A Cook's Tour of Italy: More than 300 Authentic Recipes from the Regions of Italy

by Joe Famularo

The James Beard Award-winning author of The Joy of Grilling shares a collection of more than three hundred authentic recipes that represent the finest in traditional Italian cuisine, including a variety of regional specialties, fifty full-course menus, wine suggestions, information on ingredients, preparation tips, and an introduction to Italian culinary history. Reprint.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Eros Bittersweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been a really nice surprise. Rather than showy American/Italian dishes drowning in cheeses and sauces, most of the food is along the lines of cucina povera - simple, everyday dishes, minimally adorned, surprisingly healthy, grouped by the region of Italy from which it originates, accompanied by a brief discussion of traditional foods in that corner of the country.

This is not the book you bring out to cook a spectacular showstopping feast. It's the one you flip through when you want to cook an easy family dinner, to find a straightforward weeknight kale soup or something simple but genius, like ginger garlic pasta, or the most minimalist salads: romaine, watercress and snow peas. This is grandma-style Italian food: humble, unpretentious. I especially love all the fish recipes. There's swordfish with white wine, salmon with rhubarb, scallops on chicory. Since it's published in 2003, a lot of what might seem exotic to an early-aughts audience is pretty mainstream nowadays (cantaloupe and prosciutto, anyone?), but the intention here is to present dishes which are more or less timeless Italian classics to a North American audience.

[Faith Wembley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just made the shrimp and bass risotto with saffron and feel every bit as alive and happy as if I were in the Veneto watching the gondolas float down the canal. Joe Famularo's book is so evocative of each region in Italy with menus to match the specialties and flavors of each, throwing in a bit of folklore and anecdotes on the side, to give each menu an authentic Italian flavor, that it is like traveling there, almost as good. His knowledge of Italian cuisine is impressive but he is also, like the best cookbook writers, an exuberant guide as he invites you to discover the subtleties of true Italian cooking and captivates you with his writing, like Nigella Lawson. It's varied and exciting. You feel like he is your host and his menus are truly simple and organized beautifully around each region.

[Ramani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love reading the cook books. This has some good recipes.