"Most of the world eats to live, but Italians live to eat," Stanley Tucci once said.
He grew up in an Italian-American family and lived in Italy as a child, so, as you might expect, his love of cooking and food runs deep.
Tucci has written several cookbooks that showcase his own recipes along with a few from family and friends.
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So while we eagerly await the mouthwatering second season of "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," here are three of Tucci's recipes to tide you over. Brand-new episodes start airing this spring.
A Venetian Classic
It only makes sense to start with an appetizer. Tucci said his mother taught him to always set out a few small plates, with olives, cheese and salami, for example, and to serve wine or espresso when guests arrive.
One of the appetizers featured in "The Tucci Cookbook" is a Venetian salt cod spread, known in Italian as baccalà mantecato. It's a traditional dish in Venice.
The salt cod is soaked in cold water for 24 hours, then simmered in milk with garlic and potatoes. It's drained and placed in a food processor with oil until it forms a smooth paste. Parsley, Parmesan and freshly ground pepper are then added. Some variations mix in bell pepper, Kalamata olives or diced potato.
RECIPE: Venetian Salt Cod Spread
The dish is best served warm on toasted bread with olive oil or a slice of fried polenta.
"Don't be put off by the smell of the cod, because once the baccalà has soaked in the liquid all day, the odor disappears and its sweet flavor comes to life," Tucci wrote in his cookbook.
And of course, Tucci wouldn't want you to forget the wine! He recommends a sparkling, full-bodied white or a light red.
A Hearty Fish Stew
This Marche-style fish stew, called brodetto di pesce alla marchigiana in Italian, is a fragrant tomato-based soup from eastern Italy. There are many variations of the dish. It was originally made by fishermen, who cooked up the leftover trimmings of their catch or the imperfect fish they couldn't sell.
One of the most famous versions, brodetto all'Anconetana, is named after Ancona, the capital of the Marche region. It contains 13 different types of fish and seafood, according to Great Italian Chefs.
Don't panic about tracking down all of those ingredients, because Tucci's version calls for just two kinds of fish, plus squid and shrimp. You can use sea bass, halibut or striped bass; for the other fish, the recipe calls for cod, snapper or hake.
"I like to use an assortment of fish and seafood in this stew, but it can also be made with just one type of fish," Tucci said. "Choose whichever you like, though I wouldn't recommend an oily fish such as salmon, tuna or bluefish."
To make the stew, start by preparing a tomato base with onion, garlic and tomato paste. Then add the fish one piece at a time. Tucci suggests you don't stir the mixture, so the fish doesn't fall apart; instead, the trick is to shake the pan back and forth to coat the seafood in the sauce.
RECIPE: Marche-Style Fish Stew
It can be served as a main course with rice, pasta or toasted bread. You can also halve the amount of fish and serve it as a hearty starter in a shallow bowl.
And we can't forget the wine. This stew pairs well with a light or medium-bodied white.
An Unbeatable Sweet Course
Nothing says classic Italian dessert quite like tiramisu. Its name means "pick me up," which perfectly describes this sweet, coffee-flavored cake found on Italian menus around the world.
Tiramisu is traditionally made with layers of ladyfinger biscuits soaked in coffee and topped with mascarpone whipped with eggs and sugar. Some modern versions use sponge cake, while others add coffee liqueur for an extra kick.
Stanley Tucci's recipe comes from the sister of chef and "The Tucci Cookbook" co-author Gianni Scappin. "I prefer my sister Livia's tiramisu to any other I've tried," Scappin said. "Livia took the elements she liked best in each recipe (not too sweet, not too heavy and so on) and folded them into her own recipe."
RECIPE: Livia's Tiramisu
This version of tiramisu uses a well-whipped mixture of eggs and sugar to minimize any "eggy" taste. The recipe also includes crushed amaretti cookies and just one layer of ladyfingers. Buon appetito!
