A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera [Hardcover]

Laura Giannatempo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

Liguria, a narrow strip of scenic coastal land in the northwest part of Italy known as the Italian Riviera, is home to some of Italy's finest foods. The fifth in Hippocrene's regional Italian series, A Ligurian Kitchen is a sophisticated love story between the author, her people, and their cuisine.

The Ligurian kitchen is famous for fish, fresh produce and herbs. Dishes like Maltagliati con Pesto Piccantino (Fresh Maltagliati with Spicy Purple Pesto) and Ciuppin con Crostoni di Paprika (Ligurian Seafood Bisque with Paprika Crostoni) are featured here along with such quintessential favorites as Orata al Forno con Olive Nere e Patatine Arrosto (Roasted Orata with Black Olives and Baby Potatoes). But tales of lovable uncles and a lyrical account of making pasta in the midst of a storm tantalize as much as much as the sumptuous repasts the author places before us. In these 100 recipes and a beautiful section of photographs, the specialties of artisanal bread bakers and those of the region's cucina povera create a zestful collection that exemplifies "that extraordinary marriage of land and sea that is Ligurian cuisine." Complete with many b/w and color photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A highly engaging, charmingly personal cookbook packed with authentic Ligurian recipes that can be recreated deliciously with American ingredients. -- Fine Cooking magazine, October 2006

One of the best cookbooks of the year. --Food & Wine's Best of the Best vol. 10, June 2007

From the Back Cover

"I loved this book. It has a real sense of place. Laura Giannatempo's passion for Liguria, its countryside, seashore, customs, and culinary traditions is wondrously captured in this very personal and personable book. Along with essays about life in Liguria is a collection of elegantly simple and tempting recipes that convey the spirit and flavors of the Italian Riviera."
Joyce Goldstein, chef, food writer, and author of Antipasti

"What a fun book! A Ligurian Kitchen's fresh recipes are so soulful they give the feeling that they have been revived for the modern home kitchen. And the results are fabulous--a big cut above the repetitive Italian books that seem so commonplace in today's home cooking market. A great cookbook for professionals and amateur cooks alike."
Scott Conant, chef/owner of L'Impero and Alto in NYC and author of Scott Conant's New Italian Cooking

"Liguria is a small, but magnificent region; a region that has given Italy unpretentious, delicious, and very flavorful food. And now, Laura Giannatempo takes us there. Her book is personal and captivating and shares with us anecdotes and treasured Ligurian recipes--an asset to anyone's library."
Biba Caggiano, chef/owner of Biba in Sacramento and the author of Biba's Italy

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781811716
• ISBN-13: 978-0781811712
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #730,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthusiastically recommended, February 2, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera (Hardcover)

Laura Giannatempo's LIGURIAN KITCHEN: RECIPES AND TALES FROM THE ITALIAN RIVIERA is the fifth and newest title in the Hippocrene Books regional Italian cookbook series and narrows the focus to the Ligurian region, blending photos by Michael Piazza with the author's memories of her home. Liguria is a narrow strip of coastal land in northwest Italy: recipes there are filled with dishes you won't find in your usual Italian cookbook - such as Herb Ravioli with Walnut Cream Sauce - and are accompanied by sidebars of information and history. A centerfold of color photos adds inspiration but it's really the unique dishes and stories which stand out in a cookbook that is enthusiastically recommended for any dedicated Italian cuisine collection.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcomed addition to my kitchen stack..., March 2, 2007

By 

D.A.P. - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera (Hardcover)

really ligurian, really good

The reviewer who claimed this book is "not really Ligurian" seems not to have paid attention. In her introduction, the author is straightforward about the fact that "the recipes in this book don't add up to an encyclopedia of Ligurian cuisine.

"It's not my intention to present you with a comprehensive collection of dishes from the region," she tells us. "Instead, I want to take you on a more intimate, personal journey...."

She does exactly that. It's a book about the spirit of a place. The author captures that spirit well.

That said, it's just plain wrong to say that the recipes here aren't Ligurian in character. I've travelled in Liguria, and while it's true the author offers her own personal interpretation of certain classics (any good cookbook author does that), and in some cases adapts ingredients for what's available in US markets (which I consider a service to readers like me, since the book was published in the US), I've eaten many of these very dishes in restaurants throughout the Ligurian coast and entroterra.

Not only are the recipes here spot-on in their invocation of the region, they're also accessible to a home cook like me. The book is a pleasure to read and a pleasure to cook from.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching & tasty too, March 2, 2007

By 

E. Puentes (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera (Hardcover)

Giannatempo mixes stories from her childhood summers with reflections on the region's food and what it meant to her family. The stories are full of funny characters and a certain nostalgia, all tied to a strong (and inviting) sense of place. The recipes are clear & easy to follow (who knew focaccia could be such a simple thing?) and though some of the favors may be unfamiliar to American readers, that's part of the fun. A great combination.