Nov. 23, 2009
BOOK REVIEW: 'Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy': A Moveable Feast from 12 Italian Regions
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and her daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali take us on a gastronomical Tour of Italy in Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes (Knopf, 432 pages, $35.00).
This lavishly illustrated cookbook and travel book in one picks up where she left off from Lidia's previous 2007 book "Lidia's Italy" and her other books, covering well-known regions and little-known ones alike.
Lidia Bastianich awakens in us a new respect for food and for the people who produce it in the little-known parts of Italy that she explores. All of the recipes reflect the regions from which they spring, and in translating them to our home kitchens, Lidia passes on time-honored techniques and wonderful, uncomplicated recipes for dishes bursting with different regional flavors—the kind of elemental, good family cooking that is particularly appreciated today.
Penetrating the heart of Italy—starting at the north, working down to the tip, and ending in Sardinia—Lidia unearths a wealth of recipes:
From Trentino–Alto Adige: Delicious Dumplings with Speck (cured pork); apples accenting soup, pasta, salsa, and salad; local beer used to roast a chicken and to braise beef. Alto Adige is a German oriented region centering around Bolzano, called Bozen in German. Alto Adige was formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, known as South Tyrol, and was annexed by Italy after World War I as a reward for Italy joining the Allies in the fight against the German and Austro-Hungarian emplires.
From Lombardy: A world of rice—baked in a frittata, with lentils, with butternut squash, with gorgonzola, and the special treat of Risotto Milan-Style with Marrow and Saffron
From Valle d’Aosta: Polenta with Black Beans and Kale, and local fontina featured in fondue, in a roasted pepper salad, and embedded in veal chops.
From Liguria: An array of Stuffed Vegetables, a bread salad, and elegant Veal Stuffed with a Mosaic of Vegetables. Genoa (Genova in Italian) is the biggest city in this region.
From Emilia-Romagna: An olive oil dough for making the traditional, versatile vegetable tart erbazzone, as well as the secrets of making tagliatelle and other pasta doughs, and an irresistible Veal Scaloppine Bolognese
From Le Marche: Farro with Roasted Pepper Sauce, Lamb Chunks with Olives, and Stuffed Quail in Parchment
From Umbria: A taste of the sweet Norcino black truffle, and seductive dishes such as Potato-Mushroom Cake with Braised Lentils, Sausages in the Skillet with Grapes, and Chocolate Bread Parfait
From Abruzzo: Fresh scrippelle (crêpe) ribbons baked with spinach or garnishing a soup, fresh pasta made with a “guitar,” Rabbit with Onions, and Lamb Chops with Olives
From Molise: Fried Ricotta; homemade cavatelli pasta in a variety of ways; Spaghetti with Calamari, Shrimp, and Scallops; and Braised Octopus
From Basilicata: Wedding Soup, Fiery Maccheroni, and Farro with Pork Ragù
From Calabria: Shepherd’s Rigatoni, steamed swordfish, and Almond Biscottini
From Sardinia: Flatbread Lasagna, two lovely eggplant dishes, and Roast Lobster with Bread Crumb Topping
If you're not drooling by now, you are possessed of amazing self-restraint! My review copy probably is moistened by my own saliva! The food photography is outstanding and the book includes photos of attractions that will make you want to visit Italy. Every region competes for tourists, although many are just now becoming known to international travelers. I have a friend in Texas, east of Dallas, who lived and worked in Italy; he considers it the most beautiful place on earth.
This is just a sampling of the many delights Lidia has uncovered. All the recipes she shares with us in this rich feast of a book represent the work of the local people and friends with whom she made intimate contact—the farmers, shepherds, foragers, and artisans who produce local cheeses, meats, olive oils, and wines. And in addition, her daughter, Tanya, takes us on side trips in each of the twelve regions to share her love of the country and its art.
If you're wondering how you can create these fabulous dishes in your own U.S. kitchen, Lidia has good news: thanks to the Internet, you can get authentic Italian ingredients by mail. Lidia provides sources. If you live in a city with many Italian food sources -- New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco -- you probably can get them locally, too. I've been to New Orleans many times and imported Italian products are available there, too.
And -- a personal suggestion -- you should definitely consider Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, MI. (www.zingermans.com). My latest catalog from this Detroit area landmark lists many items from Italy, including balsamic vinegars from La Vecchia Dispensa near Modena; Agrumato lemon oil and other Italian citrus oils; a wonderful variety of Italian olive oils; Italian cheeses and many, many desserts. Zingerman's is not just for the holidays, although they ship much of their mail order items this time of the year; it's for year-round gourmet cooks.
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich was born in 1947 in Pula (Italian: Pola), county of Istria, Croatia. Her family emigrated to the New York area in 1958. She specializes in Italian-American cuisine, and became a TV celebrity through her cooking shows. She has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, MO.
