The Campagna Table: Bring the Style and Cooking of the Italian Countryside into Your Own Home

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Summary: Great Reviews for THE CAMPAGNA TABLE
Review: Excerpt from Starred Review in Publisher's Weekly magazine--Strausman, chef/owner of New York City's Campagna restaurant, rejects elaborate food fads in favor of fresh ingredients, simply prepared. His emphasis throughout the book is on making life easier for the cook while not sacrificing the quality of country-style Italian cooking. Many of the dishes--sch as Italian Potato-Basil Salad and Involtini di Pollo al taormina--can be served at room temperature. There's also Baked Button Mushrooms with Peso, a staple of Campagna's antipasti. Because of its elegant simplicity, Penne A.O.P. is the restaurant's most requested recipes. Braised Striped Bass with Fennel, Pernod and Saffron delivers many of the flavors of bouillabaisse without complications....Strausman's relaxed approach to good food proves that there can never be too many Italian cookbooks.

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Summary: What a great book!
Review: I haven't read a cookbook I loved so much in a long time! In fact, once I started reading I finished it cover to cover. I found it full of useful little tidbits (I LOVE the pro tips and have already used some of them with my old standard recipes)and interesting ideas and stories. I spent a year in Italy and was thrilled to find that Maria's Bread and Onion Soup is similiar to one my Italian family used to make. It's sooo delicious! I also made the Turkey Polpette with Leek Sauce and my whole family loved it. I love this book and can't wait to try more recipes!

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Summary: Great recipes and a great read!
Review: I love the restaurant so I had to buy the book! The osso buco recipe is a winner and the penne a.o.p.is a quick cook's dream -- simple and delicious. There's great stuff to do with kids, too. I'm looking forward to sampling more.

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Summary: Thanks for a great dinner!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and so far have made the Tuscan Red Wine Chicken Stew which I served alongside the Polenta with Fontina, Arugula, and Tomatoes. Both came out so delicious. My guests were impressed but I didn't have any leftovers! I can't wait to try the Real Eggplant Parmigiana which looks amazing in the picture! The pro tips are great.

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Summary: First impression -- not good
Review: Just received the book and tried the Lasagna recipe which is the biggest disaster I've ever seen in a cookbook. The recipe is all wrong (2 1/4 cups flour in a quart of bechamel sauce! ) Other recipes look good (Osso Buco and risotto). Just avoid that Lasagna recipe!

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Summary: Regarding review from Montreal Canada
Review: Thank you for pointing out a typo in the book. The publisher has assured me that it will be corrected in the next printing. I recieved a call from an old customer in New York State who was preparing to cook the lasagna. She suspected something wrong when she read the recipe and fortunately, she called before proceeding! We fixed it together over the phone annd then she proceeded to tell me how much she loved the book, the recipes and the stories that accompany them. At the end of the coinversation I promised her a tray of lasagna to take home next time she was in the restaurant. She also recounted many stories about cookbooks with mistakes. That was conforting to hear because I put three years of effort, experience and love into the book, and it's frustrating to learn that one of my most loved dishes contains an error. The lasagna recipe is off by one cup of flour. Please do not judge the book by that cup! Thank you Mark Strausman

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Summary: Delicious food and a good read to boot!
Review: When I lived in NYC, Campagna was of my favorite restaurants. So, when I saw this cookbook, I pounced. Unfortunately, I happened to have been snookered by the Lasagna della Nonna typo on page 180. It's a tragedy that this recipe is the one misprinted because it is dee-licious! It took some serious doctoring of the bechamel to fix (I'm a serious recipe-follower and got confused). And, as the book states, it was a lot of work, but now that I know the recipe should say 1 1/4 cups of flour, I won't hesitate to make it again. It was worth the time and effort, even messed up. I've also made the Tuscan Red Wine Chicken Stew and it, too, was wonderful. Mark Strausman is a terrific cook and his book is a delight to read, too.