From the Tables of Tuscan Women: Recipes and Traditions

Rating:
Summary: A great read before visiting Italy
Review: It really works to read this book before visiting Italy. After reading this book, I had a good idea of what I was after in my visit to Italy, of the authenticity of the people, of the places I had to go to in order to find what I wanted. It's a great read, and the recipes are good, really good. Pretty easy, too, a lot of them. It's an odd mix, this book--literary and hands on. I liked it, and it really made my trip (and my cooking!) complete. I think this woman writes books for people who really know how to love food and cooking.

Rating:
Summary: Tuscan comfort
Review: What greets the arrival of colder weather better than Italian food - the comfort of pasta, and long-simmered meats? "From the Tables of Tuscan Women" focuses on the province of Lucca in west Tuscany, and nine women who have spent long, productive lives turning out dishes like potato or chestnut croquettes, stuffed mussels, poached fish with parsley sauce or oven-roasted stuffed rabbit.

Chapters center around ingredients and courses from mushrooms and chestnuts through pasta, fish, game, meat and dessert. Each chapter opens with a visit to one of the chefs who shares Tuscan anecdotes, good-natured arrogance and cooking tips

Bianchi's unabashed admiration gives the book an intimate feel which is borne out through simple recipes like fried polenta or pork sausage with white beans and fennel or more complex dishes like tacconi alla Lucchese which tops homemade pasta squares with a thick herb-flavored sauce of rabbit, beef and red wine. Basil, sage and rosemary are staple herbs, prosciutto is a frequent accent, mushrooms and chestnuts are gathered wild, everything seems infused with the sunshine of the Mediterranean. Bianchi also offers variations and optional ingredients to suit the American kitchen.

Rating:
Summary: Tuscan comfort
Review: What greets the arrival of colder weather better than Italian food - the comfort of pasta, and long-simmered meats? "From the Tables of Tuscan Women" focuses on the province of Lucca in west Tuscany, and nine women who have spent long, productive lives turning out dishes like potato or chestnut croquettes, stuffed mussels, poached fish with parsley sauce or oven-roasted stuffed rabbit.

Chapters center around ingredients and courses from mushrooms and chestnuts through pasta, fish, game, meat and dessert. Each chapter opens with a visit to one of the chefs who shares Tuscan anecdotes, good-natured arrogance and cooking tips

Bianchi's unabashed admiration gives the book an intimate feel which is borne out through simple recipes like fried polenta or pork sausage with white beans and fennel or more complex dishes like tacconi alla Lucchese which tops homemade pasta squares with a thick herb-flavored sauce of rabbit, beef and red wine. Basil, sage and rosemary are staple herbs, prosciutto is a frequent accent, mushrooms and chestnuts are gathered wild, everything seems infused with the sunshine of the Mediterranean. Bianchi also offers variations and optional ingredients to suit the American kitchen.