Customer Reviews

The Southern Italian Table: Authentic Tastes from Traditional Kitchens

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I rented this from the library and just fell in love with it! I usually bite off more than I can chew, difficulty-wise, when choosing a recipe for a nice occasion. But the majority of these recipes are simple with a short list of fresh, simple ingredients that are easy to find. And yet, cooking them still adds some variety to my family's traditional American (and Filipino) dinner table... I also like that these recipes tend to be on the lighter side (such as risotto with ground pistacchios and shrimp cooked in seafood broth and wine as opposed to lots of heavy cream and parmesan)

Great Italian recipes that a cooking novice on a time and money budget could tackle easily. I definitely recommend to anyone!

Arthur Schwartz is genius at capturing the practical and entertaining aspects of Southern Italian cuisine and passing all that along to us. This book is beautifully written with loads of rich anecdotes and the photographs are exquisite. I have been going through it page by page and every recipe I've tried is an absolute winner. I highly recommend it as a great gift for anyone who wants to impress their guests or family with simple, delicious food, or for Italophiles, or for anyone who wants to simply understand the history of southern Italian food.

This is a gorgeous book. I want to cook everything in it! Arthur Schwartz has such a wonderful understanding of the food of Southern Italy. Having travelled there many times, I feel like he more than many other Italian cookbook authors, helps me to create the true flavors of Italy. Every time I prepare one of his dishes I feel like that's exactly what I want to be eating at that time because he takes me back to Italy each time. He just nails authentic Italian cookery and his recipes are very balanced & not overdone like so many Italian-American preparations. I've never tried a recipe of his that hasn't become part of my rep. Many of my favorite dishes are from this book or his "Naples, At Table" book. I have nearly 350 cookbooks and just about half of them are Italian. His books are 2 of my favorites. So far I've prepared:

Pickled Cherry Peppers Stuffed with Tuna & Giardiniera
Olio Santo
Stuzzico - Eggplant, Red Pepper, & Onion Spread
Linguine con Noce e Colatura
Paccheri con Zucca e Salsicce
Pizza Napolitano
Broccolo Affogato - Smothered Cauliflower
Caponata al Forno
Pasta e Lenticchie alla Siciliana
Zuppa di Lenticchie con Salsicce e Broccoli di Rapa

All of the above dishes are all drool worthy! The Paccheri with the sausage & pumpkin is one of my new favorite pasta dishes. You must try it. His oven baked Caponata is so good that I've already prepared it twice within a month. Get this book & be a happy cook & eater! Buon appetito!

Arthur Schwartz has nailed southern Italian cooking down in this new book, which is my absolute favorite. It is explained in a user friendly way and the photographs are exceptional. He is the best, as his books are not so much "technical" as they are cultural, and that is what separates him from the rest.

Enrico in RI

A perfect book from a personable author: a Brooklyn New Yorker who totally understands the food and lifestyle of Southern Italy. The bookcover just hints to the terrific receipes and "personal" advice from the Food Maven, Arthur Schwartz.

Enjoy his many other books, including: The Southern Italian Table: Authentic Tastes from Traditional KitchensArthur Schwartz's New York City Food: An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Legendary RecipesSoup Suppers: More Than 100 Main-Course Soups and 40 Accompaniments

He has a cooking school in Southern Italy as well. What a Treat!

Steve Trombetti, Asharoken, NY

another great book by arthur schwartz. another book i cannot live without. love this book. love arthur.