Book Description
Italians are passionate about their food and love to celebrate together. At annual village festivals the food is cooked in mammoth proportions, the cobblestone streets become jammed with costumed processions and happy crowds sit and enjoy a communal meal that is a ritual of connection and neighborly love.
In Celebrating Italy, Carol Field takes the reader to these exuberant civic feasts and highlights their very special and ancient recipes. The result is one of the most remarkable cookbooks ever written, for in exploring festivals, Field has opened a bright new window on Italian culture and its sumptuous food.
Recipes include the victory dinner of Risotto Fratacchione -- red onions and sausages eaten after Siena's famous Palio; the Sorbir d'Agnoli -- stuffed pasta in wine-spiked broth that the Mantuans eat on Christmas Day, and Pane di Cena's sweet milk bread rolls, which is made to last all through Easter Week in Sicily.
Customer Reviews:
Not Just A Cookbook.......2000-02-25
Carol Field's Celebrating Italy is as much an Italian cultural reference book as it is a cookbook. I loved reading through all the different holidays celebrated in Italy complete with traditional recipes. Having lived in Italy for 8 years myself, Carol's stories made me long for a return trip.. Being the Italian Cooking Host @ Bella Online I found the recipes true to their cultural origins, but yet given with clear, easy to follow directions. If you are as fascinated with Italian cuisine as I am, you'll love this book!
This is a wonderful way to learn about Italy..........2000-02-16
I bought this book from Amazon.com because of its title alone but was so easily assimilated into Carol's amazing talent of recreating events with the written word that I found it difficult to put down. She put me right IN the festival! Because I live in Italy I have been able to visit a good number of the festivals that she describes in this book and have found her descriptions to be so accurate as to be scary. She seems to have found a way to penetrate the soul of these manifestations in a manner that not even many Italians can do.
I praise this not as a cookbook or a collection of recipes, but as a literary work that can be taken seriously as a 'training manual' on the spirit of Italian celebration. I recommend it to anyone who harbors a love of Italy and wants to know more about its inner being...
carol field is the italian tradition maven.......1998-02-28
I highly recommend all Carol Field books, even if you don't cook. She TAKES you to Italy and FEEDS you. She writes engrossing and vividly descriptive literature which also happens to contain really great, authentic Italian recipes. Celebrating Italy will make you want to move to Italy and eat all day and night.
EATS-A-GOOD BOOK!.......1998-01-09
This book is full of everything that makes being alive(not to mention being ITALIAN) so wonderful...! Traditions, recipes, slices from everyday ife that make you feel the "specialness" of every single day. Carol's research and her love shine through in CELEBRATING ITALY, so much so, be prepared to take a trip to one of the small towns she describes so mouth-wateringly delicious! Carol made me hungry for tradition, hungry to go back to things I always cherished in my heart. Can't wait for your next book, Carol! Con Amore, Terry Stellini
Book Description
“It has always been true for me that to know a place, I must first know how it eats and drinks. Everything unravels at the table.”
–Marlena de Blasi
Marlena de Blasi’s lifelong affair with cooking began at age nine on a beach along the coast of southern Italy, where she met an elderly woman roasting potatoes coated with olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt over an open fire.
Now, in A Taste of Southern Italy, de Blasi brings to life the spirit as well as the cuisine of this bountiful region. With de Blasi we travel down remote country goat paths in tiny island villages and along sun-washed avenues of great cities in search of some of the most treasured recipes in the world. This is as much a storybook as it is a cookbook: a gathering of small rhapsodies, impressions, and romantic notions from a land where such delights are plentiful. In our journey through the kitchens of southern Italy we find tantalizing recipes for a host of mouthwatering dishes, including
Gnocchi di Castagne con Porcini Trifolati
Insalata di Pesce Dove il Mare Non C’é
Pane di Altamura
Frittelle di Ricotta e Rhum alla Lucana
Peperoni Arrostiti Ripieni
La Vera Pizza
Pomodori alla Brace
Pesce Spada sulla Brace alla Pantesca
Ricotta Forte
Pasta alla Pecoraio
La Torta Antica Ericina
Un Gelato Barocco
With these authentic recipes at your fingertips, you can master the luscious tastes and rustic ambiance of southern Italy. These dishes are sure to become a tradition in your home, and will fill it with tantalizing aromas and love.
Customer Reviews:
No pictures.......2007-01-18
I would NOT recommend this book to anyone. THere is not 1 picture in the entire book. What is a cookbook without pictures????
