The Silver Spoon

The Silver Spoon
Average customer rating:

A really nice book - some of the criticisms are off.

A culinary masterpiece

Excellent, Italian Betty Crocker on Speed,Extrememly comprehensive ... but...

Great collection - a few quibbles

Easy to use, even for dieters!

The Silver Spoon
Phaidon Press
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Italian | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange: The Original Companion for French Home Cooking

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (Vintage)

The Year of Magical Thinking

My Life in France

The Best Recipes in the World

ASIN: 0714845310

Amazon.com

Though the recipe range is vast, it must be said that American readers, anxious to cook this authentic fare, will encounter problems. Translating a cookbook from one language to another requires cultural recasting as well as word substitution, and in this the book's editors have been lax. The problems include non-idiomatic usages, for example, calling for "pans" when "pots" is needed; awkward conversions from the metric system, resulting in requirements like eleven ounces of zite; and the inclusion of ingredients like cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage), tope (a Mediterranean fish), and pancetta copatta (ham-stuffed pancetta) that are unavailable here and for which no alternatives are suggested. In addition, the recipes themselves are often insufficiently specific or detailed--even seasoned bakers will pause before cake recipes that don't specify pan size--and can also lack yields. Space considerations have also meant printing recipes in single, one-column paragraphs, which can make place-finding while cooking difficult, and there are typos and other goofs (one recipe for four specifies six cups of sliced scallions; another requires that a marinade be "stirred frequently for five to twelve hours").

All this said, many cooks--casual and serious alike--as well as cookbook collectors, will want The Silver Spoon. It's an essential document of the Italian table and as such a classic. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine a complete cookbook library without the book--a welcome evocation of a much-beloved repertoire by those who know it best. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

First published in 1950 and revised over time, Italy's bestselling culinary "bible," Il Cucchiaio d'argento, is now available in English. The Silver Spoon boasts over 2,000 recipes and arrives in a handsome (and weighty) photo-illustrated edition complete with two ribbon markers. Its chapters make every menu stop from sauces and antipasti through cheese dishes and sweets, with many standout dishes like Genoese Pesto Minestrone, Eggplant and Ricotta Lasagna, Pork Shoulder with Prunes, and Chocolate and Pear Tart; the book also includes a number of "eccentricities," likesections on patty shells and bean sprouts, surely not an Italian dining staple.Meant to be inclusive, the book also offers a wide range of non-Italian, mostly French formulas, supplemented by a few "exotic" and other non-traditional entries.Though the recipe range is vast, it must be said that American readers, anxious to cook this authentic fare, will encounter problems. Translating a cookbook from one language to another requires cultural recasting as well as word substitution, and in this the book's editors have been lax. The problems include non-idiomatic usages, for example, calling for "pans" when "pots" is needed; awkward conversions from the metric system, resulting in requirements like eleven ounces of zite; and the inclusion of ingredients like cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage), tope (a Mediterranean fish), andpancetta copatta (ham-stuffed pancetta) that are unavailable here and for which no alternatives are suggested. In addition, the recipes themselves are often insufficiently specific or detailed--even seasoned bakers will pause before cake recipes that don't specify pan size--and can also lack yields. Space considerations have also meant printing recipes in single, one-column paragraphs, which can make place-finding while cooking difficult, and there are typos and other goofs (one recipe for four specifies six cups of sliced scallions; another requires that a marinade be "stirred frequently for five to twelve hours").All this said, many cooks--casual and serious alike--as well as cookbook collectors, will want The Silver Spoon. It's an essential document of the Italian table and as such a classic. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine a complete cookbook library without the book--a welcome evocation of a much-beloved repertoire by those who know it best. --Arthur Boehm

Customer Reviews:

A really nice book - some of the criticisms are off........2007-10-10

A few people criticized the book in earlier reviews for not providing enough detailed information about how to cook certain recipes. I wanted to point out that this was probably a cultural difference, one that Americans should just get used to if they really want to understand Italian cooking. To show that it really is a cultural difference, i point to two pieces of evidence.

(1) The book itself discusses how they had to increase detail in recipe-presentation for American tastes. That said, you shouldn't complain that its too vague - because this is just how Italians do recipes. (Chances are, they allow for a lot more variation in the outcome than Americans do, btw... if you watch Mario Batali, he notes that every Italian mother has her own version of each dish). The extreme specification of every last detail is a desire of American home cooks.

(2) If you look at the recipes by famous chefs at the end of the book, you'll notice a really funny difference. All of the chefs who are FROM ITALY provide directions for recipes that take up only 1/2 a page each. All of the chefs who are NOT FROM ITALY provide directions for recipes that take up the whole page. (The ones from the U.S. - Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali are the best examples of this). This should be a good sign to everyone that it's a cultural difference that you should try and co-opt rather than reject, if you're trying to understand Italian cooking as a whole.

A culinary masterpiece.......2007-08-28

This book is a treasure trove of delicious treats. The overwhelming number of recipes is countered by an efficient cataloging system, making it simple to find precisely what you wanted. The addition of famous chefs' sample menus is an added bonus that makes this book truly unique. I highly recommend The Silver Spoon to anyone who wants to explore the delights of the kitchen: from novice to pro, this book takes the cake.

Excellent, Italian Betty Crocker on Speed,Extrememly comprehensive ... but..........2007-07-18

Great book, really excellent recipes applicable to the beginner up to advanced cooks. However, the book really doesnt describe techniques for preparing the food which are really needed in the american market. As an example there are several recipes for squid and cuttlefish but no cleaning techniques which can complicated. I highly reccomend this book as a standard part of your cooking library, it is truly a goldmine of recipes, sort of an Italian Betty Crocker cookbook on speed.

Great collection - a few quibbles.......2007-07-01

This is a mammoth collection and many recipes sound terrific. A few problems, though.

What REGION claims the recipe? Italians are tied to their family regions. This information belongs in the recipes.

AMERICAN VERSION OF ITALIAN INGREDIENTS. What type chilies or lettuce, for example, would make the recipes as close to authentic as possible?

PICTURES. There are beautiful pictures of prepared recipes. There are no captions for the pictures, and sometimes, the reader can't guess which recipe on the facing page is pictured.

I'm enjoying using and reading this book, but I wish the publishers had done a little more editing for the U. S. market.

Easy to use, even for dieters!.......2007-06-16

Needless to say, I LOVE Italian food. When I went on the SouthBeach Diet, I was terrified - a limitation on carbs meant no more pasta! However, this book provides SO MUCH outside the range of normal pastas that I can still enjoy great Italian food without compromising my diet. A definite winner!

Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most

Average customer rating:

italian cooking at it's best
Lydia's Italy
If you love the TV series you need this book
lydia's italy
A fine survey

Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich , and Tanya Bastianich Manuali
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Lidia's Family Table: More Than 200 Fabulous Recipes to Enjoy Every Day-With Wonderful Ideas for Variations and Improvisations
Everyday Pasta
Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook
Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate

ASIN: 1400040361
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Amazon.com

Who better to take fans on a culinary tour of Italy, than Lidia Matticchio Bastianich? Her new cookbook, Lidia's Italy (a companion to her new public television series of the same name) covers "ten places in Italy Lidia loves most": Istria, Trieste, Friuli, Padova and Treviso, Piemonte, Maremma, Rome, Naples, Sicily, and Puglia. In addition to 140 simple and delicious recipes, Lidia's Italy also offers a short introduction to each locale, featuring cultural treasures not to be missed (as defined by Lidia's daughter and coauthor, Tanya). For the cook as well as the armchair traveler, Lidia's Italy is a rich and satisfying gastronomic journey through Italy. --Daphne Durham

An Exclusive Video Message from Lidia

Watch the video

10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Q: What new recipes, tips, and lessons do you have to share in Lidia's Italy? Did you learn anything new while creating this book and the series?
A: There is so much in the Italian culinary tradition, that it amazes me. Every time I go back to Italy and visit another corner, I learn dozens upon dozens of recipes. And today's consumer is ever more educated about food. Cookbook readers want to be challenged by a recipe, and hence recipes that were once considered too traditional, such as "Bigoli" pasta from the Veneto or "Antico Peposo" braised beef with crushed peppercorns, from Maremma, are sought out today.

