Francesco's Kitchen: An Intimate Guide to the Authentic Flavours of Venice

by Francesco Da Mosto

Francesco shows cooks how to prepare 150 classic Venetian recipes ranging from antipasti, sauces, soups, and fish, to meats, pasta, and puddings. He demonstrates how Venetian food is a fabulous fusion of ingredients brought together over centuries as merchants and traders traveled the Mediterranean. The ancient broeto (stock) and mollusk soups testify to this, as does the richness and variety of dishes based on fish, roasts, grills, tasty deep-fried delicacies, and sauces. Each chapter is introduced with the history and origins of the recipes, and throughout there are personal reminiscences by Francesco of his first encounters with his favorite dishes. As Francesco is keen to tell, his passion for cooking authentic Venetian food comes from "When I start talking about cooking, it is impossible to forget my father, his love and imagination for all things culinary. He has never feared unusual combinations of ingredients and seasonings, and I have always been a willing guinea pig."

Genres: Cooking, Cookbooks, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first got this book over 10ys ago in October 2007.I did not know it was based on TV series on BBC 2 but who cares. What I love about this that you don't just load of recipes but it is things like the photos of his Grandmother, his house or the history of a fork.
My favourite recipe is Cauliflower Risotto on page 69 a four **** I added white wine .Cauliflower is under used vegetable that Like Pumpkin is difficult to find recipes for it without cheese sauce, macaroni or pureeing it.
My other two are stuffed Pheasant & Asparagus Risotto another very easy dish with **** for me.
There is nothing worse than buying cook but when get to real look at at home it is not as good as it looked in the shop. This has good easy to read print a really good thing. Another thing I hate is ingredients that cost a bomb or you cannot find or if do cost an arm & a leg but when get them taste foul.
This not that type of book so if careful & look around you pick this book Second Hand for song. .

[Yasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is no ordinary cookbook! It is an education into the history of food in Venice.
Francesco is a master story teller, and the love and passion he has for his city really shines through in this amazing cookbook. It currently sits on my coffee table, encouraging me to explore new flavors and appreciate seasonal ingredients.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't see the TV series and had never heard of the author.
If the series was anything like the book I missed out.
History, personal comments about the recipes, beautiful photography of Venice and food, and recipes to die for.
I was lucky to buy this price listed £25 book which appears never to have read as withdrawn from my library for the princely sum of 30p !!!!!

[Fi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite Italian cookbooks, Francesco fills the book with delicious recipes and hugely interesting snippets of food history. A must-have for any fans of his television series and/or Italian cookery.