Zuppa : Soups From The Italian Countryside

Rating:
Summary: secret of soups
Review: A friend who owns a bookstore saw me looking at this book in his store and said, "Oh, you must have this book. My wife and I have tried several recipes from this book, and we love it." For some reason, I'd never thought of a whole cookbook just for soups, but that's because (I've discovered) my imagination was lacking. I love to cook, and I love to have good stuff in the refrigerator during the week to warm up, and I like to able to throw things together. The soups here, and the theory that accompanies the text, makes all this very easy and very delicious. I've recommended it to several other friends, and they have all enjoyed it very much.

Rating:
Summary: secret of soups
Review: I bought this book for inspiration and new ideas for warm, nourishing and comforting soups. I got that and much more. There are over 130 inspiring recipes for soups, each described in the context of how it fits into the lives of the people who make it. The chapters are organized by the major types of soups--broths; vegetables; bread, puree and cream soups; rice, pasta, polenta and chestnuts; farro; lentils and chickpeas; beans, fish; meats. Each chapter is introduced with an insightful overview of some aspect of the character of natives of the Garfagnana, a little known area of Northern Tuscany where all these soups originate. I've loved the soups I've made--a rich vegetable broth, wonderful by itself with Gorgonzola cheese crumbled in, even better as the base of a thick hearty soup with potatoes, butternut squash and Savoy cabbage; a rich chicken broth which served as the base for a spinach/butternut squash soup and a mushroom broth with watercress. Among the soups on my to-do list is a shrimp and baby artichoke soup served over focaccia, and Garmugia--a meat-rich soup with asparagus and artichokes used in the 1600's to cure depression. This is a cookbook to read cover to cover, soups to fall in love with, and a wonderful-sounding region in the Tuscan Alps to dream about visiting.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration for nourishing, comforting soups--and travel
Review: I bought this book for inspiration and new ideas for warm, nourishing and comforting soups. I got that and much more. There are over 130 inspiring recipes for soups, each described in the context of how it fits into the lives of the people who make it. The chapters are organized by the major types of soups--broths; vegetables; bread, puree and cream soups; rice, pasta, polenta and chestnuts; farro; lentils and chickpeas; beans, fish; meats. Each chapter is introduced with an insightful overview of some aspect of the character of natives of the Garfagnana, a little known area of Northern Tuscany where all these soups originate. I've loved the soups I've made--a rich vegetable broth, wonderful by itself with Gorgonzola cheese crumbled in, even better as the base of a thick hearty soup with potatoes, butternut squash and Savoy cabbage; a rich chicken broth which served as the base for a spinach/butternut squash soup and a mushroom broth with watercress. Among the soups on my to-do list is a shrimp and baby artichoke soup served over focaccia, and Garmugia--a meat-rich soup with asparagus and artichokes used in the 1600's to cure depression. This is a cookbook to read cover to cover, soups to fall in love with, and a wonderful-sounding region in the Tuscan Alps to dream about visiting.

Rating:
Summary: Zuppa - Italian soups
Review: My grandmother raised her family during the depression and hasalways relied on inexpensive and plentiful meals to serve toher family. Soup or "Zuppa" has always been a staple in her freezer and often shows up on her table. When she received this a a birthday gift form me she was delighted. It breaks each region of Italy into it's distinctive cooking styles. There are dozens of soup recipes that are sure to keep the palate pleased and my grandmother busy experimenting with the recipes. An excellent cookbook for those who love soups!