| |||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Product Description
Although Barbara Lynch was born and raised in South Boston, not Tuscany, many critics believe her food rivals the best of Italy. It has been praised by Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Gourmet, and many more. Lynch's cuisine is all the more remarkable because it is self-taught. In a story straight out of Good Will Hunting, she grew up in the turbulent projects of "Southie", where petty crime was the only viable way to make a living. But in a home ec class in high school, she discovered her passion. Through a mix of hunger for knowledge, hard work, and raw smarts, she gradually created her own distinctive style of cooking, mining Italian and French classics for ideas and seasoning them with imagination. The 150 recipes in Stir combine sophistication with practicality. Appetizers like baked tomatoes and cheese and crisp, buttery brioche pizzas. Dozens of the artful pastas Lynch is famous for, such as little lasagnas with chicken meatballs, and potato gnocchi with peas and mushrooms. Lobster rolls with aoli. Chicken wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with melting Italian cheese. Creamy vanilla bread pudding with caramel sauce. Accompanied by Lynch's forthright opinions and stunning four-color photographs, these dishes will create a stir on home tables.
Growing up in public housing in a tough neighborhood in Boston, I couldn't afford culinary school. Cookbooks like Waverly Root's The Food of Italy not only taught me about new ingredients and techniques but were an escape. (They also helped me bluff my way through my first cooking job.) Now I get to do what I love best: making people happy by feeding them really delicious food. In Stir, I share my passion and my hard-earned knowledge. And of course, I give you my recipes, which the regulars in my restaurants have been clamoring for over the years. Some are almost embarrassingly easy, like Gorgonzola Fondue, Baked Cheese and Tomatoes, and Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Thyme. Others are a little more involved but oh-so-worth-it, like Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Caraway Gnocchi. There's plenty of weekday cooking, including Green Bean and Seared Shrimp Salad with Spicy Curry Sauce, which I eat all the time, and Lemony Breaded Chicken Cutlets, which my daughter Marchesa loves. Then there are my pastas, which are my very favorite things, such as Chicken Meatball Lasagnettes (a favorite of Julia Child's) and sauces that pair well with both fresh and dried pasta, such as my signature Bolognese (I share my secret ingredient). All of my recipes are written with the home cook in mind and so are full of the details that make a difference. I hope Stir will inspire you. Enjoy!
Barbara Lynch
Although Barbara Lynch was born and raised in South Boston, not Tuscany, many critics believe her food rivals the best of Italy. It has been praised by Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Gourmet, and many more. Lynch's cuisine is all the more remarkable because it is self-taught. In a story straight out of Good Will Hunting, she grew up in the turbulent projects of "Southie", where petty crime was the only viable way to make a living. But in a home ec class in high school, she discovered her passion. Through a mix of hunger for knowledge, hard work, and raw smarts, she gradually created her own distinctive style of cooking, mining Italian and French classics for ideas and seasoning them with imagination. The 150 recipes in Stir combine sophistication with practicality. Appetizers like baked tomatoes and cheese and crisp, buttery brioche pizzas. Dozens of the artful pastas Lynch is famous for, such as little lasagnas with chicken meatballs, and potato gnocchi with peas and mushrooms. Lobster rolls with aoli. Chicken wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with melting Italian cheese. Creamy vanilla bread pudding with caramel sauce. Accompanied by Lynch's forthright opinions and stunning four-color photographs, these dishes will create a stir on home tables.
Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Barbara Lynch
Dear Amazon Reader, Growing up in public housing in a tough neighborhood in Boston, I couldn't afford culinary school. Cookbooks like Waverly Root's The Food of Italy not only taught me about new ingredients and techniques but were an escape. (They also helped me bluff my way through my first cooking job.) Now I get to do what I love best: making people happy by feeding them really delicious food. In Stir, I share my passion and my hard-earned knowledge. And of course, I give you my recipes, which the regulars in my restaurants have been clamoring for over the years. Some are almost embarrassingly easy, like Gorgonzola Fondue, Baked Cheese and Tomatoes, and Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Thyme. Others are a little more involved but oh-so-worth-it, like Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Caraway Gnocchi. There's plenty of weekday cooking, including Green Bean and Seared Shrimp Salad with Spicy Curry Sauce, which I eat all the time, and Lemony Breaded Chicken Cutlets, which my daughter Marchesa loves. Then there are my pastas, which are my very favorite things, such as Chicken Meatball Lasagnettes (a favorite of Julia Child's) and sauces that pair well with both fresh and dried pasta, such as my signature Bolognese (I share my secret ingredient). All of my recipes are written with the home cook in mind and so are full of the details that make a difference. I hope Stir will inspire you. Enjoy!Barbara Lynch
(Photo © Justin Ide)
Recipe Excerpts from Stir
 Roasted Fennel and Green Beans |  Butcher Shop Bolognese |  Creamy Vanilla Bread Pudding |
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. James Beard Award-winning Lynch, chef-owner of Boston's famed No. 9 Park and several other notable restaurants, delivers her much-anticipated first cookbook. An unlikely cook raised in the projects of South Boston, where she subsisted solely on processed foods, Lynch was introduced to cooking by her high school home economics teacher and was smitten. Since then, she's mastered her art, and the results are evident in this gorgeous, mouth-watering book, which includes her restaurants' signature dishes, such as prune-stuffed gnocchi with foie gras sauce and Butcher Shop Bolognese. She offers an ample selection of starters including quick chicken liver pâté, gorgonzola fondue, and brioche pizza dough. She also includes hearty and satisfying soups and salads, a substantial section on pasta, side dishes and desserts. Lynch's fish offerings are plentiful, including pan-fried cod with chorizo and clam ragout, and scallop and pureed celery root gratinée. Poultry dishes range from lemony breaded chicken cutlets to spice-rubbed roast goose. Lynch provides helpful tips throughout on everything from celery leaves to segmenting citrus. Lynch will delight fans who have been waiting patiently for this delectable collection.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Barbara Lynch is the James Beard Award-winning chef-owner of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, which includes seven restaurants and food businesses in Boston: No. Nine Park, B & G Oyster, The Butcher Shop, Sportello, Plum, Drink, and Stir.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am lucky enough to live two blocks from Barbara Lynch's B&G Oyster, Butcher Shop and her test/demonstration kitchen Stir. I often pop into the Butcher Shop for some of their amazing house made sausages or a pint of their fantastic bolognese sauce, so when I heard that Barbara was writing a cookbook I was excited. Honestly, I was excited but concerned that this might be another restaurant chef sharing overly complicated recipes that don't fit into my busy lifestyle. Opening this beautifully photographed cookbook, I was instantly pleased to see that this was a cookbook for all home cooks.
Filled with mouthwatering recipes that are easy to follow, "Stir" turns intimidating foods, such as homemade gnocchi, into approachable, show stopping meals that can be made by just about anyone. One of the most fantastic aspects of this well written book, are the notes Chef Lynch shares regarding preparing the dishes ahead of time. Let's face it, when hosting a dinner party, there is nothing worse than having to slave in the kitchen while the guest are enjoying the cocktails and appetizers that have been prepared. Lynch offers tips on which recipes can be made ahead of time, and how to reheat the dishes so they may be perfectly served.
With wit and a no-nonsense "Southie" undertone, this cook book is destined to be a classic for cooks at any level. The Italian, meets French meets Boston cuisine offers everything from comfort foods to Barbara Lynch's signature Prune Stuffed Gnocchi with foie gras (btw... don't knock it until you've tried it!)
I'm thrilled to have added this cookbook to my collection and look forward to making even more recipes from it. Oh, and I might not need to stop by the Butcher Shop as often, since I now have the recipe for the Bolognese!