A delicious read. Buy It!.......2006-07-13
`A Taste of Southern Italy - Delicious Recipes and a Dash of Culture' by Marlena De Blasi, who has done a similar book for northern Italy and several volumes of memoirs, is not your usual study of a regional cuisine. It is certainly not the usual study of an Italian regional cuisine, which are among the very best in English on local food culture.
The book covers Italy from Lazio (Rome) and points south, including Abruzzo, Campania (Naples), Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicilia, and Sardegna (Sardinia). Now there are already excellent books on the cuisines of Lazio (`Cooking the Roman Way' by David Downie) and Campania (`Naples at Table' by Arthur Schwartz) plus dozens of books covering Abruzzo, Puglia, Sicilia, and Sardinia. The only single region for which there are few if any titles may be Basilicata. There are even some other excellent books on all of Italy's southern cuisine, such as `The Flavors of Southern Italy' by Erica De Mane.
The important thing to keep in mind about De Blasi's book is that it is different from all of these. Unlike Downie, it is not a fairly comprehensive coverage of the region's full range of dishes. Unlike Schwartz, it includes no study of the history of the region(s) and how this history influenced the cuisine. Unlike De Mane, this is not an analytical treatment of the region's ingredients and methods. All of this means that even if you own all these other books, De Blasi still has something to say to you.
I always appreciate it when an author stays true to the promise of their title, and you have to take the `Taste' of the title seriously, as the author makes no attempt at completeness. She is clear in stating that her selection of dishes are those which appeal to her the most as she was writing this book. That takes care of the `Delicious Recipes' of the subtitle. What De Blasi gives us whom no other author can touch is a great literary evocation of the spirit of southern Italian cooking. Senora Marlena really knows how to write and to use that skill in bringing her subject to light. The one dissonance in that message is her claim that no recipe executed in America can ever faithfully reproduce the taste of the same recipe done in Southern Italy. This is the big issue of `terroir' over which the French get so excited.
Ms. De Blasi's primary contention is that the cuisine of southern Italy is more varied than that of the north. And, since Ms. DB has done a companion volume on the `Regional Foods of Northern Italy' and has lived in Tuscany and Venice for several years, she should know from which she speaks. Unfortunately, aside from giving us a really excellent selection of recipes, she really doesn't address this contention much in her text. I certainly do like the fact that Ms. De Blasi gives us recipes composed entirely of genuinely southern ingredients. There is no Parmisano Reggiano here. All cheesy sharpness is imparted using the southern Romano cheese.
While Ms. DB makes a point of saying that her selection of recipes is very personal, she also happens to pick a very satisfying selection of recipes in at least two different ways. First, there are many recipes for local breads and pastas. When a book covers a cuisine where bread is a primary ingredient, and it doesn't give us any bread recipes, I really wonder about the seriousness of the author's commitment to their subject. When we are dealing with Italy, the same goes for pasta. Second, the selection of recipes is interesting even when compared to specialist books on an Italian region. While Mr. Downie faithfully gives us recipes for the Roman specialty, `saltimbocca', Ms. DB gives us a local variation on the saltimbocca ingredients, `Uno Stufatino di Vitello' (A little braise of veal) which has all the same tastes, but none of the fiery fast saute of saltimbocca. Still comparing Downie to De Blasi, I find her recipe for Roman style artichokes to be really superior to that in Downie's book. Not only does De Blasi include pancetta, she also gives a better narrative of how to do the dish.
This is a cookbook meant to be read from cover to cover, enjoying the description of the dishes and their lore here is almost as much fun as actually making and eating the dishes. I heartily recommend this volume to any amateur foodie who simply happens to like everything about Italian cuisines.
Book Description
Tastes of Tuscany is a treasured collection of family recipes sprinkled with photos, cooking hints, family sayings and the usage and folklore of Italian garden herbs.
After many years of requests, Mrs. Figone is sharing her recipe collection in a full volume ranging from Antipasti to Dolci (desserts).
Tuscany, known as the heartland of Italy, echoes medieval days with its timeless olive groves, vineyards, and cypress trees. Family farms boast vibrant and colorful vegetable and herb gardens. Out of these gardens and field come the superb raw materials that make northern Italian cusine famous.
This cookbook is made up of simple but delicious home-spun Tuscan recipes as well as recipes for Tuscan feast days that will delight your guests and win you a reputation as a cook.
Customer Reviews:
A great tour of Tuscany and its food.......2007-02-21
I enjoyed the recipes in the book as well as some of the historical quips surrounding many of the traditions of the region. I've since used several of the recipes and found them to be very basic in terms of preparation. The food is simple and really delicious. I've had fun with this book. I just had 10 of my best friends for dinner and they loved their Tuscan meal.
Amazon.com
It's been more than 40 years since Biba Caggiano came to America from her home in northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, and she still yearns for the luscious food that has earned the region a coveted spot on the culinary map. Long an accomplished author, television cooking-show host, and restaurateur, Caggiano still finds a constant source of inspiration in the cooking of her homeland--from the rich stuffed pasta dishes and complex ragus of Emilia to the simple grilled fish dishes and lusty brodettos (seafood stews) of Romagna.
Biba's Taste of Italy is a fascinating culinary tour of Caggiano's beloved region. In chapters on every course from antipasti to dolci, Caggiano introduces readers to the succulent dishes of the area and paints a vivid portrait of both the food and the people. Her salty-sweet Eggplant Parmigiano stars the region's own Parma ham and Bolognese sausage; Seafood Risotto recalls the irresistible bounty of the Adriatic sea that laps the shores of Romagna; and the trademark of Emilia-Romagna cooking--stuffed pasta--appears frequently in dishes like Squash Ravioli with Squab Ragu and Balsamic Vinegar and Cannelloni with Meat Stuffing
In the spirit of the region's small villages, Caggiano offers recipes for unassuming dishes like Roasted, Marinated, and Skewered Eel, in which the delicately sweet flavor of this unusual fish is expertly balanced with the simple yet robust flavors of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, fresh sage, and pancetta. Roasted Stuffed Breast of Veal is a truly classic Emilian dish, and Caggiano's version--stuffed with a mixture of sautéed vegetables, Parmigiano, nutmeg, and eggs, then roasted golden brown with a crisp crust--is among the most delectable. Desserts run the gamut from the light, delicious Chestnut-Ricotta Fritters to the dense, sweet Honey-Walnut-Raisin Pie to a refreshing Strawberry Gelato.
The clear, easy-to-follow instructions accompanying each recipe make the book a joy to cook from and the beautiful page design makes it a pleasure to peruse. A brief chapter on the wines of the region and another on Where to Eat in Emilia-Romagna make the book complete. --Robin Donovan
Book Description
"There has not been one single day since I have left Bologna in 1960 that I have not yearned for and lusted after the food of Emilia-Romagna. That food is part of my heritage and culture. After twenty-five years of cooking professionally, I can truly say that the food of my region has been a constant source of inspiration in all I have done."
Join author, cooking show host, and restaurateur Biba Caggiano on her journey back to her beloved region in Biba's Taste of Italy.Located in one of Italy's most prosperous northern regions, Emilia-Romagna has given the world a cuisine that is a luscious as it is refined: succulent seafood dishes from the Adriatic waters; hearty, long-simmered ragÙs; and rich pasta shaped into tortellini, anolini, and lasagna. With Biba, dicover the place that's home to so much of what we've come to love in Italian food: prosciutto di Parma, Modena's aged balsamic vinegar, mortadella, and perhaps the world's greatest cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Featuring more than 250 recipes, from antipasti to desserts, Biba introduces the vibrant food of her childhood: homestyle dishes and authentic recipes from humble trattorie and family-run restaurants. You'll learn how to make Tagliatelle with Bolognese RagÙ; Eggplant Parmigiano that combines the salty-sweet flavors of Parma ham and Bolognese sausage; earthy, bread-thickened soups; Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi; and irresistible seafood risotto. Of course, the symbol Emilia-Romagna cooking -- stuffed pasta -- is here in all its glory with recipes for Ricotta and Goat Cheese Tortellini, Butternut Squash Tortellini, and Anolini in Broth, and so many more.
From the region's coastal towns and villages, Biba shares the simply prepared seafood dishes of the local trattoric -- Clams with Garlic and Cile Pepper and Baked Halibut with Potatoes, plus the simple tastes of grilling shellfish with olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs. In the same rustic spirit, you will also find Roasted Stuffed Breast of Veal, Braised Veal Shanks, and succulent Breaded Lamb Chops.
Biba's frequent family visits to Bologna evoke childhood memories of growing up in this food-lover's paradise, and reaffirms that the kitchen remains the heart and soul of Italian homes.
