Cucina & Famiglia: Two Italian Families Share Their Stories, Recipes, And Traditions (Hardcover)

~ Joan T. Tucci (Author), Gianni Scappin (Author), Mimi S. Taft (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The best Italian food is prepared and enjoyed at home. Understanding this and the profound connection between food and Italian family life, Joan Tropiano Tucci (mother of Stanley Tucci, producer and star of the food-movie hit Big Night) and chef Gianni Scappin (who coached Stanley in food-making for the film) have created Cucina & Famiglia, a celebration of multigenerational Italian home cooking. With food writer Mimi Shanley Taft, they present 200 accessible recipes for every course of an Italian meal, while providing glimpses of the family life from which they and the dishes sprang. Cooks wanting a solid repertoire of at-home Italian dishes and anyone interested in Italian food culture will welcome the book.

Beginning with photo-illustrated portraits of the Topiano, Tucci, and Scappin families, the authors present the dishes they grew up on and still make today. Outstanding versions of familiar dishes like Bruschetta with Tomato, Fried Zucchini Fritters, Chicken Cacciatore, and Ricotta Cake are offered with "finds" such as Lasagna Made with Polenta and Gorgonzola Cheese; Farfalle with Artichokes, Potatoes, and Prosciutto; Shellfish and Bean Casserole; and the film-featured Timpano Alla Big Night, a drum of ziti, salami, provolone, meatballs, and more. Each recipe is introduced by the author to whom it "belongs," and these notes are telling. (For example, Scappin writes of Angela's Pear Cake, "My Aunt Angela was like a second mother to me, and every afternoon she baked a different cake."). To savor such a past, as well as the food that accompanied it, Cucina & Famiglia is indispensable. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

Combing the flavors of the South and North, Tropiano Tucci blends her spicy Calabrian dishes with Scappin's flavors from the Veneto. And in an added surprise, Tropiano Tucci reveals the authentic, previously secret family recipe for the Timp no, made famous in son Stanley Tucci's 1996 film Big Night. The dishAa thin sheet of dough shaped like a drum and layered with salami, provolone, hard-boiled eggs, meatballs, pasta and moreAsatisfies expectations; it's rich, extravagant and challenging. The book is layered throughout with stories of preparing food for and making the film (when director Tucci met Le Madri chef Scappin, who is now on the faculty of the Culinary Institute of New York) and with anecdotes from the extended Tucci and Scappin families. The recipes all give proof of what Stanley Tucci calls "our [Italian] obsession with food." Many recipes (Caponata, Stuffed Peppers, Simple Chicken Breast with Sage and Cream-filled Cannoli) are traditional, but there are many personalized dishes as well, like Fried Pasta, Tucci Family Focaccia and, from Scappin's sister, Livia's Tiramis?. Full flavors abound in such meals as Braised Italian-Style Pot Roast (made in the oven with red wine, porcini mushrooms and the usual aromatics); Buckwheat Noodles with Swiss Chard, Potatoes, Cabbage, Fontina and Sage; and Chicken Rolled and Stuffed with Smoked Mozzarella, Spinach and Prosciutto. This is an appealingly collegial addition to the groaning shelves of Italian cookbooks. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1st edition (September 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688159028
• ISBN-13: 978-0688159023
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,155 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Italian Cookbook I have read in years, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

I grew up in an Italian community in Hartford much like the one the Tuccis describe. I was moved to buy this book after seeing Chef Scappin and the Tuccis on a cooking show. Their Manicotti recipe was the same as my grandmother's even though we are Sicilian and they come from Northern Italy!

Dona Concetta made stuffed artichokes for me whenever she knew I was coming home and her recipe is remarkably similar to the one in the book.

I couldn't put down the book. As well as being an excellent cookbook, it is a really interesting view of two fascinating families and their close knit community. The book made me long for the simpler days in my grandfather's garden eating fresh figs and picking tomatoes while the Zias sat and gossiped!

Buy this book, you will love it, particularly if you are of Italian descent.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful remembrance of family, December 1, 1999

By A Customer

It was wonderful to read the stories of the Tropiano, Tucci and Scappin family and then to celebrate their history at my own dinner table. The recipes have the ring of authenticity -- simple, a minimum of ingredients and quick to make. Everything I have tried has turned out great, especially the Anise Biscotti.

I will continue cooking through Cucina & Famiglia with great pleasure.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just about the Timpano..., April 30, 2001

By	Sam Hershey "Sam" (Chelsea, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Many will buy this book for the Timpano recipe. I must say that there is just so much more to this book besides that. I've made close to 15 of the dishes in it and they are all gold so far. In particular, I must recommend the vegetable torte. The crust is absolutely fantastic and easy to make if you have a food processor.

As for the Timpano itself, a friend and I made it and it was quite the event. It took about three days to make sure that we had all the things we needed (sauce and meat need to be made ahead of time, not to mention side dishes). One thing to consider before attempting it is the right basin. Enamel basins like the one in the movie are not made any more, so they are difficult to find. I actually was able to secure one from a company recommended by the book, but it took a few days to track down a retailer. I was also able to get one that looked exactly like the one in the movie, but it was used and I don't know what for, so for the sake of being sanitary I went with the one from the retailer. After it was all said and done, the Timpano was everything we expected and more. Follow the recipe exactly and don't skimp on any of the ingredients, it may seem like collosal ammounts of food, but I tell you that it is all accurate.

Bottom line: fantastic cookbook with excellent recipies, comprehensive and easy instructions with preparations requirements that will appeal to everyone from the novice to the expert! Buy it now!