Carluccio’s Complete Italian Food
August 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under Italian Cooking
£8.44
Amazon. co. uk Review
Maestro Carluccio hits the spot again with Complete Italian Food. Despite the title, it is not a comprehensive encyclopedia–how could it be, at 320 pages?–but a personal sampling of Italian food as it is still produced by traditional methods using traditional skills and materials: “real Italian food, where it comes from and why it tastes the way it does”. Rather than work his way through the 20 regions of Italy, Carluccio has chosen to start with the foodstuffs themselves. A chapter is devoted to each category: Fish & Shellfish; Eggs, Poultry & Game; Fresh & Cured Meats and so on. Each contains an account of the place these foods hold in Italian culture and an A-Z of the most common individual ingredients, describing each briefly and noting differences in approach from region to region. A selection of recipes follows. It is with these that the book really rises to the heights. How does Carluccio do it? He seems to be able effortlessly to extract from the huge number of available recipes just those that will show up both the beauty of Italian food and its great range. The mushroom dishes are a good example of the deceptive simplicity at work here (fungi are a passion of Caluccio’s): Taglierini Pasta with White Truffle; Procini in Oil; Cured Mixed Wild Mushrooms; Baked Kid with Cardoncelli; Judas Ears Sauteed with Garlic and Pasley; Grilled Porcini Caps with Garlic. . . So it continues, contributing to a wonderfully judicious and informative book. –Robin Davidson
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
A beautiful, informative book – a must for all lovers of Italian food –Good Housekeeping<br /><br />A delight to read, look at and cook from –Sainsbury’s Magazine<br /><br />The ultimate compendium of Italian ingredients, produce and recipes –Publishing NewsA delight to read, look at and cook from –Sainsbury’s MagazineThe ultimate compendium of Italian ingredients, produce and recipes –Publishing News
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I have to disagree with the reviewer who said this book was a disappointment. It does not pretend to be a recipe book – not a traditional one at least. What it is, on the otherhand, is a complete guide to Italian food and cooking. There is a lot of priceless information, doubtlessly-well researched, about how the various ingredients work together, their availability in various regions, and, of course, mouth-watering recipes. What the previous reviewer failed to see, perhaps, was that the recipes given in this book are very easily adaptable, and having read the background info at the beginning of each chapter, one can very easily create a multitude of traditional Italian dishes, based on the recipes found within the same chapter. I am a great fan of Italian cuisine, and a firm believer that cooking is an art, not a task. If all you need is a bible-full of straightforward recipes, with little or no background info, then perhaps something like The Silver Spoon would suit your needs better. However, if you enjoy adding your touch to the dishes you create, then Complete Italian Food is the book for you. It not only presents instructions. . . . it makes the recipes work for you, and makes them so easily adaptable that before long you’ll soon be creating your very own repertoire of Italian delicacies. . . . your style!!!