David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen: Family Recipes from the Old Country

Rating:
Summary: Italian Family Treasures
Review: David Ruggiero's Italian Kitchen: Family Recipes From The Old Country showcases more than one hundred and fifty recipes collected from family and friends provide a range of traditional Italian dishes, blending with vivid photos of southern Italian people, markets and culinary traditions. Sidebars of 'how to' information enhances the readability and character of these dishes: the result is a spicy blend of appealing dishes steeped in Italian tradition. Wonderfully illustrated by the photography of by Maura McEvoy.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book To Read As Well As Use
Review: I enjoyed reading this book almost as much as I enjoyed the recipes I prepared from it. As the Italian Food Host @ BellaOnline, I keep primarily an Italian kitchen, and have over 130 Italian cookbooks in my collection. This book has great photos, interesting little articles throughout and VERY good recipes. I am partial to southern Italian cooking anyway, so this book with it's Sicilan and Napolitano influences was particularly appealing. I have made quite a few recipes from this book already and apart from the odd one or two, would repeat them all. If you like southern Italian cooking with it's bold flavors, you won't be disappointed with this book!

Rating:
Summary: Italian Essential!
Review: This book is a great reference for traditional Italian recipes. Together with Little Italy, it's all you need to cook delicious dishes just like Grandma used to make. I would heartily recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Italian Essential!
Review: This book would make a wonderful gift for an Italian American with either a Sicilian or Neapolitan descent. Intersperced in each of the usual Italian cookbook sections--antipasti, zuppe, pasta, frutti di mare, carne e pollame, verdure and dolci---are stories about Sicilians and Neapolitans that whet not only your culinary interest in these amazing people but also your interest in their culture and traditions. The book is punctuated with beautiful full page color photos of both the food, the places and the personalities. Ruggiero offers an amusing lexicon of Sicilian and Neapolitan phrases--that although I am not Sicilian or Neapolitan myself, I could relate to them with a broad smile as they seem to be indigenous to the Southern Italian dialect and can be easily recognized if not by spelling at least by sound by any Italian American. This book is a fun way to look into your heritage and at the same time prepare and eat good food.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Format & Interesting Stories
Review: This book would make a wonderful gift for an Italian American with either a Sicilian or Neapolitan descent. Intersperced in each of the usual Italian cookbook sections--antipasti, zuppe, pasta, frutti di mare, carne e pollame, verdure and dolci---are stories about Sicilians and Neapolitans that whet not only your culinary interest in these amazing people but also your interest in their culture and traditions. The book is punctuated with beautiful full page color photos of both the food, the places and the personalities. Ruggiero offers an amusing lexicon of Sicilian and Neapolitan phrases--that although I am not Sicilian or Neapolitan myself, I could relate to them with a broad smile as they seem to be indigenous to the Southern Italian dialect and can be easily recognized if not by spelling at least by sound by any Italian American. This book is a fun way to look into your heritage and at the same time prepare and eat good food.