Customer Reviews

Diary of a Tuscan Chef

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Our trip to Tuscany was a dream come true. We met friends for lunch just outside of Florence. Our friend recommended Diary of Tuscan Chef, and as soon as we returned home I ordered it. It is a treasure trove of wonderful stories as well as outstanding recipes. The Roasted Rosemary Potatoes reflect Italian simplicity and depth of taste. Outstanding!

I have tried several of these recipes and find them to be very good with balanced flavors. The book does what the author says it does; i.e. gives us good Tuscan recipes, true to the region, with ingredients that are readily available in the United States.

Fantastic! Wonderful simple Italian recipes adapted for home cooking and written in a delightful story form. Every recipe I tried was delicious. Most highly recommended.

This book is so much fun to read, you sometimes forget that you still need to go the market to get the ingredients for tonight's dinner.
"Recipes and Memories of Good Times and Great Food" is written on the cover. And that's what this is. Lovingly illustrated with photographs mostly of family life back home - in Tuscany.
Caesare Casella is one of the greatest Chefs around. This is his personal cook book. Normally that should say enough. In short: it's a marvel.
The book is divided in four parts, after the seasons. Don't expect any photographs of the dishes cause there are (almost) none. Only memories. But they are wonderful!
From some of the blurbs on the back cover (and I agree with them all):
Mario Batali: what makes this book so great is the simplicity of Tuscany that is bell-clear in Caesare's recipes, but even more evident when he writes of his experiences. The transcendental clarity of the Tuscan soul and soil is evident in every phrase, the dry humor in every story, and the austere observation in every observation.
Faith Willinger: Delizioso!
Sheila Lukins: Caesare is one of the most flamboyant and sensitive chefs I've ever met. His love for food, family, and country translate in some of the most delightful home cooking I've tasted in years.
Julian Niccolini: This book is full of life, flavors and great simple food.
In short: Terrific!

My husband sleeps with this under his pillow, and since he's the cook in the family, that's good. This one competes with the Lidia Bastianich for pillow space.

This is one of the best books on the cuisine of Lucca, Italy. The author tells charming stories of his upbringing in the hills above Lucca. The recipes are very authentic and most are not difficult to make. I very much enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed hearing the author's stories about growing up in Italy and how they inspired the recipes. The recipes are simple, easy to make in the home kitchen and absolutely delicious.

The food, while easy to make, is nuanced and good. I cooked heavily from it last summer (the book is divided by seasons) and the dishes turned out well, except for mackarel marinated in lemon juice. At first glance some of the recipes resemble what can be found in other Italian cookbooks such as "The Silver Spoon," but what distinguishes the outcome is the the unique Tuscan approach to balance in ingredients and subtle technique. To give an example spaghetti al pomodoro has a higher amount of olive oil compared to most recipes I have encountered and calls for cooking the pasta in the sauce in the last few minutes to better mingle the flavors. A great read too.

I love this book. Ive been to tuscsany and ate at many restaruants including vipore and this is the closest you can get to tuscan cuisine. I highly recommend buying this book for yourself and your friends.