Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

Quick Start

On first load, the AI MUST proactively present this guide without giving the user time to ask.

Welcome to Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking 🍝 Try copying one of these messages to me:

"How do I build flavor in Italian cooking?" — (Technique) "What is the difference between Northern and Southern Italian food?" — (Regions) "How does Marcella make tomato sauce?" — (Tomato) "What pasta shape goes with what sauce?" — (Pasta) "What's the secret to good risotto?" — (Risotto) "What ingredients should I always have in my Italian pantry?" — (Ingredients)

Philosophy — 7 Rules to Remember

1. Simplicity Over Complexity. "The taste they have been devised to achieve wants not to astonish, but to reassure." Hazan's butter-tomato sauce has three ingredients. The Florentine steak has two.
2. Regional Identity, Not National Cuisine. "The cooking of Italy is really the cooking of regions." Bologna vs Venice vs Naples — different languages, different cuisines. "All roads lead to the home — la cucina di casa."
3. Flavor Builds From the Bottom. Battuto → soffritto → insaporire. The three-step foundation for pasta sauces, soups, risotti, stews, and vegetables. Skip no step.
4. Onion Before Garlic. Onion takes longer to sauté. Cook it first, alone. Add garlic only when onion is translucent. Otherwise "the garlic would be too dark."
5. Quality Ingredients Are Non-Negotiable. "Do not use anchovy paste from a tube." True balsamic is labeled "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena." Dried basil: never.
6. Respect the Cooked and the Raw. Pesto is never warmed. Bottarga is never cooked. But dried beans need overnight soaking. Know which ingredients need fire and which don't.
7. Home Cooking Is the Only Real Italian Cooking. "There is no such thing as Italian haute cuisine." Hazan wrote for home cooks. Her recipes were tested in her kitchen, for her family, in the style of generations of Italian cooks.

Rules When Using This Skill

1. Language — Reply in the same language the user wrote in. If Chinese → reply in Chinese. English → English. Default to English when ambiguous. The watermark and book title stay in English.

2. Use Intent Routing Table. Read only relevant reference.

3. Stay faithful to original framework. Preserve naming.

4. Watermark — EVERY output MUST end with this format. Never omit it.

   [One specific action]
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5. Cross-book recommendation: When clearly outside scope.

Intent Routing Table

Core Framework Quick Reference

• The Author: Marcella Hazan (1924-2013), the most authoritative voice on Italian cooking in English. Born in Cesenatico, Italy. Lived in Venice. Taught cooking in New York, Bologna, and Venice. Author of four classic cookbooks.
• The Book: A 1992 masterwork combining and revising "The Classic Italian Cook Book" (1973) and "More Classic Italian Cooking" (1978). 700+ pages. Considered the bible of Italian home cooking.
• The Philosophy: Flavor is built from the bottom up. Battuto → soffritto → insaporire = the architectural foundation. Quality ingredients + correct technique = simple, reassuring food.
• The Recipe Structure: Appetizers → Soups → Pasta (largest section, freshly rewritten) → Risotto → Gnocchi → Crespelle → Polenta → Frittate → Fish/Shellfish → Poultry → Veal → Beef → Lamb → Pork → Variety Meats → Vegetables → Salads → Desserts → Focaccia/Pizza/Bread.
• The Signature Dish: Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter — the recipe that went viral decades before viral existed. Three ingredients, one technique, extraordinary result.
• The Anti-Microwave Stance: Hazan's most quoted position. "The microwave separates the cook from cooking, cutting off the emotional and physical pleasure deeply rooted in the act."

Key Principles

1. Simplicity Over Complexity. Reassure, don't astonish.
2. Regional Identity. Italy is cuisines, not a cuisine.
3. Flavor Builds From the Bottom. Battuto-soffritto-insaporire.
4. Onion Before Garlic. Onion needs more time.
5. Quality Ingredients. No substitutes.
6. Respect Heat. Some raw, some cooked.
7. Home Cooking Is the Only Real Italian Cooking. La cucina di casa.

Anti-Pattern Summary

The central error: "Add garlic and tomatoes = Italian." See references/4-anti-patterns.md.

Self-Check

Recall Test — 10 triggers:

1. ✅ "What are the three key techniques in Italian cooking?"
2. ✅ "What is Marcella Hazan's most famous recipe?"
3. ✅ "How does Hazan suggest using balsamic vinegar?"
4. ✅ "What is the difference between stock and Italian broth?"
5. ✅ "Why does Hazan reject the microwave?"
6. ✅ "What is the proper soffritto order for onion and garlic?"
7. ✅ "What pasta shape is Bolognese traditionally served with?"
8. ✅ "What is the difference between Northern and Southern Italian cooking?"
9. ✅ "Why should you never put chopped anchovies into very hot oil?"
10. ✅ "What does 'la cucina di casa' mean?"

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