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Being raised in a very Italian community, my early years to the age of 18 were blessed by a lot of wonderful Italian cooking. The flavors and aromas of those early years are brought back with this lovely book. The "how to's" of making the pasta from scratch to picking the right types of tomatoes makes a great deal of difference in the finished product from store bought ingredients. Lovely book. Glad I bought it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Watching Lidia work in her kitchen on PBS is like actually being there with her. You want to help her stir the sauce, boil spaghetti or fry some foods and especially make dessert so you can eat as much as you want! Well, we can't and so that is why this book helps you do all that and more at home. She is a wonderful teacher and her words make you feel as if she has written this cookbook for you alone. Before each section she tells a story and it sets the mood for the recipes that follow. I love the dessert chapter especially,....or my sweet tooth does,.....where she talks about the Italian culture in relation to their "coffee breaks." The mid-morning break is for meeting friends or getting away from work to relax. They have a cup of espresso and usually a fruit tart or small sandwich. This is the time for chit chat. It is repeated in the late afternoon and usually last longer....maybe even into a siesