​​​About the cookbook

 

With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Katie Parla, My Napoli celebrates the flavors and traditions of Neapolitan home cooking.

Daniela shares a trove of recipes passed down and refined by her nonna Sisina and mamma Sasà, bringing readers into the vibrant, colorful, and aromatic world of her family kitchen. She weaves together the dishes, stories, and rituals that shaped her childhood and her life today as a cook, teacher, mother, and grandmother, creating an intimate portrait of a city where food reflects identity, hospitality, and joy.

The book opens with Daniela’s memories and an exploration of la cultura napoletana, followed by an introduction to Naples’s culinary philosophy, her cooking school in Rome, and the essential pantry staples and tools that form the foundation of her cuisine.

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More than 60 recipes follow the structure of a traditional Italian meal: Antipasti (appetizers, breads, and savory tarts); Fritti (Naples’s iconic fried street foods); Primi (pasta dishes); Pasta al Forno, Riso e Zuppe (baked pastas, rice dishes, and soups); Secondi (meat, fish, and vegetarian mains); Contorni (vegetable sides); and Dolci e Digestivi (desserts and after-dinner drinks). Alongside classics like lasagna napoletana, spaghetti alle vongole, and pastiera, Daniela highlights lesser-known regional specialties including chocolate eggplant.

My Napoli offers guidance for cooking and living in the Neapolitan spirit: taking time, choosing excellent ingredients, pairing local wines with traditional dishes, and using food as a way to share, care for others, and sustain memory.

Through warm storytelling, practical instruction, and evocative photography, Daniela welcomes readers into her kitchen and onto the streets and seafronts of Campania, presenting a personal guide to the flavors, people, and places that define the soul of Naples.

 

About Daniela

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Originally from Naples, Daniela del Balzo is a cook and teacher based in Rome. In 2008, she founded Daniela’s Cooking School on the Aventine Hill. The school has been featured in Afar, BBC Good Food, and Tastes of Italia, several editions of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, and on the BBC series Rhodes Across Italy.