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Italian Cookbooks
Sicilian Food
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Sicilian Home Cooking: Family Recipes from Gangivecchio
by Wanda Tornabene, Giovanna Tornabene, Michael Evans, Michele Evans (Contributor)
Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene run a restaurant in Gangivecchio, their 600-year-old family home in Sicily. This is their second cookbook, and it focuses on home cooking, Sicilian style. Italians are well known for their generous hospitality, and the Tornabene women are great ambassadors. Through dozens of personal stories, some funny, some sad, they invite you into their home to sit at their kitchen table while they reminisce, gossip, educate, and feed you some of the most enjoyable comfort food and conversation you've ever experienced.
Wanda learned to cook from her mother-in-law and passed those lessons down to her daughter. She admits that she was reluctant to share her secret family recipes, but has found great joy and pleasure in doing so. The conversation in the Tornabene home wanders from nutty old Aunt Elvira who collected bus-ticket stubs and used matches to Eggs Poached in Fresh Tomato Sauce. Granny Elena's Bean and Pasta Soup warms the soul, and the naughty escapades of Ciccio, one of Gangivecchio's dogs, will make you laugh. Aromatic Risotto with Gorgonzola and Fennel may be dinner the night you read about Felice, the little lamb who was allowed into bed after he was bathed, but Wanda's Veal Cutlets served with a flavorful sauce made with garlic, onions, tomatoes, and a dash of cayenne will still make your mouth water. Stories of parties with family and friends entice you to make Sicilian-style pizzas topped with four cheeses, zucchini, and thyme or potatoes, sausage, and rosemary, or maybe you'll treat the crowd to "Midnight Spaghetti" variations like Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil, and Hot Pepper or Ruote with Radicchio and Gorgonzola. Sicilian sweets like Ricotta Tart with Nuts and drinks like Strawberry Liqueur round out the menu and ensure that you'll be back to visit with the Tornabene women of Gangivecchio again and again.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Sicilian Cookery
by Eufemia Azzolina Pupella
Amazon reader's Review: "I bought this book while in Sicily so that I could recreate those wonderful tastes for my family when I got home. It has proven to be a wonderful purchase and the end results never fail to impress my Sicilian mother-in-law. My favorite recipe is the Pasta all Norma, the national dish of Sicily, and the cannolis which make my husband thankful he married me! The only problem with this book is that since it is publised in Italy (I believe) the measurements are all European which can be tricky. Buy this book to savor the authentic taste of Sicily. It's well worth the special order."
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Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa
by Santo Lipani (Illustrator), Vincent Schiavelli
AAs a popular character actor, Vincent Schiavelli's face is easily recognizable. But you'll look at this actor--and serious cook--in a new light once you lose yourself in Many Beautiful Things, a compilation of personal stories, with more than 75 recipes, about his visits to a small hilltop town in Sicily called Polizzi Generosa, the birthplace of his grandparents. Schiavelli is embraced as a long-lost by the Polizzani, and they readily share their local legends, town gossip, and the trials and tribulations of living in a place far removed from the rest of Italy. As a result, when he introduces us to the quirky characters who populate the village he does it with a rare sensitivity, and real respect. You'll cry for Turiddu Lavanca, the lovesick forager; laugh with Za Momo, a friend's grandmother; and wish you could taste something, anything, made by Pino Agliata, Schiavelli's favorite pastry chef.
In Polizzi, life revolves around the table, and as Schiavelli tells us, "culinary expertise is divided into ... those who cook and eat, and those who don't cook but still eat heartily." As Schiavelli weaves his tales, slipping in mouth-watering descriptions of dishes like Potato Gratin with Bay Leaves, Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Bechamel, and Pumpkin Caponata, and sweets such as Almond Love Bites and Almond Nougat, you'll find yourself skipping to the end of each chapter to make sure the recipes are there. Take this book to read on vacation, and then find a place for it in your kitchen.
