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In Regional Foods of Southern Italy, Marlena De Blasi looks into the essential spirit of the eight regions encompassing the lower half of Italy south from Rome and out to the islands west of the tip of the boot. She believes that to cook from a particular region, understanding its history is as important as gathering recipes. "A cuisine that aspires to dignity even in the midst of insufficiency," this cooking of the poor is based on sheep's milk cheeses, swordfish, wild bitter greens, and whatever else cruel and capricious yet bountiful nature provides locally. De Blasi has unearthed culinary treasures, from the wine-stewed rabbit served with honey-and-spice-glazed chestnuts in the manner of Nicola Taurino, a hunter/innkeeper from Abigliano, to the potato pie in the style of Biddamanna, a town where Sardinians still cook communally on feast days. For this savory pie, potatoes mashed with garlic, nutmeg, clove, and orange zest are enveloped in a pastry crust crisp with ground corn meal and piquant with pecorino cheese.
The story of visiting restaurants serving Carciofi Alla Giudia, "Golden-Green Crisped Roman Roses," followed by a recipe for this Roman specialty is typical of this book's format. It makes this a good choice for armchair cooks and travelers. Ambitious cooks, particularly of local heritage, will get profound satisfaction out of preparing the 150 often complicated or time-consuming, authentic, and rarely-found recipes De Blasi has tailored to work with U.S. ingredients. While its literary language becomes annoyingly baroque at times, with olive oil described as a "tribute of fat, yellow juice," this unique book offers a perceptive look at the essence and substance of southern Italian food. --Dana Jacobi
Customer Reviews:
Captures flavours of the past.......2003-12-01
In the world of sugo gia pronto (prepared pasta sauce) and frozen TV dinners, there are subtly scented dishes that were prepared in the meticulous way by women whose lifestyle was much more different from ours. Not to romanticize the times past too much, but there is no doubt that some of the traditional cuisines are in the danger of extinction. Not that many young Italian women even know how to prepare proper caponata, not to mention more elaborate dishes. As someone who lived in Italy, I am well aware of this. I must say that I thank my grandmothers who instilled in me the love of cooking and love of life.
Onto the book... I admit that Marlena's prose can be a bit overwrought, however after making some of the recipes from her book, I am smitten. I loved caponata (time consuming, no doubt, but what marvelous flavour! Subtle, delicate, with the right degree of sourness and pungency.) Do buy the book, if only for this recipe. Her pasta sauce recipes are great and many are very easy to put together. I would not recommend this as an introduction to Italian cooking, however any Italian food lover should have this and her Northern Italy counterpart in their collection. Mille grazie, Marlena!
MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN AN ITALIAN COOKBOOK!.......2001-08-14
What a wonderful book! The stories associated with the recipes are just amazing. Especially the story of Elisabetta, the seventy year old restaurateur--who began her career at the age of sixty-one--that told the author she has just come into her stride. The Polenta with Braised Pork and Roasted Red Peppers recipe that was included with this story was great.
If you have an opportunity to purchase this book, and you have the time and patience to allow some of these recipes to develop you and whoever you serve will be richly rewarded. There are recipes of seafood, pasta, pork and lamb. Some of the recipes are quick and simple, with simple ingredients. Some of the recipes require more ingredients, as well as time. However, my book is marked with post-it-notes on many recipes that I cannot wait to present to my family.
Connecting with the spirit of Southern Italian cooking.......2001-01-22
This is an extraordinary book. I have never had a "cookbook" like this one and have come to treasure Marlena De Blasi's work. Like the other reviewers, I would agree that this is not a simple, "learn the basics of Italian cooking" cookbook. It is, however, well worth the time spent learning about these recipes and their cultural context. Ms De Blasi succeeds in connecting the reader with the spirit, with the essence, with the history and the context of cooking in Southern Italy. Each recipe, or group of recipes, is preceeded by wonderful descriptions of where, when and how the dish was made over the centuries. It give the reader a feel for the people who developed these recipes over time, and the forces that led them to create. I have read the cookbook cover to cover and found it delightful. Surprisingly open but a great pleasure as you get to know Marlena and her husband. I have also cooked about 2 dozen of the recipes. Some are somewhat complicated but nearly all turned out wonderfully. Some of the greatest successes are the seafood (particularly mussels done several different ways and a roasted rockfish/sea bass) and the many (often simple) pastas. Regional Foods of Southern Italy is a rare, and invaluable, find.
