True Tiella

Tiella is the Italian name for a deep earthenware baking dish as well as for anything cooked in that dish. For me, the word conjures up a flood of memories. It reminds me of the chamomile on my aunt’s breath, and of a dining table covered with a hand-crocheted cloth, small wine tumblers, and a glass decanter filled with rustic red wine. When my family returns from a successful mushroom hunt, we make this tiella with potatoes and porcini and a touch of tomato. This recipe is for the tiella I learned from my mother. Although everyone in my extended family makes a distinctive version, they all agree on one thing: tiella must be made ahead for the flavors to develop and the texture to set so that it holds together when cut. Make it on a summer morning while the kitchen is still cool and have it for supper that night. The flavors only get better the next day.