Mangia Bene!: The Italian American Family Cookbook (New American Family Cookbooks) [Paperback]

Kate Devivo (Author)

Book Description

Series: New American Family Cookbooks | Publication Date: November 20, 2002

Four years in the making, Mangia Bene! is a loving tribute to a young woman's grandmother, whose family immigrated to America from Italy some 100 years ago. The combination of recipes will not be found in any cookbook, as it is a mixture of home-style Italian family recipes and the various augmentations made to them as the family grew. It offers new family recipes of all ethnic varieties brought into the mix by means of marriages, travels, friends, and experiences. Appealing to all ages and levels of cooking, the book is further enhanced with family stories and traditions, giving the reader a real sense of growing up in an American Italian household.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...reveals insights into the traditions and stories of her Italian-American family along with 200 recipes." -- Linda Fradkin, Galveston (TX) Daily News

"...there is an assortment of traditional Italian-American dishes, some passed down for 100 years or more." -- Donna Cook, The Courier-Times (New Castle, IN)

"A lively, down-to-earth, celebration of family culture and cuisine." -- Dominic Candeloro, author, Italians in Chicago (Arcadia), and executive director, American Italian Historical Association

"‘Mangia Bene’ is a highly recommended book of traditional Italian Recipes along with some popular American ones thrown in." -- Harold McFarland, The Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Kate DeVivo is a freelance designer and editor living in Chicago. This is her first cookbook

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Capital Books; 1 edition (November 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892123851
• ISBN-13: 978-1892123855
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.7 x 4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,782,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great recipes for the home cook, February 7, 2003

By 

"mikebarz" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mangia Bene!: The Italian American Family Cookbook (New American Family Cookbooks) (Paperback)

I thought that I would never make my own pizza with homemade dough and sauce, but because the pizza recipes in this cookbook seemed easy enough for the home cook, I gave one of the recipes (Grandma's Pizza) a try. The pizza was absolutely delicious! My family enjoyed it and said they preferred it to takeout pizza. The pizza was healthy too because it needed only a light sprinkling of cheese. This book is a wonderful collection of family recipes. Perfect for the home cook who likes Italian-American food.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious Food, Great Stories!, November 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mangia Bene!: The Italian American Family Cookbook (New American Family Cookbooks) (Paperback)

Author Kate Devivo has compiled her family recipes, primarily handed down from her grandmother, in this lovely cookbook. The recipes were originally authentic Italian, but have been "Americanized" by the author's family. Therefore, the recipes and tastes are new and interesting. After looking through this book, you feel like part of Kate Devivo's family.

If you are looking for a cookbook with interesting, good, new recipes, get this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great recipe selection, great results, July 29, 2003

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mangia Bene!: The Italian American Family Cookbook (New American Family Cookbooks) (Paperback)

"Mangia Bene" is a collection of recipes garnered over the years from the Devivo family. The recipe sources include the author's grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, cousins, and in-laws.

The book covers everything from traditional Italian dishes such as bruschetta, pinzimonio, wedding soup, and minestrone, to a wonderful section on pizzas and pastas, to recipes like hot wings that are hardly Italian but still excellent.
One of the many excellent dishes that I enjoyed was the pasta Alberto. I left out the anchovies but it still tasted wonderful. The Rosemary Chicken and the Sour Cream Chicken are also excellent choices.

All of the recipes have easy to follow instructions and delicious results. Throughout the book are various tips, background information on the recipes, and family stories that make you feel at home with Kate Devivo and her family. "Manga Bene!" is a highly recommended book of traditional Italian recipes along with some popular more American ones thrown in.