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Bitter Almonds: Recollections & Recipes from a Sicilian Girlhood
by Maria Grammatico
Memoirs of a Sicilian woman's childhood--spent in a harsh convent where she learned to make incredible pastries--are combined with recipes, written down for the first time, for such delectable treats as biscotti, tarts, cakes, and marzipan confections.
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The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook
by Don Baratta
Baratta delivers a charming, rustic debut cookbook reflecting the influences of the Arabs, Moors and Greeks who occupied the Italian island of Sicily. Interspersed with anecdotes, Old World wisdom and explanations of Sicilian customs, the book is written in the lively syntax of Baratta's father ("I know of a musically inclined young man who would sing an aria from Turandot at the sight of a ripe melon, but this demonstration of exuberance I feel to be misplaced"), the "Sicilian gentleman" from whom Baratta inherited these recipes. Baratta relies on traditional Sicilian ingredients like luscious plum tomatoes, lean ground beef, Marsala wine and local Romano cheese. From the versatile Beef and Bread Crumb Filling and the traditional Veal Scaloppine to the Pasta with Eggplant, the flavors conjure an atmosphere of rural, sun-drenched simplicity that is echoed by the design of the book, a straightforward layout enlivened with elegant line drawings. Dishes range from antipasto to pastry, including rich soups, traditional pastas, local seafood, chicken and meats. Vegetables are also given their own section with much emphasis placed on stuffing, "an old Arab trick we became addicted to." Recipes like the Roast Peppers, the traditional Basil Sauce (Pesto) and the Baked Fillet of Sole in Wine Sauce are clear-cut and easily manageable by cooks of any skill level.
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The Foods of Sicily & Sardinia and the Smaller Islands
by Giuliano Bugialli, John Dominis (Photographer)
Charting watery frontiers of authentic Italian cuisine, Bugialli (The Foods of Tuscany) island-hops to observe ancient Roman culinary traditions steeped in encounters with Greek, Phoenician, French, Spanish and other historic trespassers. The galvanic flavors retrieved justify his every stopover. Claiming that Sicily and Sardinia boast Italy's most varied antipasti, Bugialli offers Swordfish or Tuna Marinated in Aromatic Herbs (lemon verbena, mint, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano and capers) and Grilled Eggplant in Salmoriglio, a sauce of anchovies, garlic, rosemary and sage. Sicilian Pesto fuses tomatoes, almonds, garlic, basil, parsley and mint. On the tiny island of Favignana, he finds Pasta Baked in a Squid. Some dishes specify homemade pasta, which may scare off many home cooks; Polenta with Sausages, Sardinian Style, asks for 55 minutes of pot-stirring, a long stretch even for old polenta hands. But simple recipes, like Fava Bean Soup with spinach and pancetta or prosciutto, are also offered. Lemon-Flavored Ossobuco with Cannellini Beans from Elba is particularly seductive, as is Chicken with Hot Green Peppers. Expectedly, seafood dishes excel with dishes like Shrimp in Tomato/Caper Sauce and Fresh Tuna in Savory Vinegar Sauce. So too do vegetables (String Beans in Garlic Sauce; Savory Squash Torte). Breads include Sardinia's classic Carta da Musica (Music Paper Bread). Dominis's lush photos portray the islands, their marketplaces and traditions with remarkable immediacy.
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Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries
by Victoria Granof (Author)
IIn Sicily they eat ice cream for breakfast. That fact alone was enough to convince Victoria Granof that she had to go there. Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries is the result of a number of Granof's visits to Sicily, during which she confesses she ate more sweets than she ever thought possible. With plenty of humor and great respect, Granof shares what she learned from her experiences in Sicily and the friends she made there. Few of these sweets are fancy, and all are very traditional. Light and crispy Sweet Ricotta Turnovers from the Bar di Noto in Piana degli Albanesi and Chewy Pistachio Cookies shared by Giuseppe Chemi of Pasticceria Etna in Taormina are Sicily personified. All 106 of the recipes, such as the elegant little Engagement Cookies filled with almonds and cinnamon and honey-drenched Rice Fritters, call for the same ingredients the Sicilians have used for centuries. Learn to make homemade ricotta cheese and you won't believe how good your cannoli can be.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
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In our time, one of the people who has done most to shine glory on Sicily is Anna Tasca Lanza, daughter of an esteemed aristocratic family whose members have been equally renowned as senators and vintners. Her cookbooks, "The Flavors of Sicily" and "The Heart of Sicily: Recipes and Reminiscences of Regaleali," are far more than recipe collections. They are a delightful glimpse into an entire age-old culture.
