiple people and machines, and sometimes even treated with chemicals and/or radiation to give it the correct color (and sometimes an artificial shine) and to protect it from a world of germs. The premature picking and long journey means that the food doesn't have as many nutrients as it could, and it also loses moisture. Dense produce like apples can handle the trip better, but something soft and vulnerable like a tomato has no chance. This is why, during the summer, I buy as many fresh tomatoes from farmers' markets as I can, why my family cans hundreds of jars of them every August, and why, if I'm out and in a pinch, I'll go for canned tomatoes over winter pickings in the produce department every time.