Customer Reviews

Red, White, and Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The other day I opened the fridge and discovered that I have some zuchhini. I opened up Red White and Greens under "zuchhini", and within a little while I was eating wonderful zuchhini carpaccio. The next day I found out I still have some leeks from my last shopping. I opened the book under "leek", and discovered how simple it would be to make roasted leek. It was delicous. And when I had some pecorino romano --- well, just look under garlic for a beautiful salad. Faith Willinger, who took us thorough Northern Italy in her "Eating in Italy", here gives simple and delicous Italian recipies for vegetables. Everything I tried is easy to understand and prepare, and became an instant "classic" in our household. Some of the recipies are from Firenze's wonderful Cibreo restaurant, and they are definitley clearer here than they are in the little Cibreo cookbook. Anyone who likes vegetables and loves Italian food will delight in this book. It's a real asset to have. And yes, as some have complaines, some of the ancedotes are repititve, but they still provide fun reading, and even more fun cooking. So get this book, and start maybe with the leek and lemon sauce for pasta. Can I have some more of that, please?

`Red, White & Greens' is on `The Italian Way with Vegetables' by one of the leading distaff Anglo-Saxon interpreters of Italian cuisine, Faith Willinger, who joins Joyce Goldstein, Lynne Rosetto Kasper, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, and Claudia Roden in the very demanding footsteps of Elizabeth David in providing us with an understanding of Italian cuisine.

Unlike many of the superb books by the likes of Marcella Hazan and Lydia Bastianich, these authors, like David, want to go behind the recipes and give us some feel for the analysis, history, geography, botany, and culture of Italian cuisine. Ms. Willinger in this book is focusing on vegetables in a way that is somewhat different from her closest competitor, Jack Bishop, with his book, `The Complete ItalianVegetarian Cookbook'. And, before I go any further, if all you want is Italian recipes with vegetables, then Bishop's book will definitely give you more of what you want than Ms. Willinger's older and shorter volume.

When I started in on Ms. Willinger's book, I quickly became wary of her statement that the Italians like vegetables because they taste good. Almost every authority I have read on the matter, including some which go back to Renaissance cooking, are pretty clear on the fact that Italians like vegetables because they were poor and so many good vegetables could be gathered from the wild.

As I was docking the author for her faulty history, I largely gave her back most of her points when I saw how she treated her subject once we got into the individual vegetables. Unlike Mr. Bishop who organizes his recipes by type of dish, Ms. Willinger treats each of her nineteen headline vegetables in a separate chapter. Note that while there are only nineteen chapters, many more species are discussed. The chapter on artichokes, for example, also deals with cardoons and there is but one chapter on all of mushrooms.

The selection of recipes is not meant to be complete or even a selection of the most popular dishes. The chapter on artichokes, for example, does not include the famous `carciofi alla giudea' of Rome. In fact, most of the recipes are identified with the name of the individual from whom Ms. Willinger cribbed the procedure.

This book is a bit of a lightweight compared to many, but it has a lot of historical and botanical information you may not find elsewhere. It is an excellent addition to any library on Italian cuisine, but if you have Elizabeth Schneider's `Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini' and Jack Bishop's book, you will probably not miss this volume.

I just love this book - the recipes make the best of great produce, are well written and easy to follow. As the Cookery Editor says most of the recipe are easy but rely on quality produce. I'ave cooked at least 10 recipes from this book and have not been disappointed. A couple of weeks ago when I was having a lunch party for 40 I made the Sicilian Potato Salad - it was sensational. If you are looking for a potato salad without a creamy dressing this is definately worth considering. Also it is so easy that it managable to make in quantity.

The other appealing feature of this book is the information section at the beginning of each chapter/section. For anyone interested in food and its history these section make great reading.

If I had to choose only 10 cookbooks this would be one of them.

I buy cookbooks as much for the reading material as for the recipes, but in this case, reading carefully brings out the worst in the book. Willinger seems to have keyed her computer to spit out the same few sentences every time she mentions Tuscany ( a lot) or a certain Torquato (the man she buys vegetables from, so he also rates many mentions) or the almanac from which she gets much of her historical information. The recipes, too, disappoint. Many of them are the sort of thing you'd come up with on your own such as sauteeing a given vegetable in parsley, garlic, and olive oil. All in all, this is one of the most disappointing cookbook purchases I have made in a long time. The glowing reviews, of course, contributed to my sense of disappointed expectations, leading me to conclude that the world of cookbook publishing runs on the same hype that fuels potboilers.

Not only is this book fun and educational, but it enables one to make easy delicious food that even looks good. There is very little fancy food here, just good, tasty cooking by a lady who knows her vegetables. This book is one of the smartest additions I ever made to my (large) collection of cook books. BUY IT NOW! You, your family, and your friends will be glad you did.

Anyone that knows the Cooking talent of this woman KNOWS that her recipes are wonderfully simple and easy to prep. This to me makes cooking so much more fun than a 25 step recipe with less than satisfactory results. "Sometimes.. the simple things are the best things" So is true with Faith and her way of working with food. Great food with ease !!! Always a wonderful treat for the eyes...nose..and mouth when I cook one of her recipes! She is a true Diva or her art. Luv Ya FAITH!!!

Faith Willinger provides simple recipes for fresh vegetables that any cook can recreate. The book is full of interesting information about Italy. I enjoyed reading it in preparation for a trip there. Anyone who loves to cook will appreciate this addition to their culinary library.

While living in Italy, I learned to appreciate the Italian way of cooking vegetables which combined fresh ingredients with simple preparations, creating amazing results, and Faith Willinger's book on Italian vegetables is packed full of these types of recipes. As the host of my own Italian cuisine website Italian Food Forever, I love to prepare vegetables in the Italian manner, and this book has become a great resource for me. Each chapter highlights a vegetable, with a little history of each thrown in with great recipes. If you like vegetables, you'll enjoy this book.

Got this book after reading a recommendation from Bill McKay at Seeds from Italy. Glad I did as it gives new ways to use the great veggies I grow.

There are plenty of things here I'd never try--making French Fries with Extra-Virgin Olive oil, for instance.

And to some extent, this books works as a reader better than a kitchen companion.

But when one of the people at a regular potluck dinner declared eggplant to be her favorite vegetable, I brought makings for the extraordinary, and extraordinarily simple grilled eggplant the next time. I didn't take any home, either. I did spend a fair amount of time at the stove with the grill pan. Next time, I think I'll bring the BIG griddle.

I may start some Tuscan style chard this fall so I can do some of those recipes.