Bugialli's Italy: Traditional Recipes From The Regions Of Italy (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bugialli's Italy is a delicious culinary tour. This well-known chef travels throughout "the boot," presenting the best dishes from each region. Star of his own PBS television series, Giuliano Bugialli is an expert on all things Italian and all things gastronomic. From Tuscany and Naples to Sardinia and Sicily, the quintessential dishes from each area are all here for your eating pleasure. There are antipastis and desserts; a plethora of pastas, sauces, and soups; delicious risottos and fresh, crispy salads. Bugialli is passionate about his love for authentic Italian cooking, and faithfully reproduces recipes that have been passed down through the generations. In Italy, a meal is a long, lavish affair not to be rushed, and Bugialli's Italy mimics the structure of a traditional meal: the first chapter is for antipastis; next come soups, pastas, and risottos--right through to final chapter and the last course of dessert. Each chapter and each course reflects the eclectic mix of Italy's regional cooking. For a main course, Campania offers a Monkfish in Savory Sauce--making good use of this Mediterranean region's love of fresh fish. From Piedmont, a region famous for its vineyards, Bugialli presents a Rump Roast Cooked in Barolo Wine, a succulent dish combining meat, garlic, nutmeg, and fresh rosemary with a whole bottle of full-bodied wine.

Remaining true to the traditions of Italian cooking, many of the recipes are quite complex, and aren't for cooks in a hurry. Poached Bone Chicken dates from the Renaissance, when it was served at lavish banquets. Consequently, this dish requires more than 25 ingredients! This said, cooking Bugialli style does guarantee high rewards. Here are wonderful-tasting, exquisitely presented dishes that will whisk your palate away to the real Italy. --Naomi Gesinger

From Publishers Weekly

Bugialli brings together another sampling of Italian cooking (The Fine Art of Italian Cooking; The Foods of Sicily and Sardinia and the Smaller Islands, 1996), although here he takes the level of difficulty up a notch, calling for unusual ingredients or equipment. Bugialli is most creative?and challenging?in the chapter on first courses: Ravioli with Sole Sauce from the Marches is a lengthy project; Abruzzi's "Guitar" Pasta with Pepper Sauce is more reasonable, but making the pasta requires a special tool (a wooden implement strung with metal wires?the inspiration for the name). Other appetizers include a Soup of Stuffed Romaine Lettuce Leaves from Liguria, which features bundles of lettuce with a sweetbread stuffing. The handful of risotto recipes includes Risotto with Asparagus Tips and Risotto with Duck, Pheasant, or Chicken Livers. Main courses are simpler, but somewhat familiar: Shrimp Wrapped in Pancetta Cooked on Skewers; Veal Shank in Vegetable Sauce; and Sausages Baked with Cauliflower and Potatoes. Desserts such as Apricot Semifreddo (eaten all over Italy) and Almond Sponge Cake from Padua round out the selection. Although these dishes require time to prepare, patient cooks will have no problem following Bugialli's recipes, each of which includes a regional label; most sport informative headers. Tie-in to PBS series; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1st edition (September 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688158641
• ISBN-13: 978-0688158644
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #750,370 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Italian Food, January 6, 2000

By	David Wihowski (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Many "Italian" cookbooks are really Italian-American cookbooks. This one is for you if you want real Italian recipes. Yes, there are some unusual ingredients and not all the techniques are "easy as pie", but this book lets you taste Italy. I have made a number of the recipes with great success. Bugialli knows Italian food and he knows how to teach Americans to make it.

This book is one of my top 10 authentic Italian cookbooks.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Italian recipes that cooks can follow., November 4, 1998

By A Customer

The most accessible cookbook by the master of authentic Italian "cucina." The results of the recipes look as good as the beautiful photographs in the book and taste even better. A tour of Italy in your kitchen. Also, I understand that there will be a TV series on PBS for twenty-six weeks, beginning sometime later this fall or winter.