Bib's Taste of Italy is more than a collection of recipes. It is also a travel guide with all the names and addresses of her favorite trattorie and restaurants where her favorite dishes can be found.
Join Biba as she returns to Emilia-Romagna in Biba's Taste of Italy. It's a trip you will take again and again in your own kitchen.
Customer Reviews:
great addition to her tv show.......2007-02-05
I watched her show on PBS and wanted to know more. The recipies were great with varying skill level. Some were spend the day in the kitchen and others were simpler. I love the soup where you make "noodles" from cheese and breadcrumbs. That's the best!
A dispatch from the International Food Central.......2004-01-19
This sixth book from Biba Caggiano concentrates on `Recipes from the Homes, Trattorie, and Restaurants of Emilia-Romagna', which makes it a long dispatch from International FOOD CENTRAL. There is probably no other similarly sized region on earth with so many world class foodstuffs. At the top of the list stands Parmigiano-Reggiano, Balsamic Vinegar, and Prosciutto de Parma followed by a long tradition of salume, wines, and classic ragu and pasta recipes. The interest of the region is doubled by the fact that Emilia and Romagna have two different cuisines. The former is more traditional and is based primarily on butter. The latter is more adventuresome, more seafood, and more olive oil. This all contributes to a major head start for this book as a major culinary resource.
Ms. Caggiano is a native of Bologna and still has a substantial family living in and around the city, so her recipes have a certain cachet, which may be missing from the average Italian cookbook. Her chapter subjects are very traditional, being:
Antipasti
Savory Breads and Savory Fritters
Soups
Pasta
Risotto, Gnocchi, and Polenta
Seafood
Poultry and Meat
Vegetables
Salads
Cakes, Tarts, Fritters, Biscotti, Ice Cream, and Fruit Desserts
While it may not be an entirely fair comparison, I matched this volume to Lydia Bastianich's book `Lydia's Italian Kitchen'. Although Ms. Bastianich is covering all of Italy, her strength is in northern Italy, as is Ms. Caggiano. Both books have about 400 pages at $30 for Ms. Lydia and $38 for Ms. Biba. The indexes for both books are friendly to both Italian impaired and those who know and relish all the lovely Italian names for recipes. Ms. Bastianich takes the slightly more scholarly approach of having complete duplicate listings with separate listings, for example, of `frico con ripieno di patate e funghi' and `potato and mushroom filling for frico'. Ms. Caggiano gives the Italian name with a reference to the English translation, as in `cacciatora, see hunter-style'.
The two books give almost identical coverage to major topics such as gnocchi. I would give a slight edge to Ms. Lydia for her gnocchi, although I will concede that differences in recipes may be due to regional differences. For some reason, Ms. Lydia includes egg in her potato gnocchi and Ms. Biba does not. To break the tie, I referred to Waverly Root's book on Italian cuisine. He says a very little egg is typically included. Mario Batali's book on Emilia-Romagna gives a potato recipe almost identical to that of Ms. Lydia. Ms. Biba does have some recipes such as cacciatora style dishes, ragu Bolognese, and baccala (salt cod) that are not in Ms. Lydia's book.
In general, I believe Ms. Lydia gives more complete instructions on general topics such as artichokes, although their treatments of fresh pasta seem comparable. I would really like to have both available, as it is clear that both know what they are doing.
Sidebars and headnotes in the two books are equally entertaining, with no overlap. If Ms. Biba's book were the only one available on the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, I would welcome both books on my bookshelf. At the moment, I know of no other book, which claims to cover the whole province. Mario's book, 'Simple Italian Food' only covers recipes from a single trattoria on the boundary of Toscana and Emilia-Romagna. To those without any Italian cookbook, I would recommend Ms. Lydia's book, as it claims to cover the whole country. To those with a good general Italian cookbook, Ms. Biba provides a delightful supplement.
One of the best!.......2003-01-11
Last summer I took my two adult daughters to Biba's for a special mother/daughter dinner. We were treated graciously and had an unbelievable dining experience! We were even able to purchase this book, all three of us, to add to our cookbook collections, and have them autographed by Biba herself. She is a most amazing, and warm host. Her book is beyond most in her style of cooking and authenticity. We love you Biba!