Q: What was it like to collaborate with your daughter Tanya to write this book?
A: For me to share and collaborate with my children is the greatest reward as a mother and a business woman. To have my children follow my passion and build upon it with their knowledge, spirit and passion affirms to me that they understand and appreciate my art and passion and want to carry on the tradition. My daughter's passion for and knowledge of Italian art history is a natural compliment to Italian food and life. It is Italy!

Q: How did you start cooking and when did you know it was your calling?
A: I always loved being around food. I loved preparing and cooking it, as well as growing and producing it. As a child, I helped my grandma Rosa tend her garden, feed the animals and prepare the vegetables, eggs and cheeses to sell at market. I would also stay by her side when she cooked, helping her knead bread and make pasta and gnocchi. For me, touching and preparing food always felt good. I can still recall the silkiness of the pasta dough she made and strive for that texture when I make pasta at home and at my restaurants. Being introduced to food at a very young age, and carrying these culinary traditions with me, I'm sure had a great deal to do with my chosen profession.

Q: What is your favorite dish?
A: I do not have one favorite dish. That is like asking me which is my favorite child. I love them all the same, but for different reasons, and at different times. But if I were stranded on a deserted island, give me pasta for the rest of my life and I would be happy.

Italy with Lidia
We asked Lidia to share her favorite itineraries for a few locales from her book, including Piedmont, Friuli, and Florence. Enjoy!

Piedmont for Wine Lovers

Day 1: Journey through the magnificent rice fields, stopping to visit and have lunch with a producer in Vercelli to learn more about where the essential ingredient for risotto is grown, then slowly move into the hills of Piedmont known as the Langhe and Roero. Spend the afternoon wandering the streets of Alba. In the early evening depart for a visit to the Castle of Barolo for a tour and tasting in its dungeon cellar. Dinner is best at the nearby Locanda del Borgo Antico where the husband and wife team of Massimo and Luciana serve up top-notch Piedmontese food in their home.
Day 2: Tuesday is market day in Dogliani and affords the opportunity to experience a local Piedmontese market. Piedmont is well known for its many types of cheese. Occelli Agrinatura produces some of the best. This morning see their production and taste some of their exquisite products. Continue your morning with a visit to the cantina of a local Barolo producer. Lunch at the country restaurant Rosa dei Vini is fabulous, where locals enjoy authentic home-style meals. In the afternoon return once again to Alba for a dinner drink with the locals in its very active bars and find a good local place to delight in the capital of the truffle.
Day 3: Up at the crack of dawn, out with the dogs, embark upon a truffle hunt. Find a local trattoria and have lunch with the hunters and in the afternoon enjoy the sweeping vistas from the hill town of La Morra. Don't miss dinner at the charming La Contea. With the fire ablaze, Tonino keeps the atmosphere hopping and the food coming.
Day 4: This morning head to the city of Asti and enjoy strolling through the city. For lunch visit the local restaurant near the Braida Estate with a tasting of their production. In the afternoon sit in a piazza and enjoy the local production of Asti Spumante which has earned a bad reputation in the United States, but which has some excellent production in recent years.
Day 5: Depart this morning for the Saluzzo area outside of Torino to see one of the most magnificent fresco cycles in Italy in the Castello della Manta, where nine heroes and nine heroines await your arrival in courtly fashion in fresco. Have lunch in the charming town of Saluzzo and arrive in Torino in the early afternoon. Save the rest of the day for shopping or to experience the wonderful coffee houses that Torino is famous for.
Day 6: This morning learn about and visit the residences of the Kings of Italy: the magnificent Racconigi Castle a short distance outside of Torino and the palatial residence in the city of Torino. In the evening have your farewell dinner at La Prima Smarrita where owner and chef Moreno awaits your arrival.

Friuli

Day 1: Arrive in Trieste and check into the Duchi d'Aosta hotel. Start a historical walk through Trieste starting in Pza. Unita and heading for the canal that ends with the Church of San Antonio. Enjoy an evening drink the Pza. Unita` as the sun sets out on the water and head to Trattoria da Giovanni for a lively dinner.
Day 2: This morning we will depart for the Friulian countryside to visit the production of the important Montasio cheese and Prosciutto di San Daniele. Lunch should be at the renowned Subida in the hills near the Slovenia border. After lunch visit the star shaped city of Palmanova, walk around and stay for dinner.
Day 3: This morning wear comfortable shoes and begin your walk in Trieste by stopping at the roman amphitheater. Keep heading up hill for the Cathedral of San Giusto with the uneven façade and wonderful reliefs. Have lunch in the Carso hills at Savron and then continue towards Muggia and leave time to walk around the picturesque port and old Venetian town of Muggia followed by dinner in one of the regions best restaurants, Risorta.
Day 4: This morning depart for Grado and Aquilea, important centers for Early Christian history. Visit the Churches of S. Eufemia and S. Maria delle Grazie in Grado followed by lunch at Androna. Then continue to Aquilea where the Basilica holds some of the most important and magnificent early Christian mosaics. Return to Trieste in the late afternoon where the evening should be spent relaxing after such a busy day.
Day 5: This morning depart for Cividale del Friuli where you should visit the Museo Archeologico and the Tempietto Longobardo. Have lunch in the countryside at la Frasca before heading to the city of Udine where you should visit the Duomo and the Oratorio della Purita. Stop and see the quaint towns of Gemona and Venzone before heading back towards.
Day 6: This morning have a walking tour of Trieste famous for its pastries and coffee houses. Be sure to visit Caffe degli Specchi and La Bomboniera. In the afternoon visit the very moving site of San Saba, a concentration and refugee camp during World War II, now a museum. On the sade side outside of town, you can also visit the Illy coffee factory.

