Customer Reviews

The Vegetarian Table: Italy

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

 

 

I have an affection for this book and found the Kirkus Reviews panning of it altogethr slanted. This is a book for lacto-poulo vegetarians and food lovers who prefer moderation in the intake of foods containing fat over grim abstinence from the delights of cheese, olive oil and egg dishes. Given that, I found della Croce's book augmented my library of Italian cookbooks, including the complete works of Marcella Hazan. While some of the recipes are familiar (Pasta e Fagioli, eggplant parmigiana, broccoli with lemon) many are original and delightful. The fettucine with walnut sauce, spaghettini with uncooked lemon and black olive sauce and the coucous with stewed vegetables and chick-peas, Sicilian-Arab style have become crowd-pleasing staples. The book is attractively illustrated, and Ms. della Croce is a warm, friendly guide. This book does not supplant the works of established guides to the Italian kitchen. But it will beguile both the newcomer and the veteran.

This cookbook was given to me by a good friend, and what a find! Several of the recipes in the book, especially the wild mushroom risotto, have made it into our regular menu here at home. The recipes are fairly easy to prepare, and the flavor combinations are delightful. These kinds of recipes are a much better way to eat vegetarian than trying to mimic meat dishes (e.g. garden burgers, etc.) because they are essentially and naturally meat-free. I highly recommend this title.

I just got married and have been cooking Italian for the first time in my life.This book is everything an Italian cookbook should be and more. It is completly meat-free but doesn't skimp on flavor. I have many cookbooks but this one taught me how to make lump-free Polenta on my first try. The Pasta and Lentil soup was so delicious that my full-blooded Italian husband said it would be perfect for a Wedding Celebration. I've just now made the simple dish of carrots cooked in milk with Tarragon and my tastebuds went wild. The easy-to-make recipes are full of mouthwatering flavor combinations that make vegetables taste better than chocolate. Period.

I'm getting big into cooking these days, after switching to a mostly vegetarian / low-fat / non-fat diet. So, I'm looking to spice up the cooking. Vegetarian doesn't mean "boring," in my book. Nor in this book. This book goes into quite a bit of Italian trivia and cooking traditions. It fills in the American audience on things like the difference between a Minestrone (big soup) and various other types of soups (smaller soups or more "brothy" soups), or the proper types and sizes of pasta to use a pesto with (hint: not angel hair; the sauce simply can't get / stay between the strands and ends up pooling on, under or around the pasta).

For those vegetarians or omnis who like Italian food or worldly ethnic food, this will serve as a handy reference, alongside the Mexico, Thailand, India, America, Japan and other Vegetarian Table cookbooks. They seem to do an admirable job of capturing the flavors and traditions of the particular regions they topically cover.

While vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean low-fat (using olive oil among other things), many of the recipes could probably be adapted fairly easily to a lower fat content by clever substitution or omission. Some of the recipes are a bit complicated, but I assume the results will be authentic and yummy, thus worth the added effort. Maybe not the best book for those just starting out cooking, but for those familiar with the kitchen, I think it's about the right speed and complexity.

This amazing cookbook has the advantage of not appearing as a vegetarian cookbook but actually has no meat recipes in it. Perfect! The pepperonata, polenta casserole and risotto ideas are worth the price of the book. The recipes are easy to use and wonderful photos accompany the dishes. It is my favorite Italian cookbook by far!

I purchased this book because I already knew I wanted to own it having borrowed it from the library and made several of the recipes. The reason I am not giving this a good review is because of the seller/price. When I purchased the book, I expected to get a hard cover edition. I received a smaller, paperback version and I had paid twice the price on the inside cover. I almost returned the book on principle. Instead, since the book is great and I want to own it, I am leaving this feedback for others to make sure they are not overcharged by this seller. By the way, they are not part of the amazon free shipping, so you will always pay shipping from this seller. Yea to the book. Nay to the seller.