Brunetti's Cookbook [Hardcover]

Roberta Pianaro (Author), Donna Leon (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2010

Among their many pleasures, Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti novels have long been celebrated for their mouth-watering descriptions of food. Multicourse lunches at home with Paola and the children, snacks grabbed at a bar with a glass of wine or two, a quick sandwich during a busy day, or a working lunch at a neighborhood trattoria in the course of an investigation have all delighted Brunetti, as well as Leon’s readers and reviewers. And then there’s the coffee, the pastries, the wine, and the grappa.

In Brunetti’s Cookbook, Donna Leon’s best friend and favorite cook brings to life these fabulous Venetian meals. Eggplant crostini, orrechiette with asparagus, pumpkin ravioli, roasted artichokes, baked branzino, pork ragu with porcini—these are just a few of the over ninety recipes for antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolci. The recipes are joined by excerpts from the novels, four-color illustrations, and six original essays by Donna Leon on food and life in Venice. Charming, insightful, and full of personality, they are the perfect addition to this long awaited book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (May 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802119476
• ISBN-13: 978-0802119476
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 7.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Italian
  • #43 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Gastronomy > Essays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This cookbook is a work of art!, April 20, 2010

By 

Carlo Vennarucci (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brunetti's Cookbook (Hardcover)

Our long wait to actually experience the wonderful Venetian food portrayed in Donna Leon's Brunetti novels is over. This beautiful full-color cookbook has something for everyone.

By the numbers... The focal point of the cookbook are the ninety-one recipes by Donna's close friend, Roberta Pianaro. These delights cover six food categories, each with an enlightening introduction written by Ms Pianaro. For the avid reader, there are seven original food essays by Donna Leon and about thirty lengthy excerpts highlighting the Venetian food experience from fifteen of the Brunetti novels. The book is illustrated with over forty full color drawings by the famous German illustrator, Tatjana Hauptmann.

To truly experience this marvel, I must now get into the kitchen, try the recipes and share these Venetian morsels with my family and friends.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it, May 20, 2010

By 

Antonio Garcia Morilla (Spain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brunetti's Cookbook (Hardcover)

I love cooking and I love Brunetti. What else could I ask for? Both together in a beautifully presented book. Perfect gift for Brunetti lovers who like cooking. Thanks, Donna Leon (and R. Pianaro) for so many hours of enjoyment, even more now when you can follow passages from the different novels with the recipes involved. On top of that, they are so simple to prepare (most of them) and suitable to impress your guests. Excellent choice.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy extras for gifts!, June 12, 2010

By 

F. Oakley (Yolo County, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brunetti's Cookbook (Hardcover)

This cookbook celebrates in the least self-conscious way everything that is the opposite of going to the drive-through and eating in your car.

Recipes extremely well presented. No wondering what the author means.

Stories diverting and delightful and will remind you why you want to cook in the first place --- nourishment, love, togetherness.

Bought a copy for myself. Sat down with it for ten minutes. Logged on to purchase copies for gifts. Lovely recipes. Simple, straightforward, genuine Venetian food, the kind my children and their spouses and children adore for our big Sunday night family meals. Not to mention the fussy grandfather at the head of the table who only wants to eat food he can easily understand.

Anyone can understand this food. Divine!