Antonio Carluccio's Italian Feast (Great Foods) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Graham Kirk (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Antonio Carluccio's recipes are always bang-on, simple, and vivid. He is among the most amiable of food writers, genial and measured; one reads with pleasure but no surprise of his delight at encountering Italy's Slow Food Society. In Antonio Carluccio's Italian Feast, he explores the traditions of northern Italian cooking. It must be said that this is of course one of the best-known cuisines in the world these days, so the fact that he gives a recipe for as universal a dish as Bolognese Sauce (Ragu Bolognese) bespeaks a serene confidence that one cannot help expecting. The recipes are a combination of traditional dishes, such as the ragu, with Carluccio's own creations and those of his friends. Coniglio San Domenico (Rabbit with Artichoke Hearts and Olives) is his own invention, yet absolutely true to tradition. So it is with Risotto con Lenticchie e Salamini (Risotto with Lentils and Sausages--apparently the original is made with frogs), Zuppa di Cardi e Polpettine di Pollo (Cardoon Soup with Chicken Dumplings), or Crostata di Melecotogne (Quince Tart), to choose more or less at random. The effect is alluring in the extreme, robust, and sensual. The illustrations are mouthwatering. For the broad-minded, there is a particularly tasty treat on page 147. --Robin Davidson, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description

Antonio Carluccio's passion for Italian food is evident in this collection of recipes which represent the best in both classic and modern Italian cooking. From Pizza Fritta or Wild Mushroom Salad to Risotto with Two Artichokes or Chicken Scaloppini with Herbs, Carluccio reaffirms that while the food of Italy has a history as long and magnificent as the country itself, it remains at the forefront of culinary imagination and style.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: West 175 Enterprises (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884656099
• ISBN-13: 978-1884656095
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,343,910 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carluccios passion for Italy is infectious!, December 3, 1998

By	Lisa Shortall ([e-mail]) (Reading, England) - See all my reviews

As a book that has been available in England for some time, I have sampled many of its delights. Don't be deceived by the simplicity of its recipes, for rarely has throwing several ingredients together tasted quite so delicious. Take the basic tomato sauce for example, who would have believed onions, tomatoes, basil and olive oil could have such flavour? And the Tiramisu is delicious, not unworthy of the finest dinner party yet so incredibly easy to make that a dessert for eight could be ready in less than half an hour. The book is made all the more unique by its contributors, for Antonio Carluccio has collected many recipes from Italian people like the cooking Count, Conte Carlo Maria Rocca. Whilst Carluccio remarks that "a cooking Count is not the kind of person you meet every day" this fact is not quite so astonishing as his monkfish, baked in layers of potato slices with fresh sage leaves and olive oil and parmesan, which is just divine. Inspiration is not hard to find in this book since Carluccio prefaces each of his recipes with a charming little anecdote. Whether he is describing the eccentricities of the wonderful people he meets, watching a recipe being made in a country kitchen, or picking local ingredients such as his `funghi hunt', Carluccio's passion for all that is Italy is infectious. When you finally taste the food that you have prepared, close your eyes and you might just believe that you are in a bustling trattoria in a hill town in Tuscany with a fine glass of Chianti, sampling traditional Italian cuisine at its best.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant, enticing and supremely usable, August 7, 2001

By	Andrius Uzkalnis (Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Antonio Carluccio is better known in UK than he is in America, largely through his very relaxed and charming TV series. He also has a restaurant in London's West End, and although not cheap even by British standards, it is worth every penny.

Carluccio's recipes are very simple, and somehow it is immediately clear how everything works. Every ingredient is there for a reason, and he attaches very little importance to superficial decoration of the dishes. The beauty lies in their gustatory quality.

Even if you are not the world's best cook, success rate with Carluccio's recipes is incredibly high, which is I suppose the ultimate praise for a cook-book.

Carlucio insists on good ingredients, and tries to show the true essence of the Italian cooking really is: food originating from the love of life and cooking tradition that is several millenia old.

Italian food needs no better ambassador than this cheerful man, formerly a wine merchant, now living in London. Buy this book, try a few recipes, and you will be hooked for life.