61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Cookbook, June 3, 2010
This review is from: The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual (Hardcover)
I visited this restaurant a couple of weeks ago, and had some of the best food I had ever tasted. Pure and simple, excellent quality, I couldn't wait to get the book and start cooking! This book is everything you could hope for in a cookbook. The recipes are clearly explained, the ingredients are easy to get ( you probably have most of them), and the resulting dishes are absolutely delicious. I tried three recipes over the last holiday weekend, and my family and guests were delighted. The Sunday Sauce and Meatballs are wonderful! A bonus is the excellent narrative that accompanies the recipes; funny, practical and smart; you won't be able to resist trying this food. I collect cookbooks,and this one is going to spend alot of time in the kitchen with me, not so much time on the shelf.
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous Italian recipes and food -- and two great restaurants!, June 27, 2010
This review is from: The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual (Hardcover)
New York City is a wonderful place to find all sorts of cuisines; Italian may lead the pack -- in any event there are many contenders for best of class. One of the top favorites for us is the Manhattan Frankies -- we know the original is in Brooklyn, but that place would have to go some to beat their Manhattan offshoot.
We have so many favorites that it seems a shame to list any, but two are especially noteworthy in our world: Ricotta Crostini, and Sweet Potato Ravioli. (I was able to duplicate the ravioli at home with great success based just on eating the dish and getting some hints from our waiter; reading the book made the dish an absolute triumph.)
The cookbook was co-authored by Peter Meehan, writer for "The New York Times" and editor of the Momofuku cookbook, and was illustrated by former Frankies server, Sarah Rutherford. The recipes are well written and easy to follow, and there are tutorials on topics like Italian wine and cheese and growing your own avocado tree.
The recipe from the excellent (and beautiful) cookbook for Frankies's special meatballs describes a signature dish. It's worth comparing this recipe with a more classic version suggested by a friend of Frankies, and to hone your skills, reading the section describing both versions. Frankies recipe:
Ingredients
4 slices bread (2 packed cups' worth)
2 pounds ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus about 1 cup for serving
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
15 turns white pepper
4 large eggs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
Frank's Tomato Sauce
Procedure
1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Put the fresh bread in a bowl, cover it with water, an let it soak for a minute or so. Pour off the water and wring out the bread, then crumble and tear it into tiny pieces.
2. Combine the bread with all of the remaining ingredients except the tomato sauce in a medium mixing bowl, adding them in the order that they are listed. Add the dried bread crumbs last to adjust for wetness; the mixture should be moist wet, not sloppy wet.
3. Shape the meat mixture into handball-sized meatballs and space them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The meatballs will be firm but still juicy and gently yielding when they're cooked through. (At this point, you can cool the meatballs and hold them in the refrigerator for as long as a couple of days or freeze them for the future.
4. Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a sauté pan large enough to accommodate the meatballs comfortably.
5. Dump the meatballs into the pan of sauce and nudge the heat up ever so slightly. Simmer the meatballs for half and hour or so (this isn't one of those cases where longer is better) so they can soak up some of the sauce. Keep them there until it's time to eat.
6. Serve the meatballs 3 to a person in a healthy helping of red sauce, and hit everybody's portion -- never the pan -- with a fluffy mountain of grated cheese. Reserve the leftover tomato sauce (it will be extra-super-delicious) and use it anywhere tomato sauce is called for in this book.
***
Wonderful eating, fun cooking, an excellent reference for just reading about great food.
Robert C. Ross 2010
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Perfect Kitchen Companion, July 12, 2010
This review is from: The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual (Hardcover)
Great book - most cookbooks, you look up a recipe, go to the page, and maybe read any relevant content for a page or two before just going off the recipe. This book is actually readable, from cover to cover. A quick background on the guys, tips on gear/gadgets and how best to stock your kitchen, then on to the food. One of my big complaints with cookbooks is being told "this is how it's done" or "you only do it this way", without being told why. I'm left wondering "if I don't do it this way, will it suck, will it just be more watery, will it be a total disaster?" Here, they tell you what they do, and why they do it. Good stuff
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