Cucina Simpatica: Robust Trattoria Cooking From Al Forno

by Leonard Lauder

Cucina Simpatica brings to home cooks the luscious, lusty food of Al Forno, the acclaimed restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. Since opening Al Forno in 1980, owners-chefs Johanne Killeen and George Germon have won a loyal following, rave reviews, and many awards for their superb food. The recipes reflect their down-to-earth style of hearty yet simple trattoria and Italian home cooking. Included are detailed instructions for making their renowned grilled pizza. While Cucina Simpatica is organized by courses—from starters, soups, salads, bruschetta, crostinis, and polenta to pizzas, pastas, grills, roasts, braises, vegetables, and desserts—the authors urge readers to be flexible and make their own choices. A grilled pizza accompanied by a small salad may suffice for dinner. Pasta can be served in small portions as a first course or in larger amounts as the focus of the meal. A platter of roasted vegetables makes a fine meatless meal. Cucina Simpatica inspires home cooks to prepare the rustic, robust Italian-style food from one of America's finest restaurants.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Italian Literature

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 1991

About the author

Leonard Alan Lauder was an American billionaire, philanthropist, art collector. He and his brother, Ronald Lauder, are the sole heirs to the Estée Lauder Companies cosmetics fortune, founded by their parents, Estée Lauder and Joseph Lauder, in 1946. Having been its CEO until 1999, Lauder was the chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. During his tenure as the CEO, the company went public at The New York Stock Exchange in 1996 and acquired several major cosmetics brands, including MAC Cosmetics, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, and La Mer.
In 2013, Lauder promised his collection of Cubist art to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The collection is valued at over $1 billion and constitutes one of the largest gifts in the museum's history.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated Lauder's net worth at US$32.3 billion as of September 2021, the 44th richest person in the world.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book after seeing that at least one other RI library cookbook book club had used it. I felt it was a strong choice because the authors own a RI restaurant. We all enjoyed it but it was a tiny bit challenging because many of the recipes were designed to be cooked just before serving, which we couldn't do since some of us had to have our dish prepared before work that day. We all enjoyed talking about the recipes, though, and that, is after all, the whole point!

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw these chefs on Martha and thought their dishes looked wonderful. This is an autographed book.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some fantastic recipes- especially baked pasta with radicchio.