Cookbooks

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Comment by ray on July 12, 2009 at 6:19am

and more Italian ...

Dear Francesca ... a cookbook with love.
Written by Mary Contini
Publisher: Ebury Press London
ISBN 0091881765

A book for italian recipes, family history, personal experiences and LOVE. A book for the armchair and the kitchen. Mary Contini is a director in the famous Italian delicattessen Valvona & Carolla Ltd in Edingburgh Scotland (Why Scotland is in the book) Checkout their Website

The Great Golden Spoon - "the most comprehensive Italian cookbook"
Editor: Paolo Dalco
Publisher: Food Editore 2008
ISBN-10: 88-6154-088-0
ISBN-13: 978-886154-088-0

1150 pages of heavenly recipes ... the only bad thing is that the book is so heavy to hold!


Buon lavoro e buon appetito!

Comment by Federico Moramarco on July 11, 2009 at 7:30pm

It's difficult to choose a single cookbook (other than my own :-) but I judge the usefulness of a cookbook by how many wine and sauce stains have accumulated on its pages over the years. In that contest there are three major winners:

1. Biba Caggiano, Northern Italian Cookingwhich is so stained it looks
like a meal in itself. I bought this book way back in the 1980's and it's still in printand I use it more often than all the other books Biba has published since then. Simple very authentic Italian recipes including the freshest and best homemade tomato sauce you can make, a well illustrated step by step direction of how to make basic egg pasta dough, and if you get unexpected company and need a quick but elegant meal in a hurry, her broiled Cornish hens are a snap to make and are sure to satisfy.

2.The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins survived a small kitchen flare up and though its edges are singed and it too is covered with food stains (in addition to the binding falling totally apart and whole chunks of pages falling out. I've made the recipe for Pacific Northwest Salmon so many times those pages are a total embarassment to look at:

3.The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Lynne has achieved great fame and fortune and now has a wonderful online forum also called "The Splendid Table" on National Public Radio's website: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/ I use lots of her recipes but one of my favorites (which I got permission to reprint in my cookbook) is for Torta Barozzi a holiday dessert made only in the small town of Vignola near Modena, Italy. No one gives out the recipe but Lynn deconstructed the ingredients and came up with her own version in which she discovered the secret ingredient: peanut butter!!

Comment by tasteandshare.com on July 11, 2009 at 3:06pm

Federico Moramarco's new book, Deliciously Italian is now available on Amazon and has already received 5-Star ratings.

Deliciously Italian: From Sunday Supper to Special Occasions-101 Recipes to Share And Enjoy

DELICIOUSLY ITALIAN' - Frederico Moramarco and Stephen Moramarco offer 101 Italian recipes to share and enjoy.

"Deliciously Italian" by Federico Moramarco and Stephen Moramarco (Citadel Press, $14.95).

Being an English professor and the editor of San Diego State University's journal "Poetry International," Federico Moramarco is rarely at a loss for words.

When that unusual situation does occur, however, food is usually at the root of it. Specifically, it's the treasured recipes of his Italian ancestors, which Moramarco has been perfecting in his kitchen for decades, that make his jaw drop.

That's the attitude that led to Moramarco and son Stephen's compilation of recipes for "Deliciously Italian" (Citadel Press, $14.95). It's the best kind of cookbook, one that collects and reflects upon family favorites that cover everything from hearty Sunday suppers to special occasions. That's refreshing, because so many books only concentrate upon one or the other.

The Moramarcos have added other welcome touches in the inclusion of favorite recipes from Italian restaurants around the country, many of which are undiscovered gems, as well as staples from the families of their friends.

You will sample Moramarco cousin Cesita's Orecchiette with Potatoes and Arugula, a specialty in southern Italy in Apulia, where the family originated, as well as a wonderful zucchini stuffed with red onion, carrot, bell pepper, basil, cream and parmesan cheese from Monica's Trattoria in Boston's North End. Next, you might have friend Dan Venzoni's grandmother's famous four-cheese (ricotta, parmesan, Romano or asiago and mozzarella) ravioli, followed by Federico Moramarco's father's signature braciole (braised herbed beef rolls).

Like most outstanding food in Italy, many of these recipes are extremely simple, straightforward and rely on the freshest of seasonal ingredients. The Moramarcos, in fact, suggest doing what they and many of their friends do: growing some key vegetables and herbs.

What "Deliciously Italian" emulates so well is a heightened, edited version of most of our real cooking lives, where we pass around our most-treasured family and restaurant recipes to our favorite people with chatty phone calls in between about how wonderful the dishes taste.

COUSIN CESITA'S ORECCHIETTE WITH POTATOES AND ARUGULA

1 large bunch arugula
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch slices
Salt, to taste
1 pound orecchiette
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 dry hot red pepper, chopped (see note)

Yields 4 servings.

Wash arugula and boil with potatoes in salted water. After 5 minutes, add orecchiette and cook until al dente (follow package directions). Drain.

Heat oil in large skillet and saute garlic and red pepper (or red pepper flakes) for about 2 minutes. Add cooked pasta, potatoes and arugula to skillet. Salt to taste. Toss all ingredients and serve.

Note: Experts recommend wearing rubber gloves when handling peppers and not touching your eyes during or afterward. If you want to make this dish less spicy, leave out this ingredient and add a few pinches of red pepper flakes.

MONICA'S TRATTORIA STUFFED ZUCCHINI

2 medium-size zucchini
1 egg
1/2 cup cream
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Pinch of chopped parsley

Yields 4 servings.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cut zucchini in 1/2 lengthwise. Scoop out inside of zucchini and dice it, setting aside shell for baking.

In medium bowl, whisk egg and cream. Add vegetables, basil, salt and pepper, to taste, and stir until well combined.

Place vegetable mixture inside zucchini shells and sprinkle with parmesan and parsley. Place stuffed zucchini on a baking sheet lightly coated with oil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.