Customer Reviews

Cooking with Italian Grandmothers: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chef, author, artist, and healer Jessica Theroux traveled all throughout Italy, apprenticing to wise grandmother cooks during her year-and-a-half adventure. This book is a set of stories, recipes, and photography from the journey.

The recipes are absolutely fantastic, the photography is luscious, and the documentation of vanishing traditional Italian food culture is important. But what really makes the book stand out is the quality of the writing.

The language is evocative, and the tales of the women embody such beautiful wisdom. The prose is poetic and rich; the writer has a gift for telling the tales of these extraordinary women. And Jessica's journey was not just physical; you can feel the author grow wiser throughout the progression of the book. The challenges of the trip, the exposure to the wise grandmothers, and the wild and unexpected experience of life itself serve to impart this wisdom to Jessica page by page.

The Jessica who set out on this journey is different than the Jessica who returned.

I don't normally associate cookbooks as something that you can just sit down and read, but this book is a joy to curl up with, like a warm wool blanket by the fire. I will be buying them for family and friends as Christmas presents, and just-for-the-heck-of-it presents. A sense of love and warmth permeates the book, and it will truly touch the reader.

Every once in a while a truly special book comes along- this is one of them.

Five stars.

With the delicious recipes and stunning photographs to go along with the stories of Jessica's relationships with these wise Italian women, this amazing book should take the place of "Eat Pray Love," particularly for foodies who now can make the revelatory meals in their own kitchens. The veal osso bucco and saffron risotto recipes from this book resulted in, by far, the most delicious meal I've ever made. It's hard to choose what to make next, and the stories about how Jessica came to these recipes make the meals even more meaningful when enjoyed. The only trouble with this book is that I can't decide whether to keep it in my kitchen, or on my coffee table!

My mom and I just spent a lovely day together cooking five of the recipes from this amazing book! We were able to make all of them despite our somewhat limited chef skills...and each dish was just FANTASTIC!!! We both thought it was one of the best meals we've ever had. The Apple Cake was phenomenal! The fennel salad was a simple wonder! And the best part is feeling that connection with our heritage and with each other...everyone should give a copy to their mom!!!

This book is absolutely beautiful! Between the illustrations, the photography, the words, and the recipes, it's truly a piece of art! Jessica's journey connected me back to my journey in and out of the kitchen..travel, food, grandmothers,,,, After reading her book, It felt as if my own grandmother was present. A true hommage to older generations...bringing back what's good, soulful, and much needed in today's busy world. It's a reminder to slow down and tap back in to our roots...to remember our past generations who were serving up soulful advice and food! I can't wait to give this book as gifts for the holidays and birthdays...especially for women..it is a beautiful work of art with amazing and easy recipes from Italy. What more could you ask for?

Beautifully written. The recipes are authentic and superb. The photography is gorgeous. Before I run out of adjectives, just want to say this is one of the finest cookbooks I have ever seen. This is real food for real people. No ridiculous combination of trendy ingredients. What a joy to read and use over and over again.

COOKING WITH ITALIAN GRANDMOTHERS: RECIPES AND STORIES FROM TUSCANY TO SICILY comes from an American chef who spent a year traveling throughout Italy cooking and talking with Italian grandmothers, learning their secrets and stories. The result is a fine blend of history and recipes of twelve selected grandmothers who welcomed Theroux into their kitchens and shared their favorite dishes. From Roasted Leeks with Eggs and Olives to Broccoli and Pine Nut Pasta, this is packed with flavor and insights.

This is an enchanting rendition of this womans trip to Italy, and the stories about the trip are wonderful. The explanations of the homes and atmospheres are great. My problem is the involved recipes. There seems to be a lot of ingredients and many steps to each of them. Having an Italian background dispite my last name, I do remember it taking days to make Ravioli for the whole family which was a very long table chock full of relatives. I remember the little ravioli being spread all over clean white sheets on the beds and couches and chairs and tabels of the front porch. Still worth the money just for the stories, history, beautiful photos of the areas and the dishes themselves.

I LOVE this book! I read it straight through in two days and could not put it down. I have used some of the recipes at home, and some at my cafe, and it is delicious. The stories, though, are the best part. I love Italy and go every year to learn more about the culture, food and wine, and Jessica lived my fantasy! I am jealous, and she wrote about it beautifully, I felt like I was there watching her... she included me in her adventure with this book and that is work it's weight in gold. I love this book!

We bought this book for an Italian grandmother that only dreams of returninig to Italy. This cookbook wins the prize not only for Italians that love to cook traditional Italian fare but any grandmother that might dream to create a journal of favorite family recipes that they can pass on through generations. It's a beautiful book with great story telling.

HIGHly recommend.

This book is truly stunning. It was so impactful that as soon as my mother opened the front cover (I gave the book to her as a Christmas gift), she started crying for a good 10 minutes, exclaiming, "This is Art! This is a book of Art!" But beyond the sheer aesthetics of the book, she was moved to see how the women depicted in the book were so beautifully honored by Theroux, so much so that a heart-warming reverence seemed to literally emanate from the pages. The recipes are divine and will make your taste buds do somersaults in gratitude. The photography is gorgeous and the writing beautiful, with a good splash of humor. But what is most special about this book, and makes it stand part from so many cook books on Italian cooking, is that these recipes are given to you in the context of a series of funny, heart-warming stories about Theroux's quest in Italy to learn Italian cooking from master grandmother chefs. Theroux's relationships with these women are warming and insightful--and teach you as much about good cooking as about how to live a good life. I would recommend this book to anyone--it is the perfect gift for that food afficiando in your life who appreciates good food, good stories and good photography. But even moreso , Cooking with Italian Grandmothers is a wise book about living well.