La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio: Gangivecchio's Sicilian Kitchen [Hardcover]

Wanda Tornabene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 1996

Tucked away on a remote Sicilian mountainside is Gangivecchio--once a Roman outpost, then a fourteenth-century Benedictine abbey, now a world-class restaurant and inn.

Poached Lemon-flavored Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter.  Arancine (the sublime rice croquettes of Sicily) Stuffed with Bechamel, Ham, and Mozzarella.  Veal and Pumpkin stew.  Sofficini (elegant little pastries, filled with warm lemon cream, that defy description.)  These are just a few of the spectacular dishes prepared at Gangivecchio for anyone lucky enough to dine at this magical spot, with its roaring fireplace, blossoming orchards, roaming animals, and acres of wild poppies.  For anyone not able to make this incredible journey, Wanda and Giovanna now have prepared La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio, the ultimate country cookbook, with recipes culled from generations, handed down as part of the extraordinary and charming history of the family, the town, and the island of Sicily itself.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Giovanna Tornabene opened a restaurant in her home in the Madonie Mountains of Sicily in 1978 because it seemed the only way to hold on to her family's centuries-old estate. In La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio, her daughter, Wanda, who helps run this restaurant on the secluded family estate, shares the history of their family, the estate and the colorful evolution of Sicilian cooking. Michele Evans captures the graceful generosity, spontaneity and charm of both mother and daughter in this work. It features veal and pumpkin stew made with just four ingredients; Swordfish in Umido, steamed with oregano and garlic; cauliflower drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil; a tart filled with sweetened ricotta studded with chocolate chips; and 200 other dishes. This is the simple yet deeply flavored, humbly sophisticated food that makes Sicily a culinary paradise.

From Publishers Weekly

The mother-and-daughter authors of this charming cookbook run a restaurant in a restored 14th-century monastery in rural Sicily. Their unique recipes will foil many common preconceptions about Sicilian cuisine: not on the Western part of the island, the Tornabenes exhibit little Arab influence; nor, being inland, do they rely heavily on fish. Rice Balls in Chicken Broth, Milk Croquettes and Quacelle-Style Fava Bean and Potato Casserole all make something delicious out of virtually nothing. A salad of Arugula with Pine Nuts and Pomegranate and the restaurant's signature Veal Rolls Stuffed with Ham, Provolone and Pecorino are more sophisticated. The Tornabenes throw in Sicilian classics like Baked Sardines Stuffed with Pine Nuts and Currants and two types of Rice Ball Croquettes. The company is as spirited as the food as, with help from cookbook and travel writer Evans, the Tornabenes spin engaging tales. On their first trip to New York, they transported a rolling pin and some cheese; occasionally, they've been too softhearted to eat the animals they've raised (including a wild boar named Giorgina); they describe a bread-making experiment conducted with friends who "need wine like cars need gasoline to work." Family photos and recipes from Paolo Tornabene (Wanda's son, Giovanna's brother) and his wife, Betty, who together run a nine-room inn in what was originally the stable, enhance this warm and friendly volume. 35,000 first printing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (October 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679425101
• ISBN-13: 978-0679425106
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #372,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great recipes from a very good restaurant, June 6, 2002

By 

Mahj Mom "mahjmom" (Redondo Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio: Gangivecchio's Sicilian Kitchen (Hardcover)

If you like to cook and you want authentic Southern Italian cooking (compared to the Tuscany inspired cooking that has been all the rage), then this is absolutely the best cookbook you can buy...with the possible exception of the Tornabene's new cookbook,which I am just about to buy. The recipes are pretty easy to follow, but most require either a fair amount of prep or some time to stir the pot. The pasta dishes are fantastic. My family loves the fava bean recipes (I cooked one as a joke in honor of Silence of the Lambs, but it was a hit, so I've been making them ever since) and the anchovy tomato sauce. I love this cookbook so much that I actually made the trip to the restaurant. It's not a place you get to by accident, you really have to want to go because it is way way out in the middle of Sicily. But the food there is excellent, and I was lucky enough to eat things familiar to me from the cookbook, as well as some new dishes. I'm not sure I'll ever try any of the desserts in this cookbook (too much work) but I've eaten some of them at their restaurant - and I can recommend them highly!

P.S. If you decide to make the trek, I recommend that you stay at their hotel. The grounds of Gangivechio are lovely and worth enjoying on their own.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, easy pasta recipes, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio: Gangivecchio's Sicilian Kitchen (Hardcover)

This is one of my most frequently used cookbooks (and I have a lot of them) just for the pasta section. The recipes are simple enough to use for everyday, and good enough to use for company. The ditali with spinach, the rigatoni daniela, the arugula and fresh tomato sauces, the zucchini pasta sauce---all are easy, draw raves from guests, require no special ingredients, and taste like the wonderful pastas I had in trattorias in Sicily. The risotto recipe is the best I've ever used; the salads are also good; the desserts and main dishes are mostly too complicated for daily use, or for any but the experienced cook.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So many enticing recipes!, February 4, 2006

By 

Sophie (astoria, ny) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio: Gangivecchio's Sicilian Kitchen (Hardcover)

I bought this book over a year ago, and still there are many recipes I want to try. Every time I look through the book something here or there will call my attention. Most recipes can be made with commonly found ingredients. Any cook should recognize the love for a constantly inspiring book --the best advertisement is just to list some recipes I've tried: roasted pepper and cream sauce with penne, risotto milanese that can be modified with your favorite vegetable, risotto with pumpkin and walnuts, risotto with spinach and pecorino, baked stuffed swordfish rolls, baked stuffed zucchini, and sweet and sour pumpkin. There are lots of diverse, fantastic sounding recipes in the book, but I haven't tried them for lack of time. But all of the recipes I've listed can be made in under 1 hr with prep time included. My risotto wasn't great before, now it's fool proof.

I would recommend this for someone that knows how to cook and can draw on this book for their own recipes.