(Click here for price and order information for The Flavors of Sicily)
(Click here for price and order information for The Heart of Sicily)
Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-Five Centuries of Sicilian Food
by Mary Taylor Simeti
A marvelous tour through one of Italy's most favorite regions filled with wonderful gastronomic history and over 100 spectacular, authentic recipes. "Pomp and Sustenance" is a celebration of one of the oldest, most varied, and best-loved cuisines of Europe, at once frugal and extravagant, robustly simple, yet often handsomely ornate.
Mary Taylor Simeti surveys the bounty of the Sicilian table and of Sicilian history, weaving the two together in a wonderfully appetizing presentation not only of everyday Sicilian fare such as hearty Impanata (Bread Pie Stuffed with Broccoli, Sausage, and Mozzarella) and Pasta con le Melanzane (Penne with Eggplant, Ricotta, and Basil), but also of the sweet and savory treats reserved for holidays and special occasions including the spectacular Cassata (Sponge Cake Filled with Almond Paste and Ricotta Cream) and irresistible Sfinci Ammilati (Honey Puffs for Saint Joseph's Day). Simeti gives us authentic and appealing recipes as well as evocations of the dishes' origins: from the simple glories of vine, olive, and wheat to the culinary innovations of Arab and Norman invaders; from the plain but mouth-watering dishes prepared by peasants in the Middle Ages to the ritual luxuries of Sicily's aristocracy; from the succulent delicacies made in monasteries and convents to the street-food pleasures that have become favorites all over the world. With more than 100 photographs and illustrations, this comprehensive volume is a book to cook from, a book to read, and a book to treasure as a testament to one of the finest cuisines in the world.
Click here to read an excerpt from this book
Trade Paperback, 340 pages
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Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, told in
Stories and Recipes
by Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Schiavelli's enchanting, sometimes deeply moving memoir with recipes, Bruculinu, America, is a warmly recalled distortion of Brooklyn, one of New York City's boroughs, as it really was. As Schiavelli says, "The stories may not always contain the strict facts, but they certainly tell the truth." Don't be surprised if his beautiful reminiscence of the miracle (which took place before he was born!) that saved his uncle Salvatore Calogero from dying of pneumonia brings a tear to your eye.
Schiavelli, a successful actor, writes scenes so vividly that you participate as he visits a strega, or witch, who exorcised him of a medical problem when he was nine years old. (After seeing a doctor, Schiavelli's mother figured that in case the condition was caused by malocchio, the evil eye, it would be wise to cover all bases.)
Schiavelli's recollections often involve his grandfather, Papa Andrea, a Sicilian master chef. The 70 or so recipes in this enchanting book come from him. The Baked Mashed Potatoes made with peas and grated cheese and fennel-flavored Pasta with Chickpeas are delicious everyday dishes. Baked Macaroni, rich with mushrooms, ground meat, and a touch of cinnamon, is for Sundays. Cucciaddatu are the buttery, log-shaped Christmas cookies filled with nuts and raisins that each Sicilian cook makes in his or her own way. Here, cocoa powder, honey, and cognac add nuances to the nubbly filling. The only frustrations with Bruculinu, America are that its compact size makes it hard to keep one's spot while cooking from it, and that the recipes are woven through the text in no logical order; to return to something in particular, it's necessary to consult a list at the back of the book.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
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