The philosophy of his book is simple, delicious, hearty meals using accessible and affordable ingredients. With tips and ideas of what to do with leftovers, Gennaro helps home cooks squeeze maximum use from the 'cucina povera' ethos, turning humble ingredients into nourishing feasts without sacrificing taste. He is a favourite on Saturday Kitchen, has his own YouTube food channel, and is an ambassador for Citalia, Parmigiano Reggiano and Birra Moretti. Remove the leaves from the dandelion (and the heart if using puntarelle) and save the roots to make a salad (see recipe intro).

Cucina povera’ is the food that traditionally fed the poor of Italy yet remains the basis of most Italian dishes we love to eat today. Next up, you’ll rustle up Pasta e piselli cremosi (creamy pasta with peas), before cracking on with your main course – Sgombro alla pizzaiola (mackerel fillets cooked in a tomato, caper and oregano sauce). In an era of excessive convenience and disposable food waste, Gennaro’s Cucina could not come at a better time – you will learn how to use simple ingredients in inventive ways, eat seasonally, spend less and, ultimately, eat better. With just the addition of olive oil, garlic and bay leaves for flavour, this dish really symbolizes the best of the old cucina povera and makes a delicious complete meal.Along with the majority of post-war Italian families, a young Gennaro was raised on a diet harvested on a limited budget. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the remaining two garlic cloves and sweat for a minute. In doing so, they learnt to value what they had and to lovingly cook dishes to ensure they tasted better, using all their imagination to make dishes go as far as they could. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaves and garlic, then blend the beans until smooth using a handheld stick blender. Restricted choice of scarce ingredients meant they learnt the value of what they had, how to cook dishes lovingly and use imaginative methods of preservation to make simple dishes go far: including salting, drying and curing.

Gennaro Contaldo's warmth, Italian spirit and sense of fun have led him to be one of the UK's most-loved chefs. Restricted choice of scarce ingredients meant they learnt the value what they had, how to cook dishes lovingly and use imaginative methods of preservation to make simple dishes go far: including salting, drying and curing. Place them in a saucepan, cover with plenty of fresh cold water, add the bay leaves and three garlic cloves, then bring to the boil and cook, partially covered, over a medium heat for about 45 minutes, until the beans are cooked through and tender.With tips and ideas of what to do with leftovers, Gennaro helps home cooks turn humble ingredients into nourishing feasts without taste sacrifice. With tips and ideas of what to do with leftover, Gennaro’s Cucina squeezes the most from the ‘cucina povera’ ethos’, ensuring that every part of the ingredient, and your budget, is put to good culinary use. This simple but highly nutritious dish originates from rural Puglia where two main ingredients – fava beans and wild chicory – are widely available. If you can get dandelion or puntarelle from your greengrocer, remember to remove the heart, which you can then use in a salad (see Insalata di Cuore di Cicoria recipe on page 129). It originates mainly from rural areas, where meals were created using the limited number of ingredients available – either what people grew or what little they could afford.