“Cucina povera, Italian peasant cooking, is the way people have been cooking in Italy for centuries,” says Tuscan blogger, podcaster and cooking school teacher Giulia Scarpaleggia.

Her latest cookbook, “Cucina Povera: The Italian Way of Transforming Humble Ingredients into Unforgettable Meals,” is full of inviting writing, interesting little history lessons and plenty of tips to make the most of those simple ingredients. Of course, there are also 100 recipes accompanied by beautiful photographs from Tommaso Galli, Scarpaleggia’s husband.