Inspired by our recent Book Club article, the editors at Bas Bleu decided it was time to compile a book club guide of our own! Our new series will recommend novels handpicked by Bas Bleu, sharing our editor’s review, questions to prompt thoughtful book club discussions, recipes inspired by elements of the book, and activities to provoke increased connection with the text and each other. Want to request a book be featured in our Book Club Series? Contact us here!

The Review

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani
Follow the Cabrelli family through a tumultuous century of love and loss with this elegant, contemplative novel. The story begins in the present, as Matelda Cabrelli, nearing the end of her life, reveals the past she has failed to share with her family, chronicling her mother's passionate and tragic life story. Domenica Cabrelli is forced to flee Italy before the beginning of World War II, and her adulthood and career blossom in the foreign lands of Marseille and Liverpool despite the devastation being wrought around her. This poignant tale is about the histories we share and the way they change our futures, for better or for worse. (RR)

The Discussion Questions

How do shifts in Italian culture create tension between Matelda and Anina? Why was it so important to Matelda to tell her family stories from the past? How do the secrets she shares help heal and strengthen her family bonds?
Were you familiar with the history of British Italians during World War II and the Arandora Star? What surprised you most about the story?
“Love, it turned out, can shelter the banished and lift the broken spirit.” How does love—both romantic and platonic and, most importantly, self-love—change the course of the characters’ lives? How do their decisions about who to love and when to follow their hearts affect generations to come?
“A family is only as strong as their stories.” How do you see the Cabrelli family’s story changing over the years?
Women from different generations are at the heart of this novel. Despite history changing around them, do these women feel different in the way they react to life circumstances to you? Why or why not?
In addition to stories, heirlooms are passed down in this family. Did the book make you think about relics in your own family? What ending do you imagine for Anina? How did you experience her character’s evolving over the course of the novel?
How did you understand the title, The Good Left Undone, upon finishing the novel?

The Recipes

The baker in modern day Viareggio prepares Italian croissants in time with the daily Mass.

You didn’t need a clock to tell time in Viareggio; you lived by the bells and the baker. Umberto Ennico pulled trays of buttery cornetti out of the oven as Don Scarelli began the Mass. By the time the service was over, the puff pastries had cooled and Umberto had brushed them with an apricot glaze so they would be ready for pickup by the devout on their way home.

Make your own Cornetti
Serves 20
Pastry Dough:
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 cup fresh compressed yeast
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cups water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
2 organic orange, zest grated
4 1/4 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 cup + 2 tbsp butter, room temperature, to laminate the croissants
2 tbsp whole milk, to brush the croissants
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean

The day before, add the bread flour, the all-purpose flour, and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Dissolve the yeast in the milk, whisk well and add it into the flour, then add the water and the lightly beaten eggs. Knead at low speed for about ten minutes with the hook attachment.

Add the butter cut into small pieces, then the sugar mixed with the seeds of the vanilla bean and the grated zest of the oranges. Knead for ten more minutes with the hook attachment at low speed, until the butter has been completely incorporated. You should get a smooth, elastic dough: eventually it should form a ball and clean the sides of the bowl, remaining attached just to the bottom of the bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl and scrape it into a plastic bag that has enough space to allow the dough to double. Store it in the fridge for 24 hours.

Prepare the butter sheet to laminate the croissants, so that you will have all the ingredients ready for the next day. Use the butter at room temperature and with the help of a rolling pin gently spread it in between two sheets of parchment paper, about 3/16in (5mm) thick, to get as square of a sheet as possible. Store it in the fridge.

The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a well-floured surface.

Roll it with a rolling pin on a disk slightly larger than the butter sheet.

Place the butter in the centre of the dough and gently pull the four sides of the dough over the butter, to close it inside as in an envelope. Seal the edges. With the help of the rolling pin and some flour, roll out the dough so that it triples in length, keeping the same width. Now make a three-fold: mentally divide the dough into three equal parts and fold on the middle part the right side, then the left one. Seal the edges by pinching the dough together.

