Carluccia loved the earthy, creamy taste of her land’s walnuts; for this cookie I combined their flavor with one of her favorite spices, the black peppercorn, which we foraged for together along Calabria’s wild coastline. The mixture of the peppercorns and walnuts with the butter and honey creates a light, nutty, and ever-so-slightly spicy tea cookie.

Armida only stuffed and boiled a chicken for Christmas and Ferragosto (August 15, the assumption of the Virgin Mary). We ate the simple chicken together on Ferragosto. To this day Armida's chickens are her most prized possession; she has many, and the hens all produce dozens of orange-yolked eggs. She said that although she has no money and was not able to marry well, at least now she can feed everyone very well. Armida used foraged borage leaves as the greens for her stuffing; if you do not have access to them, spinach, chard, and stinging nettles all make good substitutes.

This is a beautiful creamy orange winter squash soup, with warm undertones of coriander, fennel, and red pepper flakes. While this soup is good served the day it is made, it really shines if prepared the day before serving. It will keep well in the refrigerator for 5-6 days, and also freezes wonderfully, should you like to save some for a later time.