A Good Book, But Not For Everyone.......2000-11-07
Anyone interested in traditional regional recipes of Italy would enjoy owning this book. As the Italian Food host at BellaOnline, regional Italian cuisine is a special interest of mine. It is very evident as one reads through each chapter that Ms. Blasi has put a great deal of time into researching the southern regions of Italy, it's people and their cuisine. It is much more than a mere cookbook as great care has gone into describing each region which is encompassed in it's own chapter containing a brief bit of the region's history.
As each chapter unfolds, Ms. Blasi shares with us the traditional specialties of that region, with page after page of delicious recipes. I particularly enjoyed the recipes used to celebrate the major Italian holidays.
Although I found it disappointing that this book contained no photographs or illustrations, which would only have enhanced my opinion of this book, I was pleased that the majority of recipes called for every day ingredients. There are a number of game recipes, but on the whole, most recipes could easily be created by the average individual who shops at their local grocery or Italian specialty store.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in regional Italian cooking and it's history. However, it is probably not the best book for someone looking for a basic Italian cookbook.
Best meals I've ever had.......2000-11-04
This book certainly has more prose than necessary, but the recipes are the important part - and these recipes are great. If you are looking for simple, rustic, italian recipes, there are plenty of other books to chose from. This author, however, provides the best collection of recipes that goes beyond the basics, providing the reader with meals you won't see anywhere. The recipe for chestnut flour-ricotta gnocchi are a good example.
Customer Reviews:
A must have.......2007-07-28
As an avid cook/baker and a Sicilian American, I find this book indispensible. It is tattered and worn, having never left my kitchen. Though we enjoy many recipes, the wine and cheese recipe makes the best sausage I have ever tasted.
Great book -- not just readable, but usable.......2003-07-07
Got it years and years ago -- maybe late 80s -- one of my first cookbook purchases when I was still in Middle School as a matter of fact. Excellent book (I highly recommend the Sicilian rosemary chicken). My dust jacket is damaged well beyond repair, and common sense tells me I should have thrown it out long ago, but I don't want to. The recipes are great, the graphic design of the book is unique and easy to read, and the pictures are some of the slickest and most appetizing I've ever seen in an American cookbook.
My only complaint with the book is that it's a bit too professional -- tools like raviolatrici (a very hard-to-find rolling-pin-like device used for making ravioli) and plaques au four (basically a huge cookie sheet) are not readily available in many places, requiring recourse to restaurant supply houses and large Italian neighborhoods; also, there is a one-size-fits-all approach to certain things such as bread dough that fits perfectly into a catering business such as the author's Vivande Porte Via but short-shrifts the richness of traditional Italian baking. These are minor issues, though, worthy of docking a half-star at most, and all the recipes are still quite usable for the home cook, and even then the professional mentality still leads to a great attention to detail. The book is eminently usable.
Published in 1987, this is now quite an old book, but it's still in my opinion a classic of Italian cooking. Just prepare yourself for the possibility that you might need a second copy in case your main copy gets trashed in the kitchen.
Don B........2002-04-19
If I had to buy just one book on southern Italian cooking it would be this one. The book is quite interesting because of his knowledge of the various regions, which he breaks down and expands upon, and ingredients that are used. The recipes are great.
Simply the best cookbook to buy!
Mama Italia passed it on.......2002-03-15
This book is DIVINE! My Italian mother-in-law, of whom still resides in southern Italy, gave me this book to take home and feed her son. It is a wonderful book that always makes my husband smile! The recipes are just like the ones I was shown in Italy. Everything is very simple to prepare and tastes fabulous! Take heed from a woman married to man who loves his mother's cooking, it is great!
A Masterpiece.......2000-07-04
Carlo Middione's THE FOOD OF SOUTHERN ITALY is of that rare category of cookbooks in that you are never sure which you like doing more, cooking from his book, or reading it in a comfortable chair. You can hear his voice as you read his heartwarming stories of his fascinating life and culture. The recipes are fantastic, 'Nfigghiulata Antica, Cozze con le Salsicce and his different ways of doing Baccala are among my favorites from this book. This is a very well researched landmark in Regional Italian Cuisine, that's why it stands out. Mr. Middione is in the same legue as Waverly Root and Elizabeth David.
