La Bella Cucina: How to Cook, Eat, and Live Like an Italian

Rating:
Summary: Relax, browse, cook
Review: Musing on her life in the Salento, a rugged, isolated part of Puglia, Viana La Place ("Cucina Fresca," a classic and personal favorite) paints a romantic, convivial, earthy portrait of the simple life. The recipes, from little dishes through main courses and finishes, are enveloped in Italian ritual and custom and La Place's own experiences. She includes a chapter on wild foods and another brings together dishes for "when you are not feeling well." Ingredients are fresh and simple - though not always easy to obtain here; the leaves and stems of an Italian squash, for example.

But whether she's braising an artichoke, roasting an eggplant, or stewing beef, La Place explains how to choose the best and get it right. Rustic dishes include bread and wine-washed arugula, white bean and ditalini soup with wild fennel, dried fava bean puree with leeks and bitter greens. There are several tomato sauces, simple pasta dishes with wild herbs, or vegetables or seafood, risottos, fried squid, skewered lamb and roast pork.

This is a book for browsing and relaxing as much as cooking.

Rating:
Summary: Relax, browse, cook
Review: Musing on her life in the Salento, a rugged, isolated part of Puglia, Viana La Place ("Cucina Fresca," a classic and personal favorite) paints a romantic, convivial, earthy portrait of the simple life. The recipes, from little dishes through main courses and finishes, are enveloped in Italian ritual and custom and La Place's own experiences. She includes a chapter on wild foods and another brings together dishes for "when you are not feeling well." Ingredients are fresh and simple - though not always easy to obtain here; the leaves and stems of an Italian squash, for example.

But whether she's braising an artichoke, roasting an eggplant, or stewing beef, La Place explains how to choose the best and get it right. Rustic dishes include bread and wine-washed arugula, white bean and ditalini soup with wild fennel, dried fava bean puree with leeks and bitter greens. There are several tomato sauces, simple pasta dishes with wild herbs, or vegetables or seafood, risottos, fried squid, skewered lamb and roast pork.

This is a book for browsing and relaxing as much as cooking.