Filled with mouthwatering recipes that are easy to follow, "Stir" turns intimidating foods, such as homemade gnocchi, into approachable, show stopping meals that can be made by just about anyone. One of the most fantastic aspects of this well written book, are the notes Chef Lynch shares regarding preparing the dishes ahead of time. Let's face it, when hosting a dinner party, there is nothing worse than having to slave in the kitchen while the guest are enjoying the cocktails and appetizers that have been prepared. Lynch offers tips on which recipes can be made ahead of time, and how to reheat the dishes so they may be perfectly served.
With wit and a no-nonsense "Southie" undertone, this cook book is destined to be a classic for cooks at any level. The Italian, meets French meets Boston cuisine offers everything from comfort foods to Barbara Lynch's signature Prune Stuffed Gnocchi with foie gras (btw... don't knock it until you've tried it!)
I'm thrilled to have added this cookbook to my collection and look forward to making even more recipes from it. Oh, and I might not need to stop by the Butcher Shop as often, since I now have the recipe for the Bolognese!
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Elena K
Format:Hardcover
We live in Boston and frequent BL's restaurants- this brilliant cookbook includes some of her fabulous accessible recipes that she serves so we can try them at home i.e. bolognese sauce (to die for), poulet en pain, roasted winter squash with maple syrup and sage cream (perfect for Thanksgiving). Besides loving the layout and gorgeous photos, the tidbits and infectious tone from Barbara herself make this both gourmand and down-to-earth reading. I can't wait to curl up in front of a fire and peruse... the most difficult choice will be which recipe to try first!
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Gorgonzola Fundue was the first thing I made out of the cookbook, though Barbara Lynch's legendary bolognese is coming up soon. The photography in the book is especially good and is what initially caught my eye in the bookstore. But the recipes are well setup for the home kitchen. So many great restaurant cooks and their cookbooks have a difficult transition to the smaller quantities, the lower heats, and the impracticality of whole day cooking in the home kitchen. Aside from the photos and the recipes, the story of cooking as an escape from the projects and poverty via self-taught cooking is an inspiration. Quite a book!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent choice for entertaining
I have made 14 of the recipes so far from this book and they all were complimented by guests. I am a fan of the simplicity of ingredients. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Eric Frei
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful cookbook!
As always, just terrific chef! Been to many of her restaurants and she deserves her great rating! She also has helpful tips.
Published 5 months ago by E. Ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars
a restaurant cookbook that I can cook from weekly!
I usually don't like restaurant chef cookbooks because (1) they seem to be only fit for cooking on special occasions (hello, molecular gastronomy! Read more
Published 17 months ago by datura2002
3.0 out of 5 stars
Real pasta please
I was excited at first seeing recipes for fresh gnocchi and some other fresh pasta. I've been looking for playful fresh pasta recipes. Read more
Published on May 16, 2011 by X
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Cookbook
I love this cookbook! I thought that it not be the best fit for me and my lifestyle, but it's turned out to be great. Read more
Published on April 17, 2011 by Fun Cooking
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good book But pages missing
I tried several of the book's recipes and the were very good.
I gave the book 2 stars because unfortunately I have around 18 pages missing from the book. Read more
I gave the book 2 stars because unfortunately I have around 18 pages missing from the book. Read more
Published on March 10, 2011 by Nadinoo
5.0 out of 5 stars
fun cooking
Chef Barbara Lynch is a fine cook and this is an excellent cook book. The recipes are all just right. And her comments are good reading
Published on January 8, 2011 by Murray W. Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "go-to" book
This has rapidly become our "go-to" book when we are looking to try something new. Always appealing dishes, but not an all day project either in the kitchen or out looking for... Read more
Published on January 5, 2011 by doug
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, and absolutely delicious!
I received this cookbook as as Holiday gift and I've loved every recipe I've made so far including the beef tartare with truffle aioli, creamy bibb lettuce salad and champagne... Read more
Published on January 2, 2011 by L. Friedrichs
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gourmet all the way
This book is not for the faint of heart. Altho' some recipes are stupid easy, it is kicked up to appeal to the cook who has graduated onto gourmet aspirations. Read more
Published on December 30, 2010 by Joanne
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
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
