Ylenia Sambatti è una vegetariana e imparò a cucinare da sua nonna. Sopratutto, lei è interessata nella tipica cucina del sud Italia, specialmente Pugliese. Qualche anno fa, aprì una scuola, Cook in Puglia, che insegna agli studenti di seguire un alimentazione come i pugliesi fanno per avere una vita sana e buona. Ha anche un ricettario dove si trovano trenta ricette con istruzioni dettagliate per cucinare i cibi pugliesi a casa. Il ricettario è chiamato, “Italian, Simple, Vegetarian: Easy Recipes with Lots of Healthy Ideas”. Il ricettario è su Amazon.

Italian cuisine may be one of the most popular in the U.S. and if you are part of an Italian family you have enjoyed traditional dishes as well as special treats on holidays.  

Although fresh vegetables are a mainstay in Italian cooking, a vegetarian diet is now achievable with a new book by Ylenia Sambatti, “Italian, Simple, Vegetarian: Easy Recipes with Lots of Healthy Ideas.”

A lifelong vegetarian, Yle says she learned to cook from Nonna Antonietta, her grandmother. “I loved watching her being fully immersed in making pasta, she had this amazing art for making pasta.”

For years, Yle has organized travel adventures in Puglia that included food experiences. The increased interest in the regional cooking of southern Italy led to creating Cook in Puglia cooking school. With a platform to demonstrate farm to table specialties and the increased interest in vegetarian dishes or a healthier diet, she decided to share recipes she has cooked for her family and at her school.   

Thirty easy-to-follow recipes feature soups, main dishes and even deserts. The ingredients are often already found in your kitchen and the step-by-step instructions are simple and clearly listed.                     

After months of cooking at home, now may be a perfect time to follow Yle’s suggestion about cooking, “rethink some ways of living and go in a healthier direction when possible, not a drastic change but gradual.” “Italian, Simple, Vegetarian: Easy Recipes with Lots of Healthy Ideas” is now available on Amazon.