Customer Reviews

Mangia, Little Italy!: Secrets from a Sicilian Family Kitchen

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After so many copies of Italian books that I've thrown out, this one works. It was recommended to me by several professional cooking teachers. I made the Cassata cake, the mother or all Sicilian cakes, and it was fantasik. Romina's 7-Hour Sunday Sauce is the best I've ever made. The family went crazy with the results. I even found pizzas here I have only heard about, such as "Sicilian Christmas Pizzas" stuffed with pork and spinach, and Salted Sardine pizzas. These recipes are impossible to find, and they all worked. I also made her Lemon Cakes which has that homemade taste in the crust topped with cinnamon that I remember Grandma making. This is a book you can read for folktales or cook with. That is rare. I particularly loved the author's tips called "Secrets of Success" on the side of the pages, it helps to make cooking easier. So if you want to make an authentic Lasanga the way it was at the turn of the century or a real Sicilian pizza, the way it's made in Sicily, this is the only book that I've found that is the real thing. Bravo Francesca Romina!

This book brings the Sicilian Kitchen to every home. It's a style of cooking that is rare in my area of the country, but memories of Sausage & Peppers and fried meatballs on Sunday made my childhood complete. Some of the items here I've never even seen in print before. A little slice of Grandma's house teeming with garlic!

Hi, I'm Francesca and writing Mangia, Little Italy! was quite a feat, because I had to deal with my grandma Josephina who didn't want her recipes revealed. To me, she's the best cook and storyteller in the world. Each chapter of my book begins with how food was bought and made in Sicily 100 years ago today, and how it was bought and made when Grandma arrived in New York's Little Italy in 1922. For example, I explain that the first ices were only made in the winter in Sicly when snow was available, by pouring fruit syrups over them, and ice cream was only available at the local pastry store -- these foods were never made in the home, since there was no refrigeration. In Little Italy, the first snow fall was anxiously awaited so children could once again collect snow off the firescape and make ices. Now this is known as snow cones... there's some history for you. I also included wonderful tales from the past, such as The Curse of the Woman in the Red Dress, and Chickens that Turn into Gold, a wonderful fairytale that is still believed. If you'd like to know the history of lasanga, and it's original name, and make dishes like Lasagna with a 7-Hour Meat Tomato Sauce, you'll enjoy my book. The old days of Little Italy will hopefully come alive for you. Francesca Romina

This book was excellent. Any Italian cookbook with Aglio Olio in it (pasta in garlic oil with cheese) has got to be OK! This was a favorite dish of mine while growing up. The tomato sauce recipes were worth the price of the book alone! The author is a skilled writer in spite of what one reviewer said. I found the stories entertaining and interesting. And the recipes were as authentic as any my Sicilian mother or aunts had ever prepared. I love this book!

This is one great book aboutSicilian food preparation. It brought back memories and tastes from home. Some of the recipies I have never seen in print before. Marvelous anecdotal memories, as well. A great read.

Having grandparents that came from Sicily I was very interested in this book. I was not in the least disappointed. The stories were great and very enjoyable, but the recipes were what I've been looking for. Some were so very much like my dad had passed on to us, and the memories of watching my mom and dad make spagetti. Some of the recipes were almost identical and others I am anxious try, wish I had discovered this book many years ago so I could have made some of the recipes for my dad.

This book offers great basic sauce recipes and the added bonus for me are the recipes beyond the sauces, that I'm looking forward to making.

i love the recipes in this book. they sound like cooking the way my italian grandmother did. and what i grew up with. im so pleased with the book.

Thank you so much. It arrived in perfect condition. This was a father's day present. It was a huge hit. He loved it. This book reminds us of our family. Great Shipping and fast.

The recepies in this book remind me of all the wonderful dishes that my Grandma used to make. I have found the pizza dough recepie tastes very close to my Sicilian Great Grandmother's pizza dough. I tend to agree that Italians keep these spicial recepies to themselves which unfortunatly die with the generations. This book brings them all back to life along with the wonderful stories and pictures that go along with them. I'm purchasing another copy for my father, who loved mine so much! I just couldn't part with it!

Great book. Great read. Just love the stories and folklore from Sicily. This the food my grandmother made and I never could find the recipes. Well, they are in this book. The sauces, pizzas, fritattas are great. Francesca Romina just won the contest in Newsday for the best Sesame Seed (Regina) biscuits in Mangia Little Itay. They were terrific and easy to make. There are recipes in this book that I have never seen before and great hints and tips along the way. The author seems to go to great lenghts to be specific for her readers. These recipes work and are well tested. I'm buying several copies for my family members.