Florence

Day 1: You should visit the religious and civic centers of 14th and 15th century Florence. The Duomo or Cathedral is crowned with an engineering masterpiece, Brunelleschi's dome. Brunelleschi devised a system of pulleys and weights, chose his building materials and constructed a double dome, all the while looking to the Pantheon for inspiration, to create what was Italy's largest dome. Inside the Cathedral one will find the tombs and frescoes that decorate the interior, from famous figures on horse back to the elevating frescoes decorating the interior of the dome by Giorgio Vasari. At the Palazzo Vecchio, there are the unfinished frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo that were to decorate the walls. Then head to the first town hall and later prison, the Bargello, a museum that now houses sculpture by some of the Renaissance's most important artists such as Donatello and Michelangelo. Donatello's courageous St. George and Michelangelo's inebriated Bacchus are the highlights. For lunch, keep it light because you should head to Fabio Picchi's Cibreo tonight for dinner!
Day 2: This morning head to Florence's central market, the San Lorenzo market where you'll see specialties of the Tuscan gastronomic repertoire. Right around the corner is the church of San Lorenzo that contains Medici masterpiece tombs by Michelangelo. Michelangelo's muscular and overbearing figures appearing to be sliding off the tombs of Dukes Giuliano and Lorenzo, in their faces shadows of deep significance, the meaning of which scholars today are still uncertain of. Next door is the jewel like family chapel by Benozzo Gozzoli in the palace. After lunch, visit one of the world's finest art collections, the Uffizi Gallery, to see works by Lippi, Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo, among others followed by a visit through the Vasari corridor which was used to connect the Uffizi gallery (or Medici offices) the their residence, the Pitti Palace.
Day 3: This morning depart for the Chianti region and stop at Tuscany's most famous butcher, Dario Checchini, who butchers while singing or reciting Dante's Inferno. Visit the vineyard and cavernous cellars of Monsanto where the Bianchi family will greet you and allow you to taste their wines. Afterwards, visit the terracotta production center of Impruneta, where terracotta has been made since medieval times, and visit an artisan production of terracotta garden pots and wares.
Day 4: Depart this morning for San Gimignano, the town of towers, and for Colle Val D'Elsa, the largest crystal production in Europe, where artisans blow one of a kind crystal in a traditional fashion, a profession that has been passed on from generation to generation. Have lunch at the acclaimed Da Arnolfo and then continue onto Siena, the financial capital of medieval Italy. Visit the Palazzo Pubblico, outside of which the Sienese perform the traditional Palio horse race, and inside of which the Madonna reigns supreme. Marvel at the famous Guidoriccio fresco with its controversial attribution to Simone Martini, the Lorenzetti Good and Bad Government frescoes, and Simone Martini's Maesta'. Then head up the hill to the religious center of Siena, the Cathedral complex, and marvel at one of the most stunningly beautiful masterpieces of the Renaissance, the Piccolomini Library. Then head to the campo square and enjoy a gelato while watching the Sienese meet and their children play.
Day 5: Enjoy your last day in Florence. Head over to the museum of Orsanmichele in the morning to see the original statues by Ghiberti and Donatello and peak into the wonderful building that used to be a marketplace but now is a church. For lunch, enjoy a bowl of ribollita or pappa al pomodoro at one of the trattorias on Borgo San Jacopo. Then head up to Fiesole-up above Florence where the rich and famous live. Have a drink on the terrace of the Villa San Michele while overlooking the Duomo by Brunelleschi. Then enjoy a light dinner inside.

Lidia's Must-Have Cookbooks

The Fine Art of Italian Cooking

The Silver Spoon

Ultimate Pasta

Marcella's Italian Kitchen

Molto Mario

See all of Lidia's must-have cookbooks

Book Description

In this exciting new book the incomparable Lidia takes us on a gastronomic journey—from Piemonte to Puglia—exploring ten different regions that have informed her cooking and helped to make her the fabulous cook that she is today. In addition, her daughter Tanya, an art historian, guides us to some of the nearby cultural treasures that enrich the pursuit of good food.

· In Istria, now part of Croatia, where Lidia grew up, she forages again for wild asparagus, using it in a delicious soup and a frittata; Sauerkraut with Pork and Roast Goose with Mlinzi reflect the region’s Middle European influences; and buzara, an old mariner’s stew, draws on fish from the nearby sea.

· From Trieste, Lidia gives seafood from the Adriatic, Viennese-style breaded veal cutlets and Beef Goulash, and Sacher Torte and Apple Strudel.

· From Friuli, where cows graze on the rich tableland, comes Montasio cheese to make fricos; the corn fields yield polenta for Velvety Cornmeal-Spinach Soup.

· In Padova and Treviso rice reigns supreme, and Lidia discovers hearty soups and risottos that highlight local flavors.

· In Piemonte, the robust Barolo wine distinguishes a fork-tender stufato of beef; local white truffles with scrambled eggs is “heaven on a plate”; and a bagna cauda serves as a dip for local vegetables, including prized cardoons.

· In Maremma, where hunting and foraging are a way of life, earthy foods are mainstays, such as slow-cooked rabbit sauce for pasta or gnocchi and boar tenderloin with prune-apple Sauce, with Galloping Figs for dessert.

· In Rome Lidia revels in the fresh artichokes and fennel she finds in the Campo dei Fiori and brings back nine different ways of preparing them.

· In Naples she gathers unusual seafood recipes and a special way of making limoncello-soaked cakes.

· From Sicily’s Palermo she brings back panelle, the delicious fried chickpea snack; a caponata of stewed summer vegetables; and the elegant Cannoli Napoleon.

· In Puglia, at Italy’s heel, where durum wheat grows at its best, she makes some of the region’s glorious pasta dishes and re-creates a splendid focaccia from Altamura.

There are 140 delectable recipes to be found as you make this journey with Lidia. And along the way, with Tanya to guide you, you’ll stop to admire Raphael’s fresco Triumph of Galatea, a short walk from the market in Rome; the two enchanting women in the Palazzo Abbatellis in Palermo; and the Roman ruins in Friuli, among many other delights. There’s something for everyone in this rich and satisfying book that will open up new horizons even to the most seasoned lover of Italy.

Customer Reviews:

italian cooking at it's best.......2007-10-10

I have several of Lidia's cookbooks and she just keeps getting better & better. If you love italian cooking or just love to cook, Lidia's cookbooks will be a great find for you. Her recipes are easy to follow, she has some great pictures in her books, and she has wonderful family stories as well as great history about Italy. I come from a large Lebanese family and my grandmothers best friend was Italian, and I never thought I would find recipes like hers, until I came across Lidia on the create channel...She is what great Italian cooking is all about

Lydia's Italy.......2007-09-23

She is a great down to earth cook. These are ideas and things we can use in our kitchen at home.

If you love the TV series you need this book.......2007-09-11

I enjoy watching Lydia Bastianich on TV, not only because of the food, but because it takes me back to my childhood with my Italian family. While I know a lot of the techniques and cultural values that Lydia espouses, I am not at all familiar with most of the recipes. It is great to be able to go right from an episode to trying it myself at home.

lydia's italy.......2007-09-11

I have all of Lydia's cookbooks. Lydia's Italy is wonderful. The recipes are, as always, a way for me to go back in my memories to my childhood dinners at my Italian grandmothers. The travelogue is so interesting-and I realized that I must go back and visit the places that were mentioned that I had missed when I was in Italy. A must for next to the stove in your kitchen.

A fine survey .......2007-09-08

Fans of either Lidia's previous Italian cuisine books or Italian regional fare will appreciate LIDIA'S ITALY, a fine survey that blends regional specialties and dishes with culinary descriptions proceeding each dish. Color photos throughout assure browsing pleasure and details that lend to easy duplication of appearance, while the author's personal experiences and insights jazz up the results. Highly recommended for any library strong in international cooking in general or Italian regional specialties in particular.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Average customer rating:

one of the best basic italian books, from easy to hard
Everyday inspiration
Set a spell with Jaime
Authentic Italian Dishes !
Wonderful Celebration of Italy

JAMIE'S ITALY
Jamie Oliver
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Cooking, Food & Wine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook
JAMIE'S KITCHEN
Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again
The Naked Chef
Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating

ASIN: 1401301959

Book Description

Italy and its wonderful flavors have always had a major influence on Jamie Oliver's food and cooking. In Jamie's Italy, he travels this famously gastronomic country paying homage to the classic dishes of each region and searching for new ideas to bring home. The result is a sensational collection of Italian recipes, old and new, that will ensure that Italy's influence reaches us all. Italy has inspired Jamie Oliver throughout his career. His ambition has always been to travel across the country on a quest to capture the very essence of Italian cooking -- and to produce the best and simplest Italian cookbook for everybody anywhere to enjoy. Jamie's Italy is the result of that journey -- and it's a land of plenty. As well as providing more than 120 brand-new recipes for everything from risotto to roasts and spaghetti to stews, structured as traditional trattoria menus, Jamie takes you all over Italy to cook with and learn from the real masters of Italian cuisine: the locals. Far from the standard "lemons and olives" version of Italian cooking, Jamie's Italy is a cookbook by the people for the people. From Sicily to Tuscany, it's about the local fishermen, family bakers, and, of course, the "Mamas," sharing their recipes and the tips that have gone into their cooking for generations. But it's not only mouthwatering food that Jamie brings back home: it's also the spirit that makes cooking and eating absolutely central to family life, whichever part of Italy you're in. Bursting with the warmth and hospitality of real family life, this is both asuperbly accessible cookbook and a unique travelogue and diary, in which you'll find the authentic flavor of Italy and the people who live there. If you love quality food prepared with genuine passion -- you'll never want to leave Jamie's Italy.

