ABOUT THIS COOK:

Former newspaper reporter. Have written two cookbooks for Chronicle Books: The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy (2006), and Big Night In (2008), which was named one of the 25 best cookbooks of the year by the editors of Food and Wine and is included in the latest edition of F&W's Best of the Best Cookbook.

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  istrice (porcupine), cavallo (horse)

• What do you cook when home alone?
  pastina in broth

• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  my mother's recipes

• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  8