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Harry's Bar Cookbook
 
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Harry's Bar Cookbook [Hardcover]

Harry Cipriani (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 1, 1991
There is only one Harry’s Bar. Located on Venice’s Calle Vallaresso, near the Piazza San Marco, this legendary restaurant has been, for five decades, the meeting place for artists, writers, royalty, maestros, divas, celebrities, the very rich, and lots of ordinary—but very wise—Americans and Europeans. Everyone from the Windsors and the Onassises and the Burtons to Cole Porter; Ernest Hemingway, and Joan Crawford has come here for great food, fine drinks, and the incomparable ambiance. Now, to the delight of his legions of customers, Arrigo Cipriani shares his favorite stories about Harry’s Bar and its secrets–and reveals for the first time his treasured recipes for the restaurant’s most popular dishes.

Harry’s Bar above all, is a bar. Its distinctive mixed drinks were created by its founder, Arrigo’s father, Giuseppe Cipriani, and they remain the social center of the establishment. Therefore, you’ll find careful instructions for making the world-famous Belini—the frosty, frothy combination of rose-colored peach elixir and Prosecco (the Italian champagne)—and the secret of making the Montgomery, named by Hemingway himself, which is nothing less than the driest, most delicious martini in the world.

Harry’s Bar is also famous for its sandwiches–mouth-watering, overstuffed, unique concoctions: pale yellow egg sandwiches spiked with anchovies; chunks of freshly poached chicken or shrimp bound with creamy, newly made mayonnaise. The Harry’s Bar club sandwich is a legend in itself, knife-and fork food that’s simply superb.

But the bar’s famous risottos and the dozens of pasta dishes—including ravioli, cannelloni, and tagliolini—are the house specialties. Potato gnocchi and simple country food such as polenta, squid, baccala, and beans are transformed into elegant dishes by skillful chefs. Cipriani also invented the sublime dish known as carpaccio and the glorious risotto alla primavera, brilliant ideas that have been imitated all over the world; the original appear here for the first time.

The secret of Harry’s Bar is not only its great drinks and magnificent food, but also its extraordinary atmosphere, in which high spirits pour forth happily. Arrigo Cipriani captures this spirit and tradition, and delivers it all in his own inimitable style. Opinionated and full of surprises, Cipriani ultimately reveals not only the secrets of his kitchen and bar but also the lavish, full color photographs by Christopher Baker make the feast a visual one as well. The Harry’s Bar Cookbook is much more than a cookbook: it’s a enduring experience to be savored and enjoyed.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Venetians are reputed to be the most gracious hosts in all of Italy, and Cipriani, second-generation owner of the eponymous establishment, provides one of the most inviting Italian cookbooks of recent memory. Here, elegance consists of simplicity. Recipes developed in the six decades of the history of Harry's Bar are clearly and carefully adapted for the American home cook, including the famous Bellini (white peach nectar mixed with Prosecco; even the restaurant now uses a frozen French peach puree). Serve the celebrated fegato alla veneziana (the secret: slice the liver one-fifth-inch thick) with polenta. Artful digressions throughout the volume discuss classic Italian ingredients (use extra-virgin olive oil judiciously; let truffles sit for a few minutes at room temperature so that any worms can crawl out). Cipriani is honest about what might prevent exact reproductions of his bar's food (e.g., professional-strength vs. domestic appliances, quality of local produce) but imparts some of the restaurant's aura via generously related and amusing anecdotes, one featuring Ernest Hemingway, a stingy Venetian countess and a four-pound tin of caviar. Photos and introduction not seen by PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Far from the "Recipes of the Rich and Famous" one might expect, this is in fact an engaging and unaffected memoir/cookbook from the owner of the family restaurant that is a Venetian institution. Cipriani has managed Harry's Bar since 1957, becoming extremely knowledgeable about food, drink, and human nature in the process. His expertise and love of good food is evident in the recipe headnotes and the sidebars on ingredients, and his professed dislike of pretentious food is borne out by the delicious but simple dishes served at his restaurant. Christopher Baker's beautiful color photographs complement the text. For travel as well as cookery collections.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (October 1, 1991)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553070304
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553070309
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.9 x 10.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The next best thing to being at Harry's Bar., August 23, 2001
By 
This review is from: Harry's Bar Cookbook (Hardcover)
As a cook and literary buff, I always thought of Harry's Bar in Venice as a monument that has provided me with great inspiration.

Tucked away on a corner not far from St Mark's Square, it is quite small with low ceilings but with an incredible view of the Grand Canal from its first floor. The decor is very relaxing with small comfortable chairs and tables in pleasant shades of apricot and cream. Upon opening the doors, you immediately drink in the atmosphere that is intimate, worldly, historically rich and alive.

I remember the first time I visited Harry's bar twenty-five years ago. I went to this legendary bar, made famous by Ernest Hemingway, after having promised myself that I would only have a drink. I knew the prices would be outrageous for someone on a student budget since Harry's Bar had enjoyed an international reputation since 1931. But the moment that last sip of wine was out of my glass, I had to ask for a table. I do not remember what I had for lunch that day at Harry's Bar. I do remember though, how impressed I was by the quality of the house wine, the simple presentation of the food that tasted wonderful and the professional and friendly service with which the Harry's Bar staff made sure that this was going to be a memorable experience for me. So, Harry's Bar became part of my growing up and thus gained a significant importance in my life.

Ernest Hemingway used to have his own table in one corner of Harry's Bar. At the end of World War II, Hemingway dedicated to the bar a page of his famous novel "Across the River and into the Trees." The list of famous people who frequented Harry's Bar is long and impressive. Arturo Toscanini, Guglielmo Marconi, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote, Orson Welles, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Princess Aspasia of Greece, Aristotle Onassis, Barbara Hutton, Peggy Guggenheim and Woody Allen, just to mention a few.

Harry's Bar opened in 1931 when Giuseppe Cipriani, an enterprising bartender at the Hotel Europa in Venice, was rewarded for his earlier generosity to a rich, young American from Boston named Harry Pickering. Pickering had been a customer at the Hotel Europa for some time, then suddenly stopped frequenting the hotel bar. One day, the elder Cipriani asked Pickering why he no longer patronized the bar. Pickering was broke, he explained to the bartender -- his family cut him off when it was discovered he had not curtailed his recklessness and fondness for drinking. So, Cipriani loaned his patron $5,000 U.S. so that Mr. Pickering could pay his hotel and bar bill as well as his cost of transportation home and ... have one last martini. Two years later, Pickering walked back into the Hotel Europa, ordered a drink at the bar, thanked Cipriani for the loan and handed him enough money to repay the loan and enable Cipriani to open his own bar.

In 1991, Giuseppe's son, Arrigo Cipriani, assembled a book of recipes: "The Harry's Bar Cookbook" (Bantam Books). The book contains more than 200 original recipes, more than 125 lavish full color photographs, wonderful anecdotes and insight into the nuances of classic Italian cuisine and their philosophy of entertaining.

During the 1930s and 1940s, founder Giuseppe Cipriani created many of the dishes still served today. Giuseppe invented the Bellini and the Montgomery cocktails. The Bellini, contains white peach pulp, juice and Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine). Giuseppe is said to have invented it in 1948, and named the drink for the Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini whose works were exhibited in Venice that year. The Montgomery, as Hemingway called it, is a very dry martini with a proportion of gin to vermouth of fifteen to one - the same proportion that the famed British General Bernard Montgomery was said to have endured when he lead his soldiers to fight against the enemy during World War II.

Other classics include: hot sandwiches; shrimp sandwiches (favorites of Orson Welles and Truman Capote); egg pasta with ham au gratin; risotto; and Carpaccio which is the most popular dish served at Harry's Bar. Consisting of paper-thin sheets of raw filet mignon, seasoned with a light white sauce, the Carpaccio, according to the bar's legend, was inspired by one of Cipriani's regular customers, the Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, whose doctor prohibited her from eating cooked meat. The dish was named after the celebrated Renaissance Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio, famous for his use of bright red-and-white colors.

The "Harry's Bar Cookbook" is a beautiful book to own and a great inspiration for the creation of meals tantalizing to the palate. The recipes are innovative, well written and they work! This cookbook is the second best thing to having lunch at Harry's Bar, but with the stories in the book and your dreamy imagination, it's almost like being there!

The beauty of the recipes lies in their simplicity, their adaptability to a range of dining styles from elegant to informal and their memorable flavor. I hope you enjoy this cookbook as much as we do in our home.

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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely incredible Italian cookbook, April 17, 2006
By 
This review is from: Harry's Bar Cookbook (Hardcover)
I have been a serious student of cooking for the past 25 years. I have focused on Italian cooking for 10 of the last 25 years after my first trip to Italy.

Harry's Bar in Venice is one of those places that everyone wants to visit at least once. The restaurant does not disappoint and neither does the cookbook. If I had to pair down my Italian cookbook collection (which is now well over 50 cookbooks) this book would be in my top 5. Each recipe in the book that I have tried has been perfect. Even if you normally tinker with recipes, as I usually do, try these just as they are written at least once. I don't think that you will be disappointed.

I appreciate the fact that the book is authentic, as opposed to the Italian-American books that are normally available in America. This book is packed full of fabulous recipes, each one better than the last. The pictures of the recipes are beautiful as the photos of Venice.

This book will be a wonderful addition to anyone's cookbook collection. This would also make a fabulous gift for a lover of either Italy or cooking.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, October 9, 2005
By 
Peter Kenyon (Perth, WA Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harry's Bar Cookbook (Hardcover)
This is a great book. Not only does it capture the spirit of the famous Venetian bar at a fraction of the cost of an actual visit, the recipes are surprisingly easy and, for the most part, quite manageable by the home cook. There are very few hard to find ingredients, the methods are mostly straight forward, and the results most pleasing. Arrigo Cipriani stresses the Harry's is indeed a bar, and not primarily a fine dining restaurant. This does not mean that the food is not fine, rather it means that the food is very fresh, typical, simple Italian fare. The sort of food that has made the many cuisines of Italy so popular all over the world. The recipes give readers the opportunity to reproduce this type of food wherever they live.
If you wish to be vicariously transported to Venice, with some minimal cooking and cocktail mixing competence you can be in Harry's at least in your mind's eye.
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