Regional Foods of Southern Italy

Rating:
Summary: A Good Book, But Not For Everyone
Review: Anyone interested in traditional regional recipes of Italy would enjoy owning this book. As the Italian Food host at BellaOnline, regional Italian cuisine is a special interest of mine. It is very evident as one reads through each chapter that Ms. Blasi has put a great deal of time into researching the southern regions of Italy, it's people and their cuisine. It is much more than a mere cookbook as great care has gone into describing each region which is encompassed in it's own chapter containing a brief bit of the region's history.

As each chapter unfolds, Ms. Blasi shares with us the traditional specialties of that region, with page after page of delicious recipes. I particularly enjoyed the recipes used to celebrate the major Italian holidays.

Although I found it disappointing that this book contained no photographs or illustrations, which would only have enhanced my opinion of this book, I was pleased that the majority of recipes called for every day ingredients. There are a number of game recipes, but on the whole, most recipes could easily be created by the average individual who shops at their local grocery or Italian specialty store.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in regional Italian cooking and it's history. However, it is probably not the best book for someone looking for a basic Italian cookbook.

Rating:
Summary: Captures flavours of the past
Review: In the world of sugo gia pronto (prepared pasta sauce) and frozen TV dinners, there are subtly scented dishes that were prepared in the meticulous way by women whose lifestyle was much more different from ours. Not to romanticize the times past too much, but there is no doubt that some of the traditional cuisines are in the danger of extinction. Not that many young Italian women even know how to prepare proper caponata, not to mention more elaborate dishes. As someone who lived in Italy, I am well aware of this. I must say that I thank my grandmothers who instilled in me the love of cooking and love of life.

Onto the book... I admit that Marlena's prose can be a bit overwrought, however after making some of the recipes from her book, I am smitten. I loved caponata (time consuming, no doubt, but what marvelous flavour! Subtle, delicate, with the right degree of sourness and pungency.) Do buy the book, if only for this recipe. Her pasta sauce recipes are great and many are very easy to put together. I would not recommend this as an introduction to Italian cooking, however any Italian food lover should have this and her Northern Italy counterpart in their collection. Mille grazie, Marlena!

Rating:
Summary: Best meals I've ever had
Review: This book certainly has more prose than necessary, but the recipes are the important part - and these recipes are great. If you are looking for simple, rustic, italian recipes, there are plenty of other books to chose from. This author, however, provides the best collection of recipes that goes beyond the basics, providing the reader with meals you won't see anywhere. The recipe for chestnut flour-ricotta gnocchi are a good example.

Rating:
Summary: MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN AN ITALIAN COOKBOOK!
Review: This is an extraordinary book. I have never had a "cookbook" like this one and have come to treasure Marlena De Blasi's work. Like the other reviewers, I would agree that this is not a simple, "learn the basics of Italian cooking" cookbook. It is, however, well worth the time spent learning about these recipes and their cultural context. Ms De Blasi succeeds in connecting the reader with the spirit, with the essence, with the history and the context of cooking in Southern Italy. Each recipe, or group of recipes, is preceeded by wonderful descriptions of where, when and how the dish was made over the centuries. It give the reader a feel for the people who developed these recipes over time, and the forces that led them to create. I have read the cookbook cover to cover and found it delightful. Surprisingly open but a great pleasure as you get to know Marlena and her husband. I have also cooked about 2 dozen of the recipes. Some are somewhat complicated but nearly all turned out wonderfully. Some of the greatest successes are the seafood (particularly mussels done several different ways and a roasted rockfish/sea bass) and the many (often simple) pastas. Regional Foods of Southern Italy is a rare, and invaluable, find.

Rating:
Summary: Connecting with the spirit of Southern Italian cooking
Review: This is an extraordinary book. I have never had a "cookbook" like this one and have come to treasure Marlena De Blasi's work. Like the other reviewers, I would agree that this is not a simple, "learn the basics of Italian cooking" cookbook. It is, however, well worth the time spent learning about these recipes and their cultural context. Ms De Blasi succeeds in connecting the reader with the spirit, with the essence, with the history and the context of cooking in Southern Italy. Each recipe, or group of recipes, is preceeded by wonderful descriptions of where, when and how the dish was made over the centuries. It give the reader a feel for the people who developed these recipes over time, and the forces that led them to create. I have read the cookbook cover to cover and found it delightful. Surprisingly open but a great pleasure as you get to know Marlena and her husband. I have also cooked about 2 dozen of the recipes. Some are somewhat complicated but nearly all turned out wonderfully. Some of the greatest successes are the seafood (particularly mussels done several different ways and a roasted rockfish/sea bass) and the many (often simple) pastas. Regional Foods of Southern Italy is a rare, and invaluable, find.

Rating:
Summary: MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN AN ITALIAN COOKBOOK!
Review: What a wonderful book! The stories associated with the recipes are just amazing. Especially the story of Elisabetta, the seventy year old restaurateur--who began her career at the age of sixty-one--that told the author she has just come into her stride. The Polenta with Braised Pork and Roasted Red Peppers recipe that was included with this story was great.

If you have an opportunity to purchase this book, and you have the time and patience to allow some of these recipes to develop you and whoever you serve will be richly rewarded. There are recipes of seafood, pasta, pork and lamb. Some of the recipes are quick and simple, with simple ingredients. Some of the recipes require more ingredients, as well as time. However, my book is marked with post-it-notes on many recipes that I cannot wait to present to my family.