CRISTINA FERRARE TELLS STUDIO OF STYLE....Studio of Style was able to catch up with the ever-busy actress/model/author/television personality Cristina Ferrare over the holidays long enough to ask about what favorite herbs she loves to cook with -- and she promptly told us: "basil and parsley!" -- and we certainly understand why! Long known as the "king of herbs," basil (from the Greek word basileus meaning "king") is native to India and other parts of Asia where it has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years -- and has more than 160 varieties. But more importantly, it is a main staple in Italian cooking (can you imagine all that fabulous Italian food in the Ferrare household while growing up??? Yum!) -- and its refreshing, cooling aspect finds it in an array of recipes in Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love (a labor of love three years in the making with 150 recipes created, cooked, prepared and styled by Ferrare herself!). Did you know that Ferrare is a four-time book author with one on the New York Times best-selling list? Yes! And then there's parsley -- the other essential herb in Italian cookery that has great nutritional and dietary properties which Ferrare just loves to use throughout her recipes. A main ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine as you know, parsley is often used in a bouquet garni, or chopped fresh in a majority of Southern and Central European dishes. So, ladies and gentlemen, pick your herb -- and pick up a copy of Ferrare's book and start making your own bowls of love!
To get signed copies of Ferrare's book: http://marquettehome.com/products-page/gift-ideas/a-big-bowl-of-love-by-cristina-ferrare
Main photos by Todd Porter and Diane Cu from Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love
