Customer Reviews

The Mafia Cookbook: Revised and Expanded

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was written from the heart,and as every Italian knows, the way to the heart is through the stomach. Mr.Ianuzzi combination of true-life exploits and culinary mastery produce a cultural expose' that helps define a way of life that few of us will ever experience. WHAT-EVER ! The "CAPONARA" is to die for and the Marinara Sauce should be illegal! In other words, this book is a must for every kitchen! A compliment cookbook to Joe Dogg"s is Dom Deluiese's: "Eat this , it'll make you feel better"

Chicken Cacciatore, Shrimp Scampi Gambino-style and Manicotti Marinara are just a few of the traditional Italian dishes from "Joe Dogs" Iannuzzi's Mafia Cookbook that will make you feel like a made man. With a collection of anecdotes of Joe Dogs' life with the mob, this book isa good read even if you don't cook. If you do, most of the dishes feature minimal preparation time and do not call for complex ingredients requiring pre-preparation. Overall, the book would compliment most cooking libraries and work especially well for the novice Italian chef

Don't mistake this for a novelty item. The recipes in this book are 100% legit. I've worked from a lot of cookbooks, and this one is my favorite. The scampi and the stuffed shells alone are easily worth the price of the book. And if you like Iannuzzi's stories, you might want to check out his biography, as well. It's an entertaining read.

Who'd have thought the mob ate like this?? Check this one out; you won't be disappointed.

I couldn't wait to get this book! When it arrived,I read it within an hour and decided on which recipes I was going to make. Being an Italian-American and having a father that taught me how to cook(God Rest His Soul), I found a lot of Joey Dogs recipes similar to the way my family cooks now. The Orrichetti with peas and proscuitto is to die for. No pun intended! HAHA There is nothing pretencious about this cooking, just good Italian food and of course, the stories are a riot. Its good food with a sad sense of humor. Try it, you'll like it.

This book is simply amazing. I was just developing a taste for cooking when this book was purchased for me, and I originally thought it was just supposed to be funny - which it is, certainly. Each recipe is followed or preceded by an interesting story that relates, somehow, to the delicious dish. I realized, though, that the dishes were good enough that even a novice like me could make delicious, Italian-American meals.

While the recipes are not authentically Italian and may call for some non-traditional but readily-available ingredients, do not let this turn you off from the book. The recipes all turn out exactly as described, and yes - they are almost all very fattening and very, very tasty. Even the side dish recommendations are good.

Not all the dishes are specifically Italian - cheesecake, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and Lobster Newburg are all particularly good, non-traditional recipes. The instructions are clear and easy to follow for every item, and there are enough recipes in here to last quite some time. I highly recommend this book; I have seen many cookbooks since I was first introduced to cooking, and this is still one of my favorites.

For anyone who wants to cook what real Italians eat this book is an essential. The stories add color and depth to the culinary experience and Mr. Iannuzzi's use of shortcuts produce unexpected excellent results. I use it so frequently, I have pretty much memorized it.

When I saw the title of this cookbook I couldn't resist buying it if only for the novelty of the thing. I imagine many of you reading this have the same reaction. The little stories with each recipe would have fit right in as scenes for "Goodfellas", but with one exception, the recipes are fairly standard Italian-American fare. The lone exception is the Ricotta-Rice Pudding which I find absolutely fabulous. I didn't know so much sugar could fit into one dessert! It's delicious!

You really can't compare a cookbook with mob stories to much.... but it's a lot of fun. I especially reccomend the stuffed rice pudding recepie and the northern style chicken vesuvio.

The stories are great. The food is great. But unless you want an early cardiac arrest don't eat like this regularly. Joe was a saucier early in his career, so all his recipes are heavy on the sauce. For instance, he calls for several sticks of butter plus a few cups of cream for 2 pounds of shrimp scampi. Even he jokes about this several times in the book. of course, you can always lighten them somewhat on your own.

I'd say get this book for the stories more than for the recipes. (I am biased being half Sicilian). It makes a great gift.

The stories that accompany the menus in this book make trying the recipes a lot of fun. To top that, the dishes taste great! I've really enjoyed my "Mafia Cookbook" and feel sure anyone who likes to experiment in the kitchen will too.