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BOOK REVIEW: 'Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy': A Moveable Feast from 12 Italian Regions
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and her daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali take us on a gastronomical Tour of Italy in Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes (Knopf, 432 pages, $35.00).
This lavishly illustrated cookbook and travel book in one picks up where she left off from Lidia's previous 2007 book "Lidia's Italy" and her other books, covering well-known regions and little-known ones alike.
Lidia Bastianich awakens in us a new respect for food and for the people who produce it in the little-known parts of Italy that she explores. All of the recipes reflect the regions from which they spring, and in translating them to our home kitchens, Lidia passes on time-honored techniques and wonderful, uncomplicated recipes for dishes bursting with different regional flavors—the kind of elemental, good family cooking that is particularly appreciated today.
Penetrating the heart of Italy—starting at the north, working down to the tip, and ending in Sardinia—Lidia unearths a wealth of recipes:
From Trentino–Alto Adige: Delicious Dumplings with Speck (cured pork); apples accenting soup, pasta, salsa, and salad; local beer used to roast a chicken and to braise beef. Alto Adige is a German oriented region centering around Bolzano, called Bozen in German. Alto Adige was formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, known as South Tyrol, and was annexed by Italy after World War I as a reward for Italy joining the Allies in the fight against the German and Austro-Hungarian emplires.
From Lombardy: A world of rice—baked in a frittata, with lentils, with butternut squash, with gorgonzola, and the special treat of Risotto Milan-Style with Marrow and Saffron
From Valle d’Aosta: Polenta with Black Beans and Kale, and local fontina featured in fondue, in a roasted pepper salad, and embedded in veal chops.
From Liguria: An array of Stuffed Vegetables, a bread salad, and elegant Veal Stuffed with a Mosaic of Vegetables. Genoa (Genova in Italian) is the biggest city in this region.
From Emilia-Romagna: An olive oil dough for making the traditional, versatile vegetable tart erbazzone, as well as the secrets of making tagliatelle and other pasta doughs, and an irresistible Veal Scaloppine Bolognese
From Le Marche: Farro with Roasted Pepper Sauce, Lamb Chunks with Olives, and Stuffed Quail in Parchment
From Umbria: A taste of the sweet Norcino black truffle, and seductive dishes such as Potato-Mushroom Cake with Braised Lentils, Sausages in the Skillet with Grapes, and Chocolate Bread Parfait
From Abruzzo: Fresh scrippelle (crêpe) ribbons baked with spinach or garnishing a soup, fresh pasta made with a “guitar,” Rabbit with Onions, and Lamb Chops with Olives
From Molise: Fried Ricotta; homemade cavatelli pasta in a variety of ways; Spaghetti with Calamari, Shrimp, and Scallops; and Braised Octopus
From Basilicata: Wedding Soup, Fiery Maccheroni, and Farro with Pork Ragù
From Calabria: Shepherd’s Rigatoni, steamed swordfish, and Almond Biscottini
From Sardinia: Flatbread Lasagna, two lovely eggplant dishes, and Roast Lobster with Bread Crumb Topping
If you're not drooling by now, you are possessed of amazing self-restraint! My review copy probably is moistened by my own saliva! The food photography is outstanding and the book includes photos of attractions that will make you want to visit Italy. Every region competes for tourists, although many are just now becoming known to international travelers. I have a friend in Texas, east of Dallas, who lived and worked in Italy; he considers it the most beautiful place on earth.
This is just a sampling of the many delights Lidia has uncovered. All the recipes she shares with us in this rich feast of a book represent the work of the local people and friends with whom she made intimate contact—the farmers, shepherds, foragers, and artisans who produce local cheeses, meats, olive oils, and wines. And in addition, her daughter, Tanya, takes us on side trips in each of the twelve regions to share her love of the country and its art.
If you're wondering how you can create these fabulous dishes in your own U.S. kitchen, Lidia has good news: thanks to the Internet, you can get authentic Italian ingredients by mail. Lidia provides sources. If you live in a city with many Italian food sources -- New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco -- you probably can get them locally, too. I've been to New Orleans many times and imported Italian products are available there, too.
And -- a personal suggestion -- you should definitely consider Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, MI. (www.zingermans.com). My latest catalog from this Detroit area landmark lists many items from Italy, including balsamic vinegars from La Vecchia Dispensa near Modena; Agrumato lemon oil and other Italian citrus oils; a wonderful variety of Italian olive oils; Italian cheeses and many, many desserts. Zingerman's is not just for the holidays, although they ship much of their mail order items this time of the year; it's for year-round gourmet cooks.
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich was born in 1947 in Pula (Italian: Pola), county of Istria, Croatia. Her family emigrated to the New York area in 1958. She specializes in Italian-American cuisine, and became a TV celebrity through her cooking shows. She has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, MO.
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