Customer Reviews:

one of the best basic italian books, from easy to hard.......2007-10-01

This is one of my favorites. I have two of his cookbooks and get a popular food magazine. If you like Italian food this isn't where it stops but it definately is a great starter. The passion he evokes here is a big thing. I would say that he really likes doing what he's doing and when he isn't bogged down by family life, cooking, or teaching this is what he's doing. These recipes are sure to impress.

Everyday inspiration.......2007-09-07

Right from the start, the look and feel of this book is enticing. It is a pleasingly heavy and sturdy cookbook that can take the punishment of being propped open on the kitchen bench while following a recipe. The pages of the book are littered with photographs, and enhance - in the most delightful way - the recipes. Closeups of prepared meals, lush Italian landscapes, and portraits of Jamie and assorted local folk performing their daily ministrations.

None of these things would amount to much, however, if the recipes did not deliver. The bonus is that they do more than just deliver. They inspire. This book has become - for me - a reliable *go-to* book for daily inspiration. I can go from boredom to captivated in less than 5 seconds and before I know it I have my mortar and pestle out and am transporting simple ingredients into a sensory masterpiece such as Jamie's pesto recipe (p132). It is simple, delicious and reliable, like just about everything else in his book.

There are numerous recipes that seem so modest that they are somewhat overlooked at first glance. The "pasta e ceci" (p76) is - for me -one of these recipes. I discovered this hidden bombshell on a day that I otherwise thought I had nothing in the cupboard to work with. This dish has now become a standard in our house.

Jamie Oliver is a delightful personality on the screen and he translates that enthusiasm into his recipes which are all delicious, solid, simple and - best of all - affordable. That's what makes this book perfect for a daily reference.

His devotion to his belief that there is a tasty homemade meal waiting to be cooked in any kitchen drives this cookbook. In it he will teach you to look at cupboard and fridge items with fresh eyes, infuse them with flavour in ingenious ways, and offer his culinary advice in such accessible fashion that the experience of attempting just one recipe from this book will make you - dare I say - a happier person.

Get it. You'll love it.

Set a spell with Jaime.......2007-08-13

This book is as beautiful to look at as it is to read. Excellent recipes, too. Try the mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese.

Authentic Italian Dishes !.......2007-06-01

Great recipes! Your family likes to eat meat? Sure, most people do. Well show them that it doesnt grow on trees! Something has to die in order for us to survive, be it plants or animals. Jamie explains all of this in his latest video called- "The Great Italian Escape". It shows how he visited an Italian family which lived in the moutainside and hunted their own food. As a matter of fact, when the men bagged a wild boar and brang it home, the father skinned it in front of everyone, including the little children. And guess what, they weren't crying or grossed out, they were used to it.
Be warned, there are some graphic photos inside, but thats life, right? You say you don't want "those pictures facing you each time" you open the book. I say that sounds like an ostrich wanting to blissfully bury its head in the ground.
Instead of living in denial I used the experience to give my son an education in Biology. Of course, this only one man's opinion.
What does anyone else have to say about the matter? Are Jamie and I alone on this?

Wonderful Celebration of Italy.......2007-05-29

I spent at least an hour at Border's reviewing this book and deciding whether to ultimately buy it or not. First, I have to say that I am a big fan of Jamie's. As a middle-aged Mom of two teen-agers, who never really learned to cook, Jamie's books have been gently nudging me in the right direction. And, Italian...well, that is without doubt one of my favorite cuisines. My overriding opinion is that the book is just great, and beautifully put together. It definitely left me itching to try some of the marvelous recipes. Unfortunately, and the only reason that I gave this four stars. instead of five...gulp, and led me to put the book back on the shelf, was Jamie's intentional inclusion of the graphic blood-letting picture of the goat and the shot of the pig that he is preparing. Sorry, Jamie...I respect your opinion and do understand where you are coming from, but nope, with young, inquisitive boys in my house this is not going on my kitchen bookshelf...call me a hypocrit, or whatever you may...but, I opted for Jamie's Dinners, instead. If I were an empty nester...maybe. But, in all honesty, I don't want those pics facing me each time I peruse the book, either. Otherwise, simply fabulous like all of the other Jamie Oliver books. But for two pictures, I was sold.

Italian Wines 2007: A Guide to the World of Italian Wine for Experts and Wine Lovers (Italian Wines)

Average customer rating:

review
important resource for italian wine reviews
A must have

Italian Wines 2007: A Guide to the World of Italian Wine for Experts and Wine Lovers (Italian Wines)
Gambero Rosso
Manufacturer: Gambero Rosso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Italian Wines 2006: A Guide to the World of Italian Wine for Experts a (Italian Wines)
Matt Kramer's Making Sense of Italian Wine: Discovering Italy's Greatest Wines and Best Values
Penin Guide To Spanish Wine 2007
Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy
Osterie & Locande d'Italia: A Guide to Traditional Places to Eat and Stay in Italy

ASIN: 1890142123

Book Description

The tenth English-language edition of Italian Wines, published by Gambero Rosso and Slow Food Editore, a translation of the twentieth edition of the Italian version, is the world's most complete guide to quality Italian wines.

Customer Reviews:

review.......2007-08-07

I sell Italian wine, so this is primarily a reference book. This is one of 3 or 4 that we use to keep up with what the world thinks of our winw. Invaluable . . . Bur next year, I think I will go online and find the information I need. I can get it from my producers. Thanks

important resource for italian wine reviews.......2007-06-14

while the impartiality of the Gambero Rosso Guide has long been questioned, this guide nonetheless is an important reference for anyone interested in Italian wines. Few wineries in Italy do NOT make it into the guide, which in itself is valuable. Secondly, the actual reviews of the wines are generally informative. Whether or not you believe in the validity of a review system based on 1-3 glasses, there is a wealth of information here, and often regarding wines and vintages that have not been reviewed in the more "authoritative" (for lack of a better word) international publications. The reviews are also timely: whereas Spectator or the Advocate tend to be eternally stuck a vintage behind distibutors' and retail availability, the Gambero Rosso is usually up-to-date with the latest vintage.

A must have.......2007-05-13

I have been purchasing the "Guide" every year for many years... For any lover
or collector of Italian wine this book is a MUST HAVE...

