Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Simply Tuscan: Recipes for a Well-Lived Life
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Simply Tuscan: Recipes for a Well-Lived Life [Hardcover]

Pino Luongo (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.



Book Description

April 18, 2000
Renowned restaurateur, bon vivant, and armchair philosopher Pino Luongo presents a year of Tuscan menus, with recipes for living the good life.

Pino Luongo is Tuscan to his toes--by birth, in sensibility, philosophically, and in the way he lives his life. To be Tuscan, Pino says, "is to honor all your senses." And he believes that everyone would benefit from having a little bit of Tuscany in his or her life, which is why he has written Simply Tuscan.

Welcome in the spring with a menu of quintessentially seasonal recipes, such as Artichoke, Romaine, and Pea Soup, followed by Roasted Veal with Lemon and Sage, and sweetened with Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar. Or welcome your in-laws with a meal they'll never forget: Zucchini Soup with Mint, Ricotta Ravioli with Osso Buco Gremolata, and Upside-Down Warm Apple Tart.

Follow Pino to the seashore in summer, where, as he says, "the beach makes us wild with energy," to partake of a Summer Night Seafood Extravaganza--Crispy Fried Shrimp with Summer Vegetables in Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette, Trout Roasted Porchetta-Style, and Lobster and Cannellini Beans in Guazzetto.

Celebrate Thanksgiving Tuscan-style and, Pino promises, it will give you something else to be thankful for. Start the meal with Farro, Swiss Chard, and Butternut Squash Soup. Follow it up with Goose with Vineyard Stuffing instead of the usual turkey. Try Mashed Potatoes with Leeks in place of the candied sweets, and finish with Spiced Poached Pears with Vin Santo Sabayon.

Winter means comfort food all over the world, and in Tuscany this might mean Oven-Baked Leg of Pork Glazed with Chestnut Honey, a Carrot and Apple Purée, and Caramelized Baba Scented with Orange.

All of these recipes and many more, accompanied by Pino's wise and witty commentary on the occasions for which they were devised, are intended, in his words, to "convert you to Tuscanism...once you get a taste for it, there's no turning back." And this beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated, deliciously tempting book of recipes is certain to do just that.


Some of the recipes, such as Cacciucco, a fish and shellfish stew, or the Easter Torta with Cheese, are totally, typically,
traditionally Tuscan; others, like Crabmeat Ravioli in Ginger-Scented Vegetable Broth and the Bay Scallop and Asparagus Risotto are modern interpretations, which, nevertheless, remain truly Tuscan in spirit.

SIMPLY TUSCAN is intended, in Pino's words, to "convert you to Tuscanism--once you get a taste for it, there's no turning back." And this beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated, deliciously tempting book of recipes is certain to do just that. -->


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Will America's appetite for all things under the Tuscan sun ever be satisfied? Not likely with Pino Luongo's Simply Tuscan. Luongo, owner of 10 restaurants and Manhattan's market Tuscan Square, may have spent the past 20 years in the Big Apple, but he is still synchronized to life in the Tuscan countryside. Simply Tuscan honors those rhythms with its seasonal organization and easy mix of food lore, travelogue, and personal reminiscences. Luongo opens with spring (though fall is his favorite season for cooking); in this section, the Italian passion for simplicity--which Luongo constantly endorses--achieves quintessential form in a mache salad topped with quail eggs. The fall section is studded with such treasures as a trio of recipes showcasing the revered tartufo bianco, or white truffle. All the reader really need remember, though, is Luongo's offhand remark on his favorite way of enjoying this delicacy: shaved over fried eggs. Simply Tuscan speaks to cooks of all abilities. The pared-down arrangements of summer and spring will yield memorable results for less-confident cooks who take care to use only the most immaculate and best ingredients. More familiar hands will welcome the savory complexities of the fall and winter menus. Professional cooks will want the book for its bomboloni recipe alone. A favorite from Luongo's childhood, this sweet fritter is used to evaluate potential pastry chefs for his restaurants. If you can't make bomboloni, you'll never cook for Pino. --Sumi Hahn Almquist

