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The Glorious Vegetables of Italy by Domenica Marchetti – A Book Review
Carrot-Ricotta Ravioli with Herbed Butter
Green is the new black, so the food writers say. Vegetables are the answer to feeding a hungry planet, so the scientists say. However, this is not news to Italians. Their country’s rich soil produces an abundance of vegetables, each variety in astonishing array. Through the ages, from Apicius of ancient Rome, to Bartolomeo Scappi and Giacomo Castelveltri of the 16th and 17th centuries, right up to Pellegrino Artusi, Italian food writers have had a way with vegetables. With The Glorious Vegetables of Italy, food writer and cookbook author Domenica Marchetti has produced a treasure for our times and beyond. This book is the second in my Suggestions for Christmas Giving, but perhaps you had better not wait until Christmas. After all, the groaning board that is the Thanksgiving feast is replete with vegetables.
In this third volume of Ms. Marchetti’s Glorious series, she demonstrates the versatility and brilliance of classic Italian vegetable cookery, reinterpreted for the contemporary palate. It’s all here, opening with a section on vegetable identification, uses and seasonality, including a beautifully realized photographic gallery. There are basics on equipment and herbs, pasta dough and sauces. Course by course, this book will realign the senses of anyone who thinks of vegetables only as side dishes. Read the remainder of this entry »
My Calabria by Rosetta Costantino with Janet Fletcher
A Book Review
My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy’s Undiscovered South
I have mentioned it before. I am a cookbook addict, an avid collector. I love the genre, and my shelves are overflowing. Positively, absolutely overflowing. The truth is the books have begun a slow walk across the library floor, down the hall to the side of my bed. Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you. It is only fitting that the books have made their way to my bedside since cookbooks are my preferred bedtime reading. But with all those books I have had to become highly selective with my purchases. This one, however, was the proverbial no brainer. As soon as I heard that Rosetta Costantino had written a book on the cooking of Calabria, I knew I had to buy it. Ms. Costantino was born in Calabria, and at the age of fourteen came with her parents to the United States. She and her family live in Oakland, California where she teaches cooking. Her book was released late last year. I apologize to you all for keeping it to myself. Its 416 pages are filled with the food and culture of Calabria, all from the very personal viewpoint of Ms. Costantino. This collection of recipes, reminiscences and cultural background will have you reaching for your Post-It Flags. Read the remainder of this entry »