Average customer rating:

Probaby THE most essential book on Italian cuisine in the English language
Excellent choice for a beginning cook
Pass (on) the salt
Simple, delicious, and well written.
Essential

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Marcella Hazan
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One
Every Night Italian: 120 Simple, Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 45 Minutes or Less
Marcella Cucina
Marcella's Italian Kitchen
Marcella Says...: Italian Cooking Wisdom from the Legendary Teacher's Master Classes, with 120 of Her Irresistible New Recipes

ASIN: 039458404X
Release Date: 1992-10-27

Amazon.com

Perhaps more than any other person, Marcella Hazan is responsible for bringing Italian cuisine into the homes of American cooks. We're not talking spaghetti and meatballs here--Hazan's cuisine consists of polenta, risotto, squid braised with tomatoes and white wine, sautéed swiss chard with olive oil and garlic.... Twenty years ago, when Hazan first exploded into the American consciousness with The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking, such recipes were revolutionary. With time, however, these classic dishes have become much-beloved family favorites.

Now a new generation is ready to be introduced to Marcella Hazan's way with food, and in Essentials of Italian Cooking Hazan combines her two earlier works into one update and expanded volume. In addition to the delicious collection of recipes, this book serves as a basic manual for cooks of every skill level. Recipes have been revised to reduce fat content, and a whole new chapter full of fundamental information about herbs, spices, and cheeses used in Italian kitchens--as well as details on how to select specific ingredients--has been added. New chapters, new recipes--who could ask for more than Essentials of Italian Cooking?

Book Description

With more than 100 illustrations by Karin Kretschman.

Customer Reviews:

Probaby THE most essential book on Italian cuisine in the English language.......2007-08-20

Among serious home cooks and many professional chefs, Hazan's book is widely considered to be one of THE essential books on Italian cuisine.

All of her recipes are well written, well explained, well organized, and the flavors are well honed and she's obviously been making (and teaching) them over and over again for years ... and as a result, her book has a polished and reliable feel to it. Even if you momentarily lose your way and are faced with a leap of faith on some ingredient or technique, you quickly learn to trust Mrs Hazan's advice and experience, because she earns it the hard way.

Her recipes range from the basic and reliable, to the sublime.

Classic Risotto ? It's in there.

Want to make various types of fresh pasta from scratch ? It's in there.

Braised Pork Chops in Browned Sage Butter ? A fabulous recipe. I loved it so much that I went out and bought a $160+ top of the line heavy duty covered saute pan in order to do it proper justice, and to be able to serve 4 people at a time.

If you're the sort of foodie who understands and appreciates the differences between "Classic Italian" and "Italian-American" cuisine, and if you cook either at home with any degree of regularity, then this is THE book for you.

All glowing praise aside, I do have a few minor nits:

1) Although this book represents a welcome giant step beyond mere "Italian American" in the direction of Classic and Authentic Italian, the authoress could have gone still further, but didn't. For instance - there's not nearly as much focus on seafood in this book as there is in Italy. Also, sausage making dealt with fairly minimally, and Offal is barely mentioned at all. For those sort of things, you need to go to a hardcore gourmand chef like Mario Batali. Most mainstream home cooks won't bat an eye missing such things, so I can't really complain too vigorously ... but I adore offal, and I noticed its absence.

2) Marcella is most assuredly old school - and you either love or hate that. I happen to love it, but I thought it worth mentioning. Case in point - all pasta in this book is made the old fashioned way ... flour, egg yolks, and rolling pin, and occasionally a dowel or (if you're really a geek) a chitarra. You wont find any mention of taking shortcuts with semolina flour and water, or using food processors or electric rollers/extruders in this book, and if you were to ask her in person she'd probably shake her finger at you in a disapproving fit of apoplexy, while remarking that pasta that's extruded like [...] matter will taste like it too. Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but not much. Anyway, hardcore traditionalists love and admire her for her commitment to traditional techniques.

Glowingly recommended.

Excellent choice for a beginning cook.......2007-08-11

When I started learning how to cook, this was the first cookbook that gave me reliably good results. Hazan's instructions are scrupulously clear, so that even fairly involved recipes like polenta and home-made pasta will come out right the first time. She tells you when some or all of the steps in a recipe can be completed ahead of time. (I wish more cookbooks did this.) She also tells you when you may substitute ingredients and when you may not--e.g., when you may use canned beef broth instead of home-made. Her advice can sound snobbish, but it is correct. The roasted bell pepper sauce with garlic and basil is sublime when made with freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese. Made with domestic parmesan, even if freshly grated, the sauce is merely nourishing. The book also offers helpful advice on how to match pastas with sauces and on how to put together a collection of dishes that will make up an authentically Italian meal.

In general, my experience has been that if I like the ingredients that go into a recipe, I will find the results at least pleasant and often delicious. I can't say that about many other cookbooks. Among the best recipes in the book are those for chick pea soup (non-vegetarian), sage and butter sauce with home-made fettuccine, risotto with celery, frittate with onions, braised pork chops with sage and tomatoes. , sauteed swiss chard stalks, and olive oil cake (accurately described as "surprising and savory"). The introduction to the chapter on salads is also most helpful. Since learning how to dress a salad in the Italian style, with salt, oil, and the slightest drizzle of wine vinegar, I've never had the desire to purchase a salad dressing.

Pass (on) the salt.......2007-07-25

Much as I love Italian food and the preparation thereof, I often find this book frustratingly unclear in its recipes.

It is also very old-fashioned as far as nutrition goes. For example, if prepared to the book's specifications, many dishes we tried tasted overwhelmingly salty to us--and we don't generally even make a conscious effort to avoid salt in our diets.

Simple, delicious, and well written........2007-06-26

After reading all the positive reviews here on amazon, I mentioned this book to my sister, who gave it to me for my birthday. I've rarely been happier with a cookbook. The recipes are very simple, not too many ingredients, but the way they combine is delicious, and many can easily be expanded upon or slightly altered (though I really recommend trying all of them in their simple forms first, as the way they are cooked and the advice on selection of ingredients lends them unexpected complexity).

I've so far cooked several of the pasta sauces, two of the pizza recipes, and the unique layered crespelle, and all have been delicious and not difficult to make (most can be made with one sauté pan, a wooden spoon, and a good knife). Even more helpful than the recipes themselves is the essentials section which offers a very good guide to what italian home cooking essentially consists of, ingredient selection (which includes some surprising things, given common American understanding of Italian cooking and common restaurant practices here), basic technique, and so forth. Each section also includes an introduction to the book's approach to it, and most recipes have a description of the region or city the dish is from with some interesting tidbits about them to give the reader a frame of reference.

I've never been to Italy, so I cannot attest to the book's authenticity, but it certainly gives the appearance of being very well-researched, and those I know who have been to Italy have given me very positive feedback on the dishes I've made from it. On the whole Hazan's work is scholarly in its rigor, but approachable and appreciable in its style and lack of pretense.

Essential.......2007-02-24

Last Fall three women and I went to Italy; my first time but it will not be my last. I fell in love with Italy and her people. For Christmas my husband bought this book and her son's How to Cook Italian at my request. Neither book let me down. For me, together they are my bibles for true Italian cooking. Every recipe has been delicious! There is soooo much information; it's mind boggling but wonderful; there's so much to soak up. I recommend both books wholeheartedly; you will not be disappointed.

