Customer Reviews

Eat Right, Eat Well, The Italian Way

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In Eat Right, Eat Well, -The Italian Way, Ed Giobbi and Richard N. Wolff, M.D. team up to show that excellent Italian cuisine is not incompatable with healthful eating. I have had the pleasure of using this book for several years, and continue to be delighted with the recipies, advice and memories of Mr. Giobbi. Many people who think that Italian food is heavy and laden with olive oil, butter, eggs, cream, or cheeses will have their eyes opened by this splendid book. This is not simply a "heart healthy" book, it is a first rate cookbook with little or no compromise in the recipies. We have repeatedly returned to the pasta primavera recipies. The true pasta primavera is not the cream/flour paste/overcooked vegetables mishmash usually served in most resturaunts today. This is a combination of raw peeled and crushed tomatoes (we take ours right off the vine in our back yard, but purchased from the local roadside stand will suffice) fresh basil ( as many handsful that you can manage) garlic, salt, pepper, and a splash of olive oil (1 or 2 tablespoons is more than enough for flavoring and feeds 3 to 4 people) tossed with freshly cooked pasta. We often saute whatever veggies we have at hand in the olive oil and skip the oil in the sauce. The heat of the pasta warms the sauce. This is truly the best of Italian cuisine; taking advantage of what is fresh NOW, cooked as little as possible to avoid masking the flavors, and served combined to maximize the harmony of fresh flavors, textures, and aromas. We find that the zest and juice of a lemon enhances the flavors. A bit of fine parmesean or romano cheese ( a bit is allowed, and the recommendations regarding fat and calorie counts is included in an expansive appendix, as well as nutritional breakdowns for each dish) and you have a meal that certainly doesn't taste like you're on a diet. The book was written to help those with heart disease, or those wishing to avoid heart disease, to eat a better diet without sacrificing taste or enjoyment. The collaboration works well, and the dietary information is sound. The book does not get preachy, and does not sacrifice taste for theory, as is true in too many "diet" books or "heart healthy" books. Mr. Giobbi's assertion is that true Italian cooking, as practiced in Italy, is usually consonant with good eating practices for heart health. In America, Italian cooking has been co-opted, fattened up, and generally made unrecognizable. Fresh ingredients, emphasis on not overcooking, and harmonizing flavors is the essence of this cuisine. Once you taste the real primavera, you will never go back again. I haven't found a bum recipe yet. Enjoy!!

This cookbook has opened our eyes to "Real Italian"! My husband and I bought this book only a week ago and have already made at least 10 recipes all of which have been delicious! Everything is light, fresh and suprisingly fullfilling. Giobbi shares delightful stories and his knowledge about the recipes he's altered from fattier versions (southern Italy) or collected in his travels from people and places. Wolff fills us in on all the health info you need to know about being healthy, calories,fat,cholesterol and how it relates to these recipes etc. What was amazing to me is all this time I thought I knew great Italian food here in America and I come to find out that most of our "Italian" food has been Americanized....now that I know the difference (and there definitely is one!) I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat Italian food outside MY kitchen ever again!

I am fortunate enough to be reviewing a hardback version from 1985.

This maybe an old book now, but I'm really happy with it.

Rather than try to describe it, here is one of the stories (shortened somewhat to make it easier to tell).

P28 Sardines (Sardelle in Carpione)

Every time I have this dish of fresh sardines that are fried and then soaked in a dressing of raisins, I am reminded of the time I was living in Florence as an art student in 1953.....

In those days I was living on fifty dollars a month, so we hoped to spend as little money as possible....

...He drove us to a very pleasant pensione then to a restaurant for lunch, explaining that this restaurant was famous for a specialty he thought we should try. It was served as an appetizer, and it was called sardelle in carpione (called saor in the Genoa area). I have never tasted it since in Italy, but the dish was so good it haunted me for a long time. At that stage of my young life I didn't know enough about cooking to be able to analyze and reproduce it - it was like a miracle, because I had never tasted anything like it before. But finally in 1970, I came across this ancient recipe - really a way of preserving fish - in an Italian book. To this day I have a very warm place in my heart for the town of Bordighera - more for the recipe and the hospitality than anything else.

Offer these sardines as an antipasto or part of a luncheon dish.
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 large onion, thin sliced
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons raisins soaked in warm water
1 pound ( ~0.5 kg) fresh sardines
Flour for coating
Corn (or olive) oil for shallow frying over fairly high heat.
Salt and pepper to taste
Red chilli flakes to taste (optional)

Heat olive oil in skillet, saute onions until brown. Add vinegar and raisins and simmer gently for 5 minutes
(to reduce away the liquid).

Meanwhile dust sardines in flour, when corn oil is hot, lightly brown the sardines in a second skillet.
Only do a few fish at a time, and lay out on paper towels to soak out oil.

Place sardines in layers of a deep dish, pour some of the vinegar / sauteed onion dressing on the fish, add salt, pepper and red chilli flakes if you wish. Repeat building up fish in layers until sauce is used up. Put in cool place, but do not refrigerate.

Do not expect glossy photographs in this book - there are only hand drawn sketches of Italian life from the 1950s.
So if you are looking for glossy photos, you will be disappointed. I don't think this format detracts from the book in any way.

I bought this book used and, after having read through it thoroughly, have come to the conclusion it would be overpriced at 50 cents. Almost every recipe calls for hard to find ingredients. Many are neither low fat nor low carb. A few recipes even call for deep frying. Unlike every other cookbook that provides nutritional information, this one gives the calorie/fat/carb counts for the entire recipe, not just a single serving.

Also, the "witty anecdotes" from the author (which were one of the things I was really looking forward to) come across as very pompous and self-agrandizing. Mr. Giobbi finds fault with everything from the spelling of broccoli rab to the poor quality of chickens available in local stores.

An absolute waste of money.