Customer Reviews

Brunetti's Cookbook

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Given my screen name, there's no surprise that I love all things Venetian. I've been a fan of Donna Leon's Brunetti mysteries from the beginning. I've never read anything else, fact or fiction, that captures daily life in Venice so well. And one of the secrets to capturing the essence is through the food. So again, no surprise, I love Brunetti's Cookbook. Just paging through the book felt like a stroll through the city. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes. So if you, too, are enamored with Venice, are a fan of Donna Leon, or desire another fabulous cookbook, this book is for you. Mangia!

Each section of recipes includes an except from one of Leon's books featuring not only the food, but the entire philosophy of eating that is the foundation of Italian life: Mangia, mangia, ti fa bene (Eat, eat, it's good for you). It even has the recipe for Brunetti's mother's "Lasagna con cuori di carciofo e prosciutto" (Lasagna with artichoke hearts and Prosciutto). I liked this book truly ,and I must now get into the kitchen, try the recipes and share these Venetian morsels with my family and friends.

I have been reading Donna Leon books and dreaming about eating as the Brunetti family does. Now I can. These recipes are clear, easy to follow and fairly simple to prepare. Cookbook was accurately described and arrived quickly and well packaged.

I may not cook many of the recipes, but I enjoy reading them and picturing Guido and Paola at the dinner table. This is a unique idea for a cookbook.

Wow, I loved this new cookbook with the stories. I am an big fan of
Donna Leon, so this makes this book even more special.
Thanks for all. When I read the description before purchasing I found
that it was just what it said. This book is so fun, all those that love
Italy surely would love this too!

I have read every book Donna Leon has written so, naturally, I wanted this cookbook even though she did not actually write it. I loved the idea of the excerpts from her books and I thought the receipes were very good. I was in Venice three years ago and some of the places mentioned brought back wonderful memories. I would recommend this book. If you haven't read Leon, just reading the excerpts will peak your interest. She is an excellent writer.

A charming companion to the Leon books for Brunetti fans. You can taste Venice in these relatively simple recipes for the full Brunetti ambience.