Dreaming of Tuscany: Where to Find the Best There Is: Perfect Hilltowns; Splendid Palazzos; Rustic Farmhouses; Glorious Gardens; Authentic Cuisine; Great Wines; Intriguing Shops;

Average customer rating:

Dreaming of Tuscany
Dreaming of Tuscany

Dreaming of Tuscany: Where to Find the Best There Is: Perfect Hilltowns; Splendid Palazzos; Rustic Farmhouses; Glorious Gardens; Authentic Cuisine; Great Wines; Intriguing Shops;
Barbara Milo Ohrbach
Manufacturer: Rizzoli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Pictorial | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany
The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany (Most Beautiful Villages)
Authentic Tuscany (Authentic Italy)
Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria: Revised Edition (Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria)
Rick Steves' Florence and Tuscany 2007 (Rick Steves)

ASIN: 0847828565
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

No country inspires as much fascination as Italy, and no region in Italy inspires as much adoration as Tuscanyâfor its interior design, art and architecture, fashion, artisans and crafts, food and wine. In Dreaming of Tuscany you'll experience the essence of a place that dreams are made of, ensuring you'll get the most out of your experience. Sharing her recommendations of favorite insider places and word-of-mouth gems, best-selling lifestyle author Barbara Milo Ohrbach acts as a guide to food markets, exquisite shops, overflowing antiques markets, not to mention cooking courses, outdoor painting classes, ancient palazzos and small museums. And you can live like a Tuscan once you return home, with this book providing sources for everything from luscious bed linens to peppery olive oil. Dreaming of Tuscany is illustrated with three hundred sumptuous images by photographer Simon Upton. Don't dream of visiting Tuscany without first reading this book.

Customer Reviews:

Dreaming of Tuscany.......2007-06-07

As a frequent traveler to Tuscany, I find this book one of the best. It reflects the romantic and unique part of the world known as Tuscany. Wonderful coffee table book, resource for Tuscany and reading for rainy days.

Dreaming of Tuscany.......2007-01-15

Since my daughter and I are going to be in Tuscany in the spring, I found the book to be a great resource for the area. I'm looking forward to seeing things firsthand...but so glad that Ms. Ohrbach has done the groundwork for us...a much more efficient use of our limited time there!

Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages

Average customer rating:

great book
Impossible Cookbook
One of my favorite cookbooks
Simple recipes not simple ingredients
Great recipes, awful binding

Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages
Mario Batali
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

The Babbo Cookbook
Mario Batali Holiday Food
Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style
Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes
Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking

ASIN: 0609603000
Release Date: 1998-09-29

Amazon.com

Sure to excite lovers of the best Italian cooking, Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages reenvisions classic home cucina with enticing results. Batali, known to fans as "Molto Mario" from his Television Food Network shows, and as chef-owner of Manhattan's much-loved Po and Babbo restaurants, presents nearly 250 of his favorite recipes, traditional and innovative, for delectable salads, pastas, grilled specialties, ragus, and desserts, among others. The collection, inspired by the cooking of Borgo Cappene, a hillside village in northern Italy, and Greenwich Village, where Batali culls exemplary ingredients for his restaurants, reflects Batali's commitment to simple cooking--impeccable ingredients sensibly combined and properly prepared. Cooks seeking deeply flavored, smartly presented dishes will embrace Batali's recipes for everyday meals and for entertaining.

Arranged by courses, antipasti through formaggi and dolci (cheese and sweets), the uncomplicated dishes include White Bean Bruschetta with Grilled Radicchio Salad, Baked Lasagna with Asparagus and Pesto, and Roasted Porgy with Peas, Garlic, Scallions and Mint. Gorgonzola with Spiced Walnuts and Port Wine Syrup with fresh fruit would make a lovely conclusion to any dinner. Throughout, Batali provides advice on dish preparation; there are 32 pages of color photos and dozens of black-and-white shots of life in Batali's two villages. Batali's reliance on the best ingredients simply prepared, rather than on fussy restaurant techniques, places his dishes squarely in the realm of home cooks. They'll find his book a keeper. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

Perfectly pristine ingredients, combined sensibly and cooked properly, are the unmistakable hallmarks of the best Italian food. Chef Mario Batali, known to fans far and wide as "Molto Mario" from his appearances on television's Food Network and as chef of New York's much-loved Pó restaurant, has elevated these simple principles to fine art, creating innovative new fare that pays tribute to traditional Italian home cooking in a distinctly modern way. Now, for the first time, more than 200 of his irresistible recipes for fresh pastas, sprightly salads, grilled dishes, savory ragus, and many others are gathered in Simple Italian Food, a celebration of the flavors and spirit of Italy.

Mario draws inspiration for his distinctive dishes from the two "villages" that have left their stamps on his cuisine: Borgo Capanne, the tiny hillside village in Northern Italy where he lived and cooked for several years, and New York's Greenwich Village, where he has ready access to bountiful produce and outstanding artisan-made products; his full-flavored, smartly presented fare combines the best of both worlds. Chapters covering antipasti, pasta and risotto, fish, meat and poultry, contorni (side dishes), and cheese and sweets offer classic dishes such as Baked Lasagne with Asparagus and Pesto and pork loin cooked in caramelized onions and milk alongside Batali's own enticing improvisations--Penne with Spicy Goat Cheese and Hazelnut Pesto or Tuna Carpaccio with Cucumbers, Sweet Potatoes, and Saffron Vinaigrette. And because his recipes succeed on the strength of their ingredients rather than on virtuoso techniques, home cooks can easily duplicate the clear, clean flavors and lively presentations that are Mario's signature. Thirty-two pages of color photographs showcase Chef Batali's colorful and approachable recipes.

Traditionalists as well as those who thrill to the new will want to make dozens of these crowd-pleasing dishes a permanent part of their repertoire and embrace Mario Batali'sphilosophy of Simple Italian Food.

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2007-04-05

excellent cook book for beginners or pros...love it and love shopping on amazon

Impossible Cookbook.......2006-12-10

Mario Batali's cookbook is most disappointing. I looked it over carefully, and I found absolutely nothing of interest to me. His recipes are incredibly complicated, with ingredients available only in restaurants and the households of professional cooks, northern Italian ones at that. There had to be standby pestos, tapenades, sauces and vinaigrettes. Impossible, really. This is a most unattractive cook book. I won't even give it away.

One of my favorite cookbooks.......2006-04-12

Batali's "Simple Italian Food" is an excellent cookbook for people who actually like to cook, and for those who accept that Italian cooking covers a vast range of subjects and styles, far more than just pasta.

The title is apt: none of these dishes are overly complicated for anyone with a decently equipped kitchen and access to good, fresh ingredients. Unlike more complex styles, French cuisine for example, there is very little combining of several different cooking techniques to produce one recipe. At it's most complicated, the book calls for use of staple ingredients that can be prepared ahead of time, and which Batali also provides recipes for, with sauces for example.

One of the great pleasures of the book is discovering the unexpected tang and heartiness of his dishes. His pasta con vongole is a good example: the recipe calls for pancetta, and the result is a tangy clam sauce in a beautiful, brownish broth which is delicious and hearty without being overly rich. Comprate, cucinate e buon appetito!

Simple recipes not simple ingredients.......2005-03-24

Seems like many great recipes, but many ingredients that aren't found in the regular supermarket, especially if you live in a rural area like I do...so I haven't been able to try many of them.

Great recipes, awful binding.......2005-03-04

I've reviewed this cookbook before from the point of view of the contents, for which I gave it 5 stars. I use this cookbook all the time and absolutely love it. Unfortunately, I use this cookbook all the time and the cheap glued binding has not held up. About half the pages have detached and I'm a few chapters away from having to pull the whole thing apart and put it in a three-ring binder. Interestingly, the same publisher used a sewn binding for the Babbo Cookbook, so I guess the gourmet recipes get the quality treatment. I would still recommend purchasing the cookbook for the wonderful preparations, but shame on the publisher for using such poor components on a book designed to be repeatedly opened and laid flat.

Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy

Average customer rating:

The Definitive Guide to Italian Wines
Vino Italiano: Libro Supremo
A different sort of wine book
In "Vino Italiano" veritas
The best book on the subject

Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy
Joseph Bastianich , and David Lynch
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Vino Italiano Buying Guide: The Ultimate Quick Reference to the Great Wines of Italy
Italian Wines 2007: A Guide to the World of Italian Wine for Experts and Wine Lovers (Italian Wines)
The Italian Wine Guide: The Definitive Guide to Touring, Sourcing, and Tasting (Dolce Vita)
The New Spain: A Complete Guide to Contemporary Spanish Wine (New (Mitchell Beazley))
The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides)

ASIN: 1400097746
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Book Description

At one time, Italian wines conjured images of cheap Chianti in straw-wrapped bottles. More recently, expensive “Super Tuscans” have been the rage. But between these extremes lay a bounty of delicious, moderately priced wines that belong in every wine drinker’s repertoire.

Vino Italiano is the only comprehensive and authoritative American guide to the wines of Italy. It surveys the country’s wine-producing regions; identifies key wine styles, producers, and vintages; and offers delicious regional recipes. Extensive reference materials—on Italy’s 300 growing zones, 361 authorized grape varieties, and 200 of the top producers— provide essential information for restaurateurs and wine merchants, as well as for wine enthusiasts.

Beautifully illustrated as well as informative, Vino Italiano is the perfect invitation to the Italian wine experience.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

The Definitive Guide to Italian Wines.......2007-07-09

Clear and concise, this guide clarifies a complex subject - the history and present state of Italian wines. While it is objective in its recommendations, anecdotes of regional Italian life add the human interest elements that make us care about Italy and its wines.

Vino Italiano: Libro Supremo.......2007-02-13

this book is a very nice read. the anecdotes showed good referance to the italian lifestyle. showed through knowledge of Italian wines. also had very interesting recipes throughout.

A different sort of wine book.......2006-12-09

This is a different sort of wine book, one whose
peculiarities are perfectly suited to its subject.
Italy produces more wine than any other nation and
consumes more wine per capita. It is (Greece aside)
the birthplace of civilized winemaking and everyday
wine drinking too. Italians drink more wine too,
consuming annually something like 16 gallons per capita.
If you remember that per capita means 'for every man, woman
and child" and that 16 gallons annually is almost 2
bottles a week, the figure is quite astounding.

So it's peculiarly paradoxical that for centuries, Italy
produced and was known for some genuinely terrible wine.
The bad wine came in part form bad growing techniques. If
grape growing was bad, wine making was worse and there was
little reason to improve it. Bad transportation and a
generally impoverished peasantry ruled out competition
among producers. There was no domestic urban middle class
of the sort that bought and demanded French wines. Worse
yet there were no wine-poor neighbors whose tastes and demand
could shape a winemaking industry.

About thirty years ago, everything changed. Returning the
favor of 1492, Americans discovered Italy. The discovery was
multi-faceted and so is this book.
Along with Italian wine, we went crazy for the country,
the food, the people, the design and the culture. Vino
Italiano is about all of these things.

There are nineteen chapters each devoted to a region and
you can read them like short stories. There's a brief
cultural historical introduction followed by a discussion
of red, white, sweet and sparkling wines, then a list of
regionally important grape varieties. There are some
entertaining notes on wine tourism, some suggested tastings
and finally, some simple recipes from the region.

For the encyclopediacly inclined, useful appendices
include a listing of grapes by variety, a directory
of DOC and IGT zones and a short list of producers.

A book that will add to your enjoyment of its subject.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005

In "Vino Italiano" veritas.......2006-11-10

While "the book includes historial wine information and regional maps as well as Italian travel information and recipes", it also includes invaluable information on winemakers and producers. It also takes the mess that is Italy and cleans it up for us so that we can decipher and understand it. In that it is similar to Clive Coates "Cote d'Or".

The best book on the subject.......2006-11-05

Believe it or not, there is a dearth of information about Italian wine both in books and online. Vino Italiano is a well thought out and much needed book on the subject. I agree with other reviewers who have pointed out that it is somewhat difficult to describe. This is due to the fact that the book includes historial wine information and regional maps as well as Italian travel information and recipes. Although this may sound a bit ill-defined it actually works -- you get all the facts and a feel for Italian culture at its best. Consider it your appetizer, primo and secondi all in one!

Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches, Italian Style

Average customer rating:

Still love it.
What was the point ???
Not what I expected
Not a good italian panini cook book
Hot sandwitches

Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches, Italian Style
Viana La Place
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Bread | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Simple Italian Sandwiches: Recipes from America's Favorite Panini Bar
Panini
Sandwiches, Panini, and Wraps: Recipes for the Original Anytime and Anywhere Meal
Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--from Thursday Nights at Campanile
Cuisinart GR-4 Griddler

ASIN: 0060095725

Book Description

Move over pasta and pizza, here come panini, bruschetta, and crostini! The world of sandwiches, Italian style. These heavenly bread-based creations include recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, antipasti, party foods, and delicious desserts and indulgences for any time of the day.

Customer Reviews:

Still love it........2007-03-25

I bought this book over ten years ago, after I saw the chocolate sandwich on the cover. Tried it and LOVED it, as did my son. From there I just worked my way through the book and I can't remember being unhappy with anything I made from it. Surprised by the negative reviews posted just under mine but I guess if its not what you're expecting, then you're going to be disappointed.

That said, it's a fabulous sandwich book.

What was the point ???.......2007-03-09

I could of gotten better recipes off the web and for free.

Not what I expected.......2007-02-12

This recipe book was recommended with the panini grill - but it has very few grilled recipes. Not what I expected at all.

Not a good italian panini cook book.......2007-01-10

This book is not quite what I thought it was going to be. If you are interested in more dinner/lunch panini (italian) sandwich type cookbooks look elsewhere.

Hot sandwitches.......2007-01-04

A lot of good recipies to try, not what kids would like

American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza

Average customer rating:

A helpful slice of information, especially on dough making
Hits the spot
Great resource on pizza
inspiration in a delicious read
The Most Entertaining Cookbook I've Ever Used

American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza
Peter Reinhart
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Pizza | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Essays | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread
The Art of Pizza Making: Trade Secrets and Recipes
Crust & Crumb: Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakers
Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza
Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor

ASIN: 1580084222

Amazon.com

Baking bread is mysterious enough. But creating truly great pizza--the transformation of next to nothing into something extraordinary--is downright alchemical. It is for no small reason that there are distinct words in Italian for those disciples of these mystic arts who bake pizza and focaccia, pizzaiolo and focacciaiolo. Peter Reinhart, he who gave us Brother Juniper's Bread Book and the multi-award winning The Bread Baker's Apprentice, takes the reader of American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza right into the heart of the matter.

Reinhart begins his inquiry into pizza with his baseline palate memory for what a great pizza should be. As a teenager he had worked in a pizzeria, Mama's, and instinctively knew this pie to be the best. Returning as an adult years later, he discovered otherwise. Had he changed, or had the pizza changed? Both, it happened, were true.

So what is the nature of perfection, and where do you go to find it? In the case of Peter Reinhart, this journey includes travels through Italy and across the US. This is Part One of the book, called The Hunt. It's not the most enlivening travel writing, which would have helped elevate the insights into the nature of great pizza and the people who make it happen. But it's only a third of the entire package. The best is yet to come. In Part Two: The Recipes, Reinhart comes entirely into his own. Here is the master at work. Chapters include "The Family of Doughs", "Sauces and Specialty Toppings," and "The Pizzas." Reinhart gives you the building blocks, no matter what your kitchen, tools, and oven might be like. And then he unfolds the roadmap--pizzas from the strictly classical to the strictly whimsical.