From Publishers Weekly

Weaving poetry, culinary commentary and childhood reminiscences about his native Tuscany into this winsome collection of recipes, restaurateur Luongo (Fish Talking; A Tuscan in the Kitchen) introduces traditional Tuscan cuisine with thematic flourish. Chapters are organized by season, setting the stage for menus that include seasonal holidays and special occasions. For example, spring menus highlight "Easter Lunch and Easter Dinner" as well as the "First Dinner with the In-Laws," while autumn features "Fall's First Truffle Dinner" and "A Tuscan Thanksgiving Dinner." Throughout, Luongo proffers anecdotes and a Tuscan worldview: on summer entertaining, "Think of it as having a date with nature"; on men cooking: "If a man can't cook in Tuscany, he has something to be ashamed of." Devoid of elaborate explanations, recipes are refreshingly straightforward, taking a matter-of-fact approach to cooking. The traditional preparations emphasize handmade pastas and a prolific use of indigenous ingredients, including chestnuts, truffles, herbs, butter and various Italian cheeses. Dishes range from simple--Lamb Stew with Artichokes, Fusilli Salad with Swordfish and Grapefruit, Watermelon Granita--to such involved and elaborate recipes as Ravioli Filled with Pappa al Pomodoro (a tomato sauce) and Black Cabbage, and Sweet and Sour Boar with Chestnut Gnocchi. Luongo will charm readers into incorporating a bit of Tuscany into their workaday life.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (April 18, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385492901
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385492904
  • Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Like to travel? Like to cook? Do both!, April 28, 2000
By 
This review is from: Simply Tuscan: Recipes for a Well-Lived Life (Hardcover)
Do NOT be intimidated - I am barely starting to do more than very basic cooking and the cuisine of Tuscany is my favorite. The instructions are clear, I had with me a friend who is a very good cook and this book worked for us both, doesn't talk down to you and it doesn't make you feel like an idiot.

Perfect timing, too - start with summer and spring recipes, I find those not only more appropriate but a bit easier.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars For Those Who Love Tuscany, This Book Has It All, November 23, 2000
This review is from: Simply Tuscan: Recipes for a Well-Lived Life (Hardcover)
This book is much more than a mere cookbook, as Pino Luongo shares his love of Tuscany in a friendly informal way that I found particularly appealing. The book is divided into the four seasons as Mr. Luongo feels this best reflects nature's lead. The recipes are very easy to follow, containing easy to find ingredients, and he has added a number of menu selections sprinkled through each chapter. Having lived in Italy for 8 years myself, Tuscany was one of my favorite regions, and I thoroughly enjoyed traveling back there with Mr. Luongo in this book. If You love Tuscany and it's food, you'll enjoy this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A delightful looking book. Works less well as a cookbook, March 3, 2004
This review is from: Simply Tuscan: Recipes for a Well-Lived Life (Hardcover)
`Simply Tuscan' is one of several books based on Tuscan cuisine by restaurateur / author Pino Luongo. While his latest book, `La Mia Cucina Toscana' is pointedly about dishes at his restaurants which are based on Tuscan dishes or at least ideas about Tuscan dishes, this book would appear to simply be about Tuscan dishes. If you read the fine print, however, you see that recipes in this book are also not authentically Tuscan. They are also not authentically Pino Luongo, as they are credited to the author's executive chef, Marta Pulini.

These little dissemblences can, of course, all be explained away, especially since this book is intended to be as much a memoir and invocation of life in Tuscany as it is a cookbook.

The best way to conjure up an image of the author's depiction of life in Tuscany is to see Hannibal Lector's lifestyle in Florence at the beginning of the movie `Hannibal'. Through skillfully placed photographs; watercolor paintings; pen and ink drawings on sepia colored, water streaked paper; and flip-flopping between an artistic, Arabic looking font and a crude Courier font, the book gives a rustic background to narrative on the pleasures of living in Tuscany. I have no doubt whatsoever that Tuscany is simply one of the more beautiful places on Earth. As the author points out, it is also one of the fountainheads of the Renaissance.

But if Tuscany is such an idyllic location, why did the author emigrate to the murky canyons of New York City. The author routinely travels back to Tuscany, however I suspect it is as much to mine a business resource as it is to be refreshed by the Tuscan sun. Part of the author's business organization is a shop of Tuscan merchandise in Rockafeller Center.

The book's culinary content is organized by season and, within season, by menu fitting various occasions. This enhances the flow of the book as memoir of Tuscan life, but it does not help those of us who wish to mine the book for authentic Tuscan recipes. The arty layout of recipes in crude Courier font intermixed with pictures with no captions compounds the difficulty to use this book as a culinary tool.

The culinary memoir which, in my experience, comes the closest to this book is Vincent Schiavelli's `Many Beautiful Things'. Schiavelli's book is immensely more successful as a memoir by being much more modest in its graphics and much more personal and informative in its narrative.

Luongo's book also has some odd inconsistencies in recipe weights and measures. In most cases, flour is measured by cup, but in some, it is measured by weight, with no explanation of the difference.

Luongo's book deserves a browse for the charming drawings. I would look elsewhere for sources of authentic, useable Tuscan recipes.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews





Only search this product's reviews




Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject