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The Spiaggia Cookbook: Eleganza Italiana in Cucina
by Tony Mantuano and Cathy Mantuano
For anyone who loves elegant Italian cooking.
If you crave elegant Italian dishes—-food that is, not Sophia Loren—-and you’re looking for a cookbook that will guide you in the preparation of such recipes, “The Spiaggia Cookbook” is for you. Spiaggia is one of the top Italian restaurants in Chicago, and this book has been put together with relish by Spiaggia’s chef Tony Mantuano and food writer Cathy Mantuano, with photographs by Jeff Kauck that almost leap off of the page.
The Mantuanos start out with fundamentals--a discussion of basic ingredients, a word about Italian wines, and instructions for preparing some basic recipes (e.g. veal stock, seafood poaching liquid, and basil oil) that find their way into dishes later in the book. The authors then work their way through appetizers and salads; pastas, risotto, and soup; meat and fish main courses; Italian cheeses; and finally, of course, desserts. This book is for the true food maven, with dishes regularly containing pricey ingredients like truffles, caviar, and foie gras. The recipes begin with personal notes, including suggestions about selecting and handling ingredients. The emphasis here is on using fresh seasonal ingredients. The Mantuanos’ love of food and cooking comes through on every page.
The authors include a page of resources containing names and contact information for recommended purveyors of gourmet foods. My mouth was watering as I paged through this volume. It should be an inspiration for cooks. However, if you are more interested in home-style Italian cooking you might want to try Lidia Matticchio Bastianich’s “Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen.”
Title: The Spiaggia Cookbook: Eleganza Italiana in Cucina
Author: Tony Mantuano and Cathy Mantuano
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 0811845117
Review written by: William Keogan
Reviewer's Rating:8.5
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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