Pizza Sarda con Fiore Sardo, Guanciale, Carciofi e Olive (Sardinian Pizza with Fiore Sardo, Guanciale, Artichokes and Olives) Sardinian pizza is not Neapolitan pizza with island toppings. It is a thick, golden base built on durum semola, closer to the bread of the Barbagia than to the blistered discs of Naples, and it carries the four flavours of pastoral Sardinia: smoked Fiore Sardo, rendered guanciale, bitter spiny artichokes and green olives. The base is strong enough for

Roman-style eggs with sweet peas, crisp guanciale and Pecorino Romano, gently cooked so the whites set while the yolks stay soft.

Zuppa di Lenticchie Umbre con Guanciale Croccante e Rosmarino (Italian Umbrian Lentil Soup with Crispy Guanciale and Rosemary) A good Umbrian lentil soup is decided before the pot goes on the stove, by the lentil you buy. The tiny brown lentils grown on the Piano Grande above Castelluccio di Norcia have a skin thin enough that they need no soaking and hold their shape through a long simmer. Use a large commercial lentil instead and you get a purée in thirty minutes whether yo