Rotate the dough, keeping the folds on the sides, and roll out again the dough in a rectangle sheet so that it quadruples in length, keeping the same width. Now is the time to give a four-fold: mentally divide the dough into four equal parts and fold the two outer parts on the two parts inside. Fold again to close the dough like a book. Seal the edges by pinching the dough together.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about one hour.

After this time, remove the dough from the fridge and roll it into a 3/16in (5mm) thick rectangular sheet.

With a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, cut out two long strips, then long and narrow triangles. You should get 20 pieces, and each triangle should weigh about 2oz.

Wrap the triangles on themselves from the short side, keeping the tip of the triangle under the cornetti so that it won't open while rising. Arrange the cornetti in a tray lined with baking paper, keeping them well spaced.

Let them rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until they have doubled their volume.

While the croissants are raising, prepare the syrup to brush them once baked. Pour the water in a small saucepan, add the sugar and the open vanilla pod, and bring to a simmer on low flame. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes, until the syrup becomes thick and slightly golden. Set aside to cool down.

When the cornetti have doubled, heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Just before baking the cornetti, brush them gently with milk, then bake them for about 15-17 minutes, until golden brown.

As soon as the cornetti are out of the oven, brush them with the vanilla syrup. Serve them immediately, or wait until they are slightly warm.

Matelda cooks her husband Olimpio his favorite dish on her birthday.

Anina marveled at her grandparents’ partnership, as Matelda sprinkled olive oil on the orecchiette. She crushed mint leaves over the oil before she gave the bowl to her husband. Olimpio grated cheese over the pasta.

Make your own Orecchiette with Pancetta, Peas, and Fresh Herbs
Serves 6
1 pound orecchiette
Salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (about 5 oz)
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp snipped chives
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp chopped mint

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the peas and toss to coat. Add the pasta along with the reserved pasta water and the cheese. Season generously with pepper and cook over moderately high heat until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chives, parsley and mint and serve right away.

There is an entire stand dedicated to figs in 1939 Viareggio for the Carnevale celebration.

The line was too long for a sandwich, so Domenica stopped at the fig stand. The operator spun the figs on sticks over the fire. The special treats served during the festival almost made the forty days of deprivation that followed worth the sacrifice. Fichi su un bastone, figs stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, were roasted on a stick over a hot coal fire until the skin of the fruit caramelized into a sugary crust. Children savored them because they were sweet, and parents encouraged the children to eat them because there would be no meat consumed until the fast was broken on Easter Sunday. Domenica took a bite of the savory and sweet, closed her eyes, and chewed.

Make your own Fichi su un Bastone
Serves 4
Pastry Dough:
1 1/3 cups + 2 tbsp flour
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
Grated lemon peel
Salt
Filling:
2 1/2 cups sheep’s milk ricotta
2 egg whites
1/4 cup icing sugar
Fig jam

Quickly knead all the pastry ingredients in a bowl until you get a homogeneous and elastic dough. Envelope in saran wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then stretch over a round pie dish, including the edges. Use a fork to make holes in the pastry and then spread some jam over.

Prepare the ricotta cream by mixing it with the icing sugar. Once you get a homogeneous and smooth mixture, combine the egg whites, previously beaten until stiff. Cover the jam layer with the cream and place the pie into a pre-heated oven at 356 F°. Cook for about 30 minutes, covering if necessary with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.

The Activities

Make your meeting Carnevale themed: Create makeshift food stands featuring the recipes above (or other Italian favorites), dress up in festive 30s-style dresses and straw hats, and learn traditional Italian dances like Ballu Tundu, Monferrina, Pizzica, or Tarantella.

Map out Domenica’s travels. See how many landmarks you can pick out from the book that still exist.

Plan your own trip to Italy, France, or Scotland (without the wartime complications). Really channel your inner travel agent. For longer meetings, fill more time by scrapbooking your “travels.” Print pictures from the Internet of the hotels, restaurants, and sights that would make up your dream trip—including those mentioned in the book.

Share your own familial traditions with the group. Find renewed appreciation for the cultural melting pot that exists in every corner of America.

Write your own generational short stories. Tell the story of your family from your perspective, your mother’s perspective, and your grandmother’s perspective. What factors differentiate your experiences?