Cucina Rustica (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Cucina Rustica, the "rustic kitchen," as interpreted by he authors, is Italian food at its freshest, simplest, and most satisfying.

It is a celebration of the pleasures of unpretentious cooking - earthy, nourishing food that takes its inspiration for the Italian classics we all adore and translates them into elegant dishes for today's busy kitchen and modern table. In 250 recipes the authors prove that food with great taste and style can undemanding and easy to prepare. They offer:

An innovative array of antipasti from broiled cheeses topped with woodsy mushrooms to artichokes marinated in lemon and thyme.

Amazingly quick soups of garden-fresh tomatoes and Arborio rice, or wild mushrooms with Marsala over crostini.

Main-course salads such as chicken with mozzarella and vegetables, and summery salads with sweet shrimp, yellow peppers, green beans and basil

Skewers of shrimp, veal and sausage perfumed with herbs and grilled over glowing coals.

Pastas with unique and ways-to prepare sauces: fusfulli with grilled vegetables, pasta with fresh tuna and mint, perciatelli with pancetta and red wine.

Rustic cakes and elegant mascarpone flavored with espresso and chocolate; the ultimate tiramisu; luscious figs braised in honey and wine.

Plus a special section on ingredients and techniques for marinating everything from radicchio and olives to sardines, peppers,, mushrooms, onions, and more.

Whether you're a novice or an experienced cook, these are the kinds of recipes that will become much loved standbys, providing dozens of memorable meals.

From the Publisher

Now out in paperback CUCINA is the primo cookbook for the beginning Italian cook. A collection of simple yet authentic Italian recipes, CUCINA RUSTICA uses flavorful Italian ingredients and simple techniques of the campagna to re-create Italian comfort food in American kitchens. Written by veteran Italian cookbook authors Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman, CUCINA RUSTICA was first published in 1990 and has stood the test of time in the increasingly crowded cookbook market. Filled with over 250 recipes for dishes from antipasti to desserts, CUCINA RUSTICA offers quick and easy, satisfying meals made with a small number of ingredients and in a short amount of time.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 385 pages
• Publisher: Cookbooks (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688160638
• ISBN-13: 978-0688160630
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #382,085 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very authentic, June 4, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Columbia, MD (near Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews

Having just spent a month in Italy, Cucina Rustica takes me back every time I use it. The recipes are simple to make and delicious. Especially wonderful is the Ribollita, zuppa di ceci and all the fagioli. The Spaghetti al Pomodoro Arrostito is the easiest to make and best tasting sauce ever. It's the only one my teenage son will eat (and he "hates" tomatoes)! Be sure to use fresh ingredients and shop at an Italian grocery store if possible.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A staple cookbook, March 10, 1999

By A Customer

Given to me as a gift a few years ago, this cookbook has become my most used. Recipes are simple to follow and raves at the table are guarenteed. Recommended recipes: Goat Cheese with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Light Minestrone, Shrimp with Rosemary... and so many more. I have since given this book as a gift to many, MANY friends!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Next Best Thing To Eating There, November 10, 2003

By	louienapoli "louieb" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Like another reviewer, I spent a few weeks this past summer in Italy. In a small town near Rome I had one of the most memorable meals of my life. In Naples I had a plate of spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce and basil so good if I'd dropped dead right then and there, I would have died a contented man. When I got home, I wanted to recreate the food I had in Italy. This book, and all the others La Place has written, showed me how. I have other Italian cookbooks and I love them all. What distinguishes LaPlace's books is that she makes cooking a simple, quick undertaking so you don't feel like every meal's the final exam at Cordon Bleu. Along with speed and simplicity, she captures the improvisational, unpretentious essence of the best Italian cooking. Flavors are allowed to speak for themselves, they get amplified, not sauced over or cooked out of existence. The results of her recipes are dishes so fresh, easy, and authentic if I sit back afterwards over a cup of authentic Italian coffee (made according to La Place's directions in the excellent La Bella Cucina), I can almost hear Vesuvius rumble, almost hear the waves in the Bay of Naples. No one who buys any of La Place's books will regret it.