Bologna Mia: Memories from the Kitchen of Italy [Hardcover]

Loretta Paganini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2000

Loretta Paganini had the good fortune to be raised in Bologna, the kitchen of Italy, by two generations of Italian chefs. In Bologna Mia, she has gathered together over ninety of her family's treasured recipes, each one evoking vivid memories of the kitchens she spent time in during her childhood. Each of these recipes comes with a story. Paganini shares with us her paternal grandmother's famed pasta recipes (Paganini believes it was her magical tortelloni that helped her to charm her husband), the wisdom of her maternal grandmother's delicate hands, and the recipes for her mother's Cordon Bleu award-winning specialty pastries, tortes and appetizers.... The Bolognese are known for having a knack for taking simple ingredients and combining them to create uniquely flavorful dishes. In Bologna Mia, Paganini captures the exciting flavor of the Bolognese culture, the incredible flavor of its dishes, as well as the passion her family feels for food.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Do we need another Italian regional cookbook? The answer is yes, if it's Bologna Mia, a modest volume that nonetheless captures the spirit and letter of Bolognese cooking and the texture of the Bologna-born author's life. Offering more than 80 authentic recipes for familiar and unexpected fare, the book chronicles author Loretta Paganini's childhood and adolescence spent with two great cooks: her mother, proprietor of a pasticceria, and grandmother, home cook extraordinaire. Each story is illustrated with recipes--savory, easy-to-make fare such as Pasta with Walnut Sauce and Apricot-Stuffed Roast Pork Loin. Those looking for simple, honest recipes from Italy's gastronomic heartland, related in the context of an ordinary-enough life that, to American eyes, has the shape of culinary legend, should welcome the book.

In chapters dedicated to "city dishes" and the cooking of her mother and both grandmothers, Paganini limns such events as Christmas at Nonna Luisa's and provides appropriate recipes. The recipes are always clear, and fare such as Chicken Breasts with Porcini Mushroom Sauce should find a happy reception on any table. Given Paganini's mother's profession, sweets are copiously included, and feature such tempting items as Chocolate Sausage Cookies and Pears with Custard Sauce. Paganini, now living in America with her husband, has succeeded in recapturing the past for her readers. They will enjoy sharing it--and its defining food--with the openhearted author. --Arthur Boehm

About the Author

Loretta Paganini was born and raised in Bologna and now runs the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking with over 6000 students every year. Loretta writes about food for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has appeared on shows like "CBS Good Morning", stars in a videotape called "Pasta Pronto" and leads gastronomic tours through Italy. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (October 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312262086
• ISBN-13: 978-0312262082
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,315,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read With Recipes, March 18, 2002

By 

Deb Mele - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bologna Mia: Memories from the Kitchen of Italy (Hardcover)

This is a fairly new release that deals specifically with the foods of Bologna. Bolognese cuisine, is well known throughout Italy to be some of the country's best, and Ms. Paganini kindly shares with us the recipes she learned at the hands of both her grandmothers and mother while growing up in Bologna as a child.

The chapters are well thought, and would appeal to anyone, including such titles as "Making Biscotti For The Holidays", Christmas At Nonna Luisa's", and "Perfect Pizza" to name just a few. Each chapter combines family stories, as well as traditional recipes that are extremely easy to follow.

I have always had an interest in the tradition of one generation passing down their recipes to the next that one sees so often in Italy. Ms. Paganini intimately shares her experiences in this area with us, as almost every recipe in the book, is rich with her family's history.

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. 

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 27, 2001

By 

S.L. Duck (Bellingham, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bologna Mia: Memories from the Kitchen of Italy (Hardcover)

I had visited the Emilia Romagno in Italy. The food in that region, around Bologna, is noted as the best in the country and the world. I bought some cook books while in Italy but wanted a few more. This book is excellent. The Bolognese sauce used for Lasagna has become a favorite, as has the vanilla gelato recipe. A number of other recipes in the book are delicious as well. I have yet to try anything I did not like. And, based on having been there, the recipes are very authentic and recreate the taste and feel of the Emilia Romagno.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Italian cookbook, December 21, 2000

By 

Julia (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bologna Mia: Memories from the Kitchen of Italy (Hardcover)

If you are serching for the perfect Italian cookbook this is it. I often travel to Italy and have enjoyed the food there. I'm always searching for cookbooks that will help me to recreate the wonderful tastes that I crave for when I'm back home. I own many cookbooks, but I enjoyed reading the wonderful stories in Bologna Mia and found the recipes so easy to prepare and so delicious.