Whatever Happened to Sunday Dinner?: A year of Italian menus with 250 recipes that celebrate family

by Lisa Caponigri

“Caponigri’s passionate paean to traditional Italian feasts . . . There are hearty, luscious but doable menus for a year of Sundays.” —NJ.comThe family that eats together stays together! That’s what Lisa Caponigri believes, and she created Whatever Happened to Sunday Dinner? to give real families recipes they can easily cook and enjoy together. Caponigri has devised fifty-two delicious Italian menus—one for each Sunday of the year—that feature all the favorites, including classics like crostini, lasagne, polenta, stuffed peppers, veal piccata, risotto alla Milanese, and ricotta pie. There are also many surprises like Woodman’s pasta and Italian french fries—and traditional, treasured dishes from her own family’s kitchen, such as Nana’s Strufoli and Grandma Caponigri’s Ragu Sauce. Beautifully photographed by Guy Ambrosino, Whatever Happened to Sunday Dinner? showcases food styling by former Gourmet magazine editor Kate Winslow.“[A] delightful guide to Italian family dining . . . well-written and beautifully presented . . . Whatever Happened to Sunday Dinner? will give you all the inspiration and practical information you need to make those family meals memorable and delicious.” —The Wall Street Journal“The book is flavored with Italian aphorisms, informative menu introductions and Caponigri’s family history . . . A good cookbook to gather a hungry crowd and leave them happily satiated.” —Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Italian Literature

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2008

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess. I am a cookbook fanatic. At the library where I work, I keep an eye peeled for interesting cookbooks. If the recipes are too complex or they call for lots of rare ingredients, I return it to the shelf. I'm a lazy cook. I want spectacular results from simple effort.

This cookbook has the wrong title and terrible cover art. One of our librarians included it in a display of books that weren't circulating. If I had any pull with the publisher, I would re-release it with a different title and cover art. Because it may be the best Italian cookbook I've ever seen.

Lisa Caponigri has provided 52 Italian Sunday dinner menus, each with one appetizer, a first course (usually a pasta), a main dish & side dish, and a dessert. Combinations are carefully considered. Preparation is fairly simple (though beginner cooks may struggle a little) and ingredients are straight forward.

If you like Italian food and want to learn, this is your cookbook.

[Sarah Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this book, complete Sunday dinners for traditional Italian American Sunday dinner. However some of the recipes I am familiar with were overly simplified. There are also several interesting recipes I’ve never heard of. The recipes tend to lean toward Southern Italian.

[Honest Mabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes are good.

1 star docked for terrible set up
1 star docked for no god damn index.

Who the fuck makes a cookbook with no index????

[Eh?Eh! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite all my family's troubles, we would sit down for dinner every night. Food replaced words. "Are you still hungry? Do you want some more?" translated to "I love you." Even now, when I visit the parents, I'm told to wash my hands and then sit down and eat this. And that. And then try this. When I leave, I'm loaded up with a couple bags. I try protesting this every few months, all that work by my little tiger mother which she doesn't have to do. It cored me out when she once reluctantly admitted that food is something she's still able to give me.

Reading this discount cookbook ended up being a little difficult. With all the recipes, the author writes of her family memories full of boisterous generations and every recipe feeds 6 to 12. I'm still cooking for one but my peers have been building their families for several years now - I am envious, impatient, and not a little scared of, well, the future.

Someday, I'd like to use this cookbook like it's supposed to be used.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice book to look through. The pictures are great and the menus sound delicious. I like the concept of the Sunday dinner menu and involving the whole family in preparation. Some recipes are fairly simple, but a lot of it is beyond my skill level as a cook. It will definitely make you wish you were Italian.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pictures (not enough) and recipes, but nothing struck my fancy.

[Jesse Henning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute concept - 52 menus for 52 Sundays out of the year. I have a bit of an attitude about Italian food - but these recipes are great for a crowd.