Cucina Povera The Art of Makin a Three-Course Meal When There's “Nothing to eat!” by Ang Pompano Plus a giveaway!

There's nothing to eat!

Ang Pompano: When I was a kid, I had a habit of opening the refrigerator and just standing there, staring inside, trying to decide what I wanted. My mother would inevitably say, "Choose what you want and close the door. The food's not going to grow in there."

Still today, I'm one of those people who sometimes insists there's "Nothing to eat," even when the refrigerator is perfectly full. But let’s face it, no matter how well-stocked your kitchen usually is, there are those nights when you haven’t had time to shop, the weather is too miserable to go out, and ordering takeout feels like too much effort. 

So, the other day, I decided to run a little experiment. What could I make for dinner when it felt like there was nothing to eat? The idea comes from the Italian tradition of Cucina Povera (poor kitchen), a way of cooking that’s less about recipes and more about resourcefulness and using what you already have, wasting nothing, and turning the simplest ingredients into something comforting and satisfying.

Here’s what I found in the kitchen.

• Stale Italian Bread

• Pasta

• An orange and ½ lemon

• An almost empty jar of oil-cured olives (Italian olives)

• A can of cannellini beans

• Ritz crackers

The challenge I set for myself was simple: make a three-course meal using just these items, along with olive oil, garlic, and a few basic spices. It’s funny how a supposedly "empty" fridge suddenly reveals a “gourmet personality” once you stop looking for a specific recipe and start looking at ingredients.

The Appetizer: Creamy White Bean & Olive Appetizers

Remembering a creamy white bean dip from one of our favorite Todd English restaurants, I decided to try my hand at a quick homemade version. Into the mini-blender went half a can of cannellini beans (including a tablespoon of the packing liquid for extra body), a handful of the olives, olive oil, black pepper, fresh rosemary, a squeeze of lemon, and some zest.
To keep it light on garlic, I added just a hint, letting the savory olives take center stage. After processing the mixture until smooth, I spooned it onto Ritz crackers. While not quite Michelin-starred, I have to say it was pretty good.

    

The Main Course: "Poor Man’s Parmesan" Pasta

While researching my WWII homefront story, Minnie the Air Raid Warden, I learned that during the Depression, and later, the years of wartime rationing, pasta with garlic, olive oil, and toasted breadcrumbs became a common staple. Known as poor man’s Parmesan, it took hold when imports from Italy dried up and real cheese was hard to come by.

The Method:

• Cook the pasta until al dente.

• While the pasta cooks, sauté sliced garlic in olive oil. Once the garlic starts to turn golden, remove it from the pan (this flavors the oil without the bitterness of burnt garlic).

• Add the shredded stale bread to the same pan and toast it in the remaining oil until crisp and golden. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

• Add a little more olive oil to the skillet, then add the remaining half-can of cannellini beans. Mash them with a fork until they break down into a creamy sauce.

• Drain the pasta, reserving about a half cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the white bean sauce, loosening it with a splash of pasta water as needed.

• The Finish: Shower the dish with the homemade breadcrumb “Parmesan,” then season with salt and red pepper flakes. Add the remaining olives, a little fresh parsley, and a slice or two of lemon to brighten it all up.

Dessert: Citrus with Olive Oil & Sugar

For dessert, all you need to do is separate the orange into slices. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil, a sprinkle of sugar or honey (I used honey), and a crack of black pepper. The pepper sounds unusual, but it makes the citrus sing.

Dinner is served!

Readers, there’s something deeply satisfying about letting what you have on hand dictate the menu. Do you ever cook that way? This week I’m celebrating the release of my new book, Diet of Death. Comment below and leave your email address to be entered to win a copy. (U.S. residents only, please.)

Ang Pompano is a mystery author, editor, publisher and blogger. He writes the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency, and the Reluctant Food Columnist series, both published by Level Best Books. In addition to his writing, Ang is a co-founder of Crime Spell Books and serves as co-editor of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and their two rescue dogs, Dexter and Alfie.

Just Released!

Diet of Death

by Ang Pompano

The first in the Reluctant Food Columnist series.

Buy Link

Betty Ann Green is a beloved culinary icon…who doesn’t exist. She is the brilliant, beautiful illusion created by two unlikely collaborators. Behind the façade is Quincy Lazzaro, a culinarily challenged writer whose witty, sharp prose is the public face of Betty, while those flawless, genius recipes are all thanks to his octogenarian neighbor, Mary Ticarelli.

When the arrogant diet guru, Dr. Alan Tolzer, inventor of the Westport Diet, demands a face-to-face interview, Quincy reluctantly steps in as Betty’s frontman, only for Tolzer to drop dead. The police call it natural causes, but Quincy knows better. He sees it as the investigative break he’s been waiting for.

Now, caught between a crime-solving grandma, a no-nonsense detective girlfriend, and a killer who may be one step ahead, Quincy must unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again.

When It’s Time for Leaving

by Ang Pompano

Buy Link

Al DeLucia walked away from the police—and his past. But when his long-lost father leaves him a detective agency in Savannah, Al finds himself trapped between family secrets and a murder on the agency’s dock. Partnered with Maxine Brophy, a fierce detective who doesn’t trust him, Al is pulled into a deadly search through Savannah and the Okefenokee Swamp—where the truth about the case, and his father, may cost him everything.

Blood Ties and Deadly Lies

by Ang Pompano

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Al DeLucia returns to Sachem Creek expecting a kayak race and a chance to confront his childhood bully, Abe Cromwell. Instead, he finds a dead lawyer, a web of deceit, and Abe claiming they’re brothers by DNA. Reluctantly joined by Maxine Brophy, his formidable partner and girlfriend, Al dives into a murder investigation that exposes land swindles, hidden maps, and buried family secrets. In a town where the past won’t stay buried, Al must face truths that could upend everything.

Snakeberry: Best New England Crime Stories 2025

Edited by

Christine Bagley, Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, and Leslie Wheeler

BUY LINK

Every year the anthology brings welcome surprises and satisfactions, and this year is no different, featuring stories by 21 of New England’s best crime writers.

Includes “Minnie the Air Raid Warden” by Ang Pompano.