Work diligently with American Pie and in time you will be able to call yourself, without hesitation or rising color, pizzaiolo and focacciaiolo. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

In the course of his extraordinary career as a baker, culinary instructor, and author, Peter Reinhart has dedicated himself to exploring the passions and techniques behind the great breads of the world. His most recent pursuit has been pizza—a seemingly simple food that has been hotly debated since Italian immigrants brought it to America more than a century ago. Allegiances run from the general (Chicago- versus New York-style, Neapolitan versus Sicilian) to the particular (Pepe's versus Sally's, Gino's East versus Pizzeria Uno), and newfangled versions like sushi pizza are extending the frontier. In AMERICAN PIE, Reinhart follows the pizza trail from Italy to the States, capturing the stories behind the greatest artisanal pizzas of the Old World and the New.

Beginning his journey in Genoa, Reinhart scours the Italian countryside in search of the fabled focaccia col formaggio di Recco. After a stop in Florence for pizza vesuvio, with its black truffles and molten cheese, Peter heads to Rome to sample the famed seven-foot-long pizza bianca, and then Naples for the archetypal pizza napoletana. Back in America, the hunt for authentic pizza begins in the unlikely locale of Phoenix, Arizona, where Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco has convinced many that his pie is the best in the country. Sardinian pizza in Dallas; the pizza epicenter of New Haven; grilled pizza in Providence; the deep-dish pies of Chicago; Yugoslavian pogacha in Bellevue, Washington—these are just a few of the stops on Reinhart's epic tour.

Reinhart then returns to the kitchen, where he gives a master class on pizza-making techniques and provides his interpretations of the most memorable pizzas from his journey. His insatiable curiosity—and appetite—and gift for storytelling make this a must-have book for the avid cook, as well as a great read for the armchair pizzaiolo.

Customer Reviews:

A helpful slice of information, especially on dough making.......2007-09-26

I found this to be a fairly serviceable treatise on the topic of pizza. The author, a baking instructor, had a longstanding interest in global pizza hunting, and always made it a point to sample the local pies wherever he traveled. Eventually, he got around to putting it all into book form, wherein he takes the reader on a condensed recap of his far ranging pizza (and foccacia) travels, from Philadelphia, to Texas, to NYC, to New Haven, to Italy, to California, to Chicago, etc., in his quest for perfect pizza.

The author then provides the reader with a basic dough recipe covering each of the (as he classifies them) major types of pizza: Napoletana, Roman, Neo-Neapolitan, New York-Style, Pizza Americana, San Francisco Sourdough Style, Grilled Pizza dough, Chicago Deep-Dish, Sardinian, etc. He then goes on to provide some basic tips for sauce, cheese, toppings, and some philosophical guidelines to help achieve balance in a given recipe.

I already knew most of what little information he provided about sauce and cheese and toppings - the primary focus in this book is primarily on dough making & handling, followed by baking methods, and there's some very helpful information here for amateur home cooks who've always wanted to learn the basics of home pizza making, either in a pan, atop a pizza stone or with a full fledged hearth insert.

I've been making pizza at home for years, and even I learned a few helpful tweaks to my technique ... and I've added a few famous pizza establishments to visit to my life itinerary.

My Nits ? I have a few.

1) IMNSHO, dusting as peel with cornmeal before using it to slide a pie into a home oven is just not practical technique for most home cooks, because it makes a mess of one's oven. The cornmeal and/or flour scorches, and causes one's kitchen (unless you're fortunate enough to have a powerful exhaust system) to reek of scorched flour and/or cornmeal. That's a technique intended exclusively for commercial pizza ovens that are easily and frequently swept out, and where keeping costs low is the golden rule. Try sweeping out a home oven, and you'll not only make a mess of your floor, but probably set your broom ablaze on the electric heating elements or gas burner. Personally, I've found that a much easier and cleaner technique for home cooks to use is to assemble the pizza on parchment paper, and bake it directly on a well heated pizza stone. Ignore the author's direction to remove the parchment after a few minutes - doing so is unnecessary, and only serves to cause your oven to lose 100F+ of precious heat, when it needs it the most. The crust doesn't come out quite as crispy after the initial baking, but if you want a crispier crust, it's a simple matter to keep the oven hot a little while longer, and rebake slices for 2-3 mins to order ... the crusts crisp up very nicely upon rebaking.

2) I'd have liked to have seen a lot more photos. This book only has a precious few of them, all of them black and white, and all of them of decidedly poor quality and exposure. In fact, the photography is downright inept.

3) I think the author aimed a little low in this book, with regards to heft. He could have, and IMO should have, squeezed more material into this book. To me, it read too quickly, and when I'd finished it later the same day, I felt it was a bit thinnish ... I wanted more regions covered, more recipes, and a lot more photos (esp competent ones).

4) I think the author could have included a 'putting it all together' chapter, where he could layout the nuances of how a home cook (i.e., most of the readership) could do a pracitcal in-home pizza party for, say 20+ people ... with nesting rising pans, pre-cut parchment, a cooling rack with screens, mis en place, and how to pre-bake and re-heat in a party settings, and how to store the equipment when not in use. Instead, the author just concludes with his list of dough recipes, and then assortment of topping combos to try.

Other than thhose 4 nits, this book is recommended. Add a point/star if you've always wanted to try making your own pizza from scratch, and this book succeeds in helping you take the plunge, or if the book inspires you to take your existing pizza dough technique to a new level (as it did for me).

Basic homemade pizza is fairly easy, and you can always strive incrementally for new levels of perfection.

Hits the spot.......2007-06-01

I have been making pizzas for twenty years, always searching for improvements. Having no formal training in dough preparation, this book seemed to be the answer. Peter's writing is easy to read, with interesting experiences in Italy matched with excellent dough recipes and his take on the pizzas he and his fellow hunters experienced.

Highly recommended.

Great resource on pizza.......2007-03-17

This book is divided into two equally interesting and useful sections. The first is Reinhart's quest for the perfect pizza. He discusses in detail his culinary experiences both in the US and abroad.

The second section is recipes. He has at least 5 recipes for crusts, many of which are very good. The crust recipe he recommends for frozen pizza is actually one of my favorites (prepared without freezing). The section on toppings is also great. He outlines some new ideas for pizza (at least new to me) and gives his perspective on more traditional recipes. For example, he suggests that it is not necessary to cook pizza sauce as the high oven temperature will make it more dense during the baking process. This advice has saved me time and results in a superior sauce. His pizza with red onion, pecorino, and pistachios has become one of our favorites.

Definitely a worth-while book. Not overly technical, but it does provide extremely useful tips for a successful pizza-making experience.

inspiration in a delicious read.......2007-01-15

as a culinary professional, i found this book inspirational and informative. i have sucessfully implemented some of the recipes and many of the ideas in the book in my day to day prep as well as staff meals. everyone appreciates a good slice of pie, and this book will show you how to make it in your own kitchen, professional or not...

The Most Entertaining Cookbook I've Ever Used.......2007-01-05

This book will help you cure any pizza dissapointment you may be suffering from. Peter Reinhart starts off with the story of his quest for the perfect pizza. In doing so, he takes us to sites of the pizza's origins in Italy where he cooks along side chefs in little pizzarias. Then Reinhart tracks the migration of pizza to America, where we learn about the contributions of New York and New Haven, CT, and then on to more recent contributions in other parts of the U.S. The second half of the book treats us to a variety of incredible and authentic recipies for pizza dough, sauce, and everything on top. Armed with this book I have held several pizza parties in my home and wowed many a guest with pizza much better than I can find in about 90% of the pizzarias around. And when they point to me for compliments, I point to the book that taught me everything.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books