Italian food is often associated with glorious images of decadent tables covered in an abundance of dishes – from gargantuan loaves of bread and overflowing bowls of pasta, right down to whole suckling pigs turned into crispy porchetta.

Although Italians do occasionally indulge in opulent, festive food (when the occasion calls for it), everyday home cooking is – more often than not – frugal and uncomplicated. This is a true expression of cucina povera (peasant-style cooking), a cost-effective way of preparing meals with ingredients that are in the peak of their season. This simple Italian way of life offers several benefits.

For one thing, when you buy produce that’s in season, you save a considerable amount of money (a punnet of blueberries in May will cost you $8, as opposed to $3 in October). But more importantly, you experience flavour the way nature intended. A pale-orange tomato that you buy in winter will never offer the sweetness and taste explosion of a sun-ripened one, picked at the end of summer.

Another lesson to learn from frugal Italian home cooks is to never let food go to waste. I have vivid memories of my maternal nonna Irene, an avid cucina povera believer, kissing a piece of bread that had gone a bit stale, as if her act of love would imbue it with new life. And indeed it did. Nonna would use it to make bruschetta, panzanella or another summer classic, pappa al pomodoro, a thick bread and tomato soup. This humble dish that originated in Tuscany uses only a handful of ingredients, so it is important you don’t skimp on them. Seek out good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, the ripest tomatoes you can find and turn your stale bread into what is likely to become your new favourite summer dish.