Customer Reviews

Leone's Italian Cookbook

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cookbook is so good I lost my original copy in a divorce! It contains excellent recipes for everything you need to entertain Italian style. I highly recommend the cheesecake for those of you with a kind-of sweet tooth. It mixes the classic cream cheese with ricotta for a whole new smooth flavor of cheesecake. It helps to have some natural cooking skill, but many recipes are quite simple. Get the book, a bottle of Chianti, and create food your guests will swear came straight from Mama Leone's kitchen.

Mamma Leone's was a classic Italian restaurant a couple blocks from Times Square. Unfortunately, Mamma's is gone, but her son has captured the delights from the restaurant's menu. You will have to imagine the plastic grapes hanging from ceiling, but the wonderful dishes can all be found in the book. The recipes are easy to follow and the book is nicely organized. Leone's can make the novice cook look like a five star chef.

This cookbook produces the most delicious food I've ever tasted. However, inexperienced cooks or those who like to cook quick meals will probably not enjoy this book. All of the recipes require fresh ingredients (nothing canned, frozen or dried) and some of the ingredients needed are not even available in my town. Also, the recipes can take hours or even days to prepare. For anyone who wants to go through the trouble, though, the food is definitely worth it.

My mother has the 1967 edition of this cookbook and gave it to me when she could no longer cook. I never really looked at it until last year and from that point on, I use it almost every day. Not only are the recipes easy to prepare, but it offers up dishes I had never heard of before: Stracciatella, Bugie, and Salsa di Olio di Olive, Aglio e Acciughe per Spaghettini (our favorite). I am not of Italian descent so apart from spaghetti and meatballs and lasagne, I have "converted" through this wonderful cuisine. Another plus-side dishes and what wines to serve are often included in a lot of the recipes, making it easy to impress your friends and family at the dinner table. If you love Italian food, then buy this cookbook. You will not be sorry.

I purchased this book shortly after it originally came out in 1970. At the time, I was married to an Italian gentleman who was raised by family from the "old country." He never hesitated to say that with that book (I am NOT Italian), I could cook for any Italians and bring smiles to their faces! To this day, it is my favorite Italian cookbook, and I'm going to purchase it for my daughter-in-law! From 1-5 stars, this book gets a 10!

Mama Leone's son, Gene, documents the provenance and progress of Momma Leone's before he presents its recipes. The restaurant served thousands of diners every night, through most of the 20th century. A ton of schrimp changed hands the night the restuarant was sold. Among noteworthies who ate there were Presidents Truman and Eisenhauer and Enrico Caruso. The last talked Moma's husband into letting her start. Photographs convey the spirit and context of the place.
The book translates recipes meant for thousands into family size portions. It sometimes shows you a basic recipe like Minestrone and then Mama's tweaked version. This book comes with lets you make comfort food from a bygone era, e.g., yummy spaghetti sauce spiked with liver. Its continued publication (regrettably minus the funky dust cover) speaks for itself.

This cookbook is not, I repeat NOT hard to use. I bought this cookbook many years ago when I was a novice cook and it served me well. Gene Leone learned to cook at his mother's side when he was young,(~12 yrs.). If you have kids let them watch you, that's I how I learned too. You'll discover the correct history of the Leone family in this book written by Gene himself. I think this is huge bonus. Back to the recipes, Gene mentions that if you don't want to use say, use fresh tomatos, use canned plum tomatos, or any canned tomatos will do. I have the 1967 version of this book, which I cherish, and "salt pork" for example is not a staple that's readily today, but you can substitute a little bacon. Just be flexible, you don't always have to follow recipes like these exactly (unless you're baking). But remember fresh ingredients are best, IF you can find them, like garlic, parsley, onions, decent olive oil, etc. and if you can't find ricotta (I can't believe I'm saying this),you can use cottage cheese! Start with something very easy and be in the mood to cook, and give yourself time. Make it for yourself first! Never try something new for friends or a dinner party. Never, never!
Relax, substitute, look online for substitutes, it's ok. Enjoy! Mangia! (that's eat & enjoy in Italian!)

Great easy to follow recipes from all over Italy. Nice addition to any cookbook collection.

This is a replacement book for a worn out Leone's. This should make it possible to retire the old book which after 20 some years is starting to completely fall apart.

My Mom purchased a 1967 copy from the Library when she realized how much the family loved the recipies in this book. I moved away from home at 19 and visited twice a year. Every time she asked me what I wanted for my first meal back home. For many years, it was always the baked fresh halibut. An incredible simple dish. Mom is long gone, I am now 50 years old and my children experience their grandmother through these memories. There are many great dishes in this book, all of them worthy of such wonderful memories.

These are simple to prepare, delicious Italian meals without all the fuss. There are a little outdated, but so are the many dishes our parent and grandparents prepared and tasted oh so good. I have never written a book review before, probably never will again, but this was too special to me to pass up