Biba Rocks!.......2002-09-11
I was given this book as a Christmas gift from my father, who even took the time to bring it to Biba at her restaurant in Sacramento (Biba's) so she could autograph it to me. Anyway, the very first recipe I tried, the sauteed halibut with olives, capers and tomatoes, turned out PERFECTLY. I've never had halibut so wonderfully and perfectly sauced. The treatment of the halibut meant it turned out exceptionally well textured, tender and flavorful, but not over or under cooked. My dinner date was extremely impressed. He actually thinks I can cook - well even! I'd like to take credit for it, but I can't. Since then, every other recipe from this book I've tried has also turned out successfully.
My main regret is that I didn't make more sauce, as I could have eaten twice as much of it. When not devouring the halibut, we were both frantically scooping any extra sauce onto the slices of rustic loaf Italian bread I baked earlier in the day - but that's another recipe.
The only additional item I would like to have seen is a wine pairing suggestion. But, I'm perfectly capable of figuring that out for myself, and rather enjoy the challenge. I chose a high quality light Red Zinfandel (1999 Fiddletown Lot 1 Red Zinfandel from Sobon Estate). Ordinarily it might be considered a little heavy for fish, but it balanced well with the glorious sauce in this recipe.
Biba Rocks!
Not enough recipes.......2001-12-11
If you're more interested in local flavor or in the history of the recipes involved then this is a good book for you. I prefer a cookbook with more recipes and less chit-chat. However, she does include "helpful tips" which I found useful.
Average customer rating:
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Pizza, Pasta and Polenta (The Taste of India Series)
Ursula Ferrigno
Manufacturer: Rutland Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
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Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
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| African
| Asian
| Canadian
| Caribbean & West Indian
| European
| General
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| Mexican
| Middle Eastern
| Native American
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General
| Vegetables & Vegetarian
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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ASIN: 1853914681 |
Book Description
An evocative portrait of the food, people, and landscape of Tuscany.
Customer Reviews:
Even includes some traditional Tuscan Recipes.......2002-06-06
This guide divides Tuscany into six main areas. Each geographical area is based on the local produce and gastronomic traditions. It seems that if you are visiting Tuscany, one of the main reasons is going to be fore the cuisine. There is a focus on meats, cheese, olives and wine.
Areas Covered: Florence, Arezzo, Casentina, Lunigiana, Garfagnana, Versilia, Pisa, Livorno, Chianti, Siena, Montalcino, Sienese Crete, Maremma and Monte Amiata.
There is a detailed description of the best times to visit, with a special section on the foods grown in various areas.
I would suggest that this is more about food than anything else. There is a "Travelers' Needs" section which tells you where you can sleep before waking the next day to continue your journey into the land of food.
So, if you want to find the best wines, olive oils, cured meats and cheeses, this
might be the book you are looking for.
When they say "TASTE" they mean it.
Average customer rating:
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A Taste for Angels: Neapolitan Painting in North America, 1650-1750
Manufacturer: Yale Univ Art Gallery
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
Mannerism
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
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Pop Culture
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
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General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
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General
| Arts & Photography
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ASIN: 0894670468 |
From the Publisher
Looks at a key phase in Italian art the 17th and 18th century work which began with Neapolitan painting and the Carravagioinfluenced high baroque, imported from Rome by Mattia Preti and Luca Giordano. Artists: Corrado Giaquinto, Guido Reni, Massimo Stanzione, Pierre Le Gros, Francesco Solimeno, Francesco de Mura and others. Distributed by Woodstocker Books.
Average customer rating:
- Northern Italy: A Taste of Trattoria
- DELICIOUS!
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Northern Italy: A Taste of Trattoria
Christina Baglivi
Manufacturer: Mustang Publishing Company (TN)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Hospitality, Travel & Tourism
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
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General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
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Italian
| European
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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General
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| Italy
| Europe
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Dining
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General
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ASIN: 0914457721 |
Book Description
Delightful guide to the delicious mom-and-pop cafes in Northern Italy.(1995)
Customer Reviews:
Northern Italy: A Taste of Trattoria.......2006-11-10
I love this book, it's the best travel book to find where the locals go to eat. And, when you aren't traveling you can almost smell and feel the different trattorias by reading the vingettes about each one. I've given this book as gifts to several people traveling in Italy and they have all found it fun to follow the maps and find an out-of-the-way place with great food. Once in Venice the cook saw the book and was so happy he showed it to everyone in the place and gave us more of their house wine -- not something that happens on the normal tourist route.
DELICIOUS!.......2000-10-29
I just returned from a 2-week trip to Italy, and this book pointed us to at least 6 unforgettable meals that we would have otherwise missed. A charming guide.
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