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Salentinbocca: Vademecum della tradizione culinaria salentina
Tonio Piceci
Manufacturer: Edizioni del grifo
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ASIN: 8872611792 |
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Small Farm Agriculture in Southern Europe: Cap Reform and Structural Change
Manufacturer: Ashgate Publishing
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Book Description
From the source of Belgian brew to the redwood forest of California, from a castle in Brittany to Pad Thai in the heart of Asia...When you're young and on the go, here's the information you need to know! Is off-the-beaten-path your ultimate destination? Before you sling that backpack over your shoulder and head on your merry way, better find out the best routes, the required vaccinations, the hotels that won't bust a budget, the really hot clubs, and whether you'll get in on some special, don't-miss events. Here's just what you need--great ideas and insider info, all tested by a team of young voyagers who understand exactly what the under-25 set wants. They won't stick only to the tried and true, mince words about whether the owners are pleasant, or forget to say if you'll have to trade a bit of comfort for a lot of savings. There are even camping sites! Complete with maps, useful numbers in case of an emergency, and a little fascinating history of each region.
Customer Reviews:
Italy.......2007-08-31
It's old - in 7 seven years a lot can change
But it's, for sure, so good - all of the Routard Guides are excellent - that even being old it has lots of basic info that will not age in 7 years.
I didn't read it and as there are only a few left I hope to be able to get one before readers seduced by my inticing review might buy the few ones left.
Book Description
The force will be with all collectors who own this comprehensive guide to one of today's hottest collecting fields.
Star Wars fans will find more than 600 photos and more than 2,000 listings of collectible items related to the popular movie series from 1976 through 2001, including Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Features photos, up-to-date pricing, and accurate descriptions for more than 40 categories such as action figures, books, clothing, food collectibles, games, trading cards, vehicles, wall art, statues, comics, coins, and more!
Star Wars is hotter than ever and this updated and revised edition of the best-selling collector's guide is the ultimate resource for fans.
Author Stuart W. Wells III is a well-known authority on Star Wars collectibles. He is also the author of Star Wars Collector's Pocket Companion.
• More than 2,000 listings of the hottest Star Wars collectibles, including up-to-date pricing, accurate descriptions, and more than 600 photographs to aid in identification
• Features more than 40 collecting categories
• All-new section covering Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
Customer Reviews:
An essential guide for dealers & collectors.......2002-09-07
Now in a completely and authoritatively updated second edition, A Universe Of Star Wars Collectibles: Identification And Price Guide continues to be the premier reference for fans and collectors. Featured are exhaustive price lists, color photographs of collector's items on almost every page, the straight scoop on figure package variations and a "user friendly" index for quick and easy reference. A superb guide for the dedicated Star Wars collector or Star Wars merchandise seller, A Universe Of Star Wars Collectibles is an essential guide for dealers, collectors, and anyone wanting to look up the value of a Star Wars related item in the possession of themselves, friends or family.
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Captain Universe / The Incredible Hulk #1 : Secrets and Origins (Marvel Comics)
Jay Faerber
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
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ASIN: B000T6QI9W |
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D.P.7 #1 : The Clinic (New Universe - Marvel Comics)
Mark Gruenwald
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D.P.7 #10 : Orphan (New Universe - Marvel Comics)
Mark Gruenwald
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ASIN: B000RDG0A4 |
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D.P.7 #3 : Loose Ends (New Universe - Marvel Comics)
Mark Gruenwald
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ASIN: B000RDFZXC |
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D.P.7 #5 : Exorcism (New Universe - Marvel Comics)
Mark Gruenwald
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D.P.7 #6 : Revenge (New Universe - Marvel Comics)
Mark Gruenwald
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D.P.7 #8 : The Hunt (New Universe - Marvel Comics)
Mark Gruenwald
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ASIN: B000RDHXV4 |
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The Marvel Saga : The Official History of the Marvel Universe #10 (Marvel Comics)
Peter Sanderson
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
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ASIN: B000TDVAWA |
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The Marvel Saga : The Official History of the Marvel Universe #11 (Marvel Comics)
Peter Sanderson
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
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ASIN: B000TDQN0E |
Books:
- Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province
- River Road Recipes: The Textbook of Louisiana Cuisine
- Ruskin's Rose: A Venetian Love Story
- Savor the Moment : Entertaining Without Reservations
- School of Visual Arts Gold: Fifty Years of Creative Graphic Design
- Search For The Real Self : Unmasking The Personality Disorders Of Our Age
- See's Famous Old Time Candies: A Sweet Story
- Sensational Pasta
- Should You Leave? A Psychiatrist Explores Intimacy and Autonomy -- and the Nature of Advice
- Smokin': Recipes for Smoking Ribs, Salmon, Chicken, Mozzarella, and More with Your Stovetop Smoker
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Regional Foods of Northern Italy: Recipes and Remembrances
A Thousand Days in Venice (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
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