Customer Reviews

Trattoria : The Best of Casual Italian Cooking (Casual Cuisines of the World)

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An excellent choice for a gift book for those who love authentic Italian Cooking, or even better for yourself. You would have to do months and months of research to gain the knowledge contained in this book. The pictures will make your mouth water, and the instructions will easliy guide you as you learn the secrets of the Tratorria. I highly recommend it. Purchase and enjoy this book, and maybe, if you're lucky, Mary Beth will send you her secret recipe for Lasagna.

Organized by course, the sumptuously illustrated "Trattoria" focuses on casual dishes as served in neighborhood restaurants throughout Italy.

Appetizers include crostini, bruschetta and grilled shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and zucchini. First courses include classics like lasagna Bolognese and Tuscan vegetable soup as well as an elegant, time-consuming eggplant and walnut ravioli in tomato-pesto sauce.

Main courses offer a similar range, from Neapolitan-style braised beef Braciole or duck with Vin Santo to swordfish rolls stuffed with shrimp. And for dessert - Tiramisu, plum cake or sweet gorgonzola with baked figs and honey. This balanced presentation is capped with accompanying photographs of the finished dishes which are absolutely irresistible. Also included is a chapter of basics - pasta making and stocks.

This is the book I turn to for quick and easy Italian dishes. Authentic real Italian food that reminds me of dining in Italy. While the author is a highly regarded chef, her writing is easily accessible to those of us who are less accomplished cooks.
Highly recommended.