Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa

by Vincent Schiavelli, Santo Lipani (Illustrator)

Vincent Schiavelli is known to most of us as a character actor who has appeared in such films as Ghost, Man on the Moon, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Schiavelli grew up in Brooklyn, speaking both Sicilian and English at home. Some of his earliest memories are of sitting at the kitchen table while his grandparents told stories of the life and the people they had left behind in Polizzi Generosa, a small city in the Madonie Mountains of Sicily. As Schiavelli grew older, those stories, and the city about which they were told, took on a mythic quality. When he was nearly forty he made his first trip there, and what he found was more extraordinary than the "once upon a time" fables of his childhood. In Many Beautiful Things, Schiavelli invites readers to join him in discovering the people, culture, and food of the city that has, in essence, become his second home. Equal parts memoir and cookbook, it is the best of both. Schiavelli is an accomplished and elegant writer who evokes a foreign and often closed culture from a unique an outsider fluent in the language with still-strong familial ties. The recipes -- which reflect the ancient influences of Greece, North Africa, and Spain -- are simple, rustic, and delicious, depending on local products and seasonal bounty. This is not your usual Southern Italian fare but a unique regional Pumpkin Caponata, Ditali with Drowned Lettuce, Fried Ricotta Omelet, Potato Gratin with Bay Leaves, Almond Love Bites, Veal Shoulder Roasted with Marsala, and Baked Pasta with Almonds (rigatoni baked in a pork ragù with chopped toasted almonds) are just a few of the extraordinary dishes you'll find in this book, all of which can be reproduced by cooks with delectable results. Schiavelli provides a comprehensive list of mail-order sources. And if you want to visit Polizzi Generosa, there's a guide on how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat. Illustrated with black-and-white line drawings by Polizzi's best known artist, Santo Lipani (who also happens to be an extraordinary cook), Many Beautiful Things is a feast, both culinary and literary.

Genres: Food, Cooking, Travel

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2002

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

_Many Beautify Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa_ is a feast of words describing the community, history, and food of a Sicilian town. This book is absolutely fun and engaging. It's been a lovely summer read, one that I'd enjoy any time of year because it takes me on a mini-vacation to a far-away land, one which I understood through only overarching ideas but no specific stories or examples.

First, I came to better appreciate the unique culture of Schiavelli's family homeland. He weaves his personal stories with stories of people who are native to Polizzi Generosa, and I could see the various people in my mind's eye as I read. How do they spend their hot summer evenings? What work do elderly men have in contributing to their families and community? What holidays are most traditional, and what contemporary nuances do these holidays now take? Who are the people who are outsiders yet still part of the tight-knit community in various ways? Daily jobs, festivals, special family names, religious beliefs, and personal idiosyncrasies are brightly presented without being dismissive or idealized. I also appreciate how he weaves contemporary language into this, subtly showing linguistic details that reflect larger society. Furthermore, I did not feel like Polizzi Generosa was completely different. Various chapters start with Schiavelli receiving gifts or messages in California, and those are the prompts which take him -- and us readers-- to the community where his grandparents first lived. Other times, he revisits his childhood in Brooklyn as he describes walking the same streets where his family lived or meeting people who remind him of his grandparents, and then he creates a new family connection in taking his son to this town. This allows a type of connection for me, a reader who has never been to Sicily and perhaps might not get a chance to go. It's also a reminder for many of us to pause and reflect on our own personal and family histories.

Also, Schiavelli presents various recipes from this community: pasta dishes, rich pastries, numerous vegetable offerings, on and on. Each collection of recipes reflects the stories within their corresponding chapters. I enjoyed reading the recipes' and food stories' lessons about history, showing more complexity than the stereotyped, simplistic ideas we have formed about Sicily. Some chapters are longer because they address various turning points in this community, and then the recipes allow us to better appreciate the cuisine influenced by European, North African, and native peoples. The recipes seem easy to follow, but I have yet to try preparing them for meals here in the Midwest. Honestly, I can't wait to try some of these recipes. I've read a few other books which have incorporated stories and recipes, but this seems to have more recipes compared to the other books. In fact, in some of the recipe sections are longer than their respective story sections. I don't mind because the recipes seem complete and the stories are descriptive yet still succinct. I am still relatively new to reading story/recipe books, so I'll be looking for more. Reading this has definitely inspired me to read more like this.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes and general aura of this book are romantic, exciting, inspirational. I enjoyed the read immensely.

The writing, and the history-telling, left a little to be desired. Still, this should be required reading for anyone who has been or wants to go to Sicily.

In the meantime, I have a list of recipes to try!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book and I was led to it by Tembi Locke's book. I knew immediately who Vincent was in her story and enjoyed getting to know him more.

[Lynne Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a somewhat random book that fell into my hands. The beginning held my interest, but not much beyond that. It is not a bad book, just not appealing to me personally.