"The important elements are the ingredients." Chef Cesare
Chef Cesare Casella offers a delightful and tasty trip through the Tuscany region of Italy. Delicious recipes intermingle with wonderful photographs and Casella's essays about his life, Tuscany, and great food. The 160 decadent recipes and arranged into menus by season, and each menu has an interesting "diary entry" about life in Italy. The recipes are well written, easy to follow, and are very doable for most cooks. Best recipe in the book? Hands down, the "Risotto di Granchi Teneri," Soft-Shell Crab Risotto which alone is easily worth the purchase price of the book.
Cesare Casella, Italian chef extraordinaire, is out to prove that this food can
be both simple to prepare and surprisingly healthy. Italian mothers and
grandmothers wouldn't have it any other way!
In Casella's previous culinary creation, Diary of a Tuscan Chef, we joined the
author on a food pilgrimage to Tuscany. Now, in Italian Cooking for Dummies,
the trek explores every region and its associated dishes. Casella and
coauthor Jack Bishop embrace us as close friends with whom they have
eaten pasta for years.
One step at a time, the authors lovingly explain how to make Italian food at
home, discussing ingredients and techniques. Scattered within each of the
eight chapters are recipes for 29 pasta dishes, 7 risottos, 22 heavenly
desserts--in fact, 150 delicious dishes altogether. In traditional For Dummies
style, life is made easier by icons alerting you to timesaving tips or
potentially disastrous situations--like leaving risotto unattended, which can
lead to a big sticky vat of goo!
There is something here for every taste: meats, fish, pizzas, and vegetarian
dishes, as well as desserts and salads. Pasta Wheels with Walnut Sauce
makes a nutty alternative to pasta dishes made with tomato-based sauces.
The Spinach Gnocchi are surprisingly simple to create and will be gobbled
down in no time. Calzone with Mixed Vegetables is a healthy alternative to
pepperoni pizza.
Desserts are very well represented--here is traditional Creme Caramel, and a
delightful Pink Grapefruit Granita.
So enjoy life and eat like the Italians do; Italian Cooking for Dummies shows
A native of Lucca and the chef-owner of Beppe, Cesare Casella is the realthing when it comes to Tuscan food. In True Tuscan, Casella offers authentic recipes and Beppe favorites, as well as history and legends, culinary andotherwise, of Italy's most adored region.
From Catherine di Medici, who introduced the French to the fork and highheels, to Italian cowboys, this region boasts an intriguing and exciting heritage, and an equally thrilling cuisine.
In True Tuscan, Casella presents the Tuscany he knows--the time-honoredrecipes of his ancestors spiced with historical facts and gossip.Casella is not afraid to update and improve, as his Beppe dishes make clear,but he is devoted to the Tuscan spirit, which he is uniquely qualified tocelebrate and explore.These 125 tempting and satisfying recipes cover every course, from antipastito dolci, and feature authentic flavors that promise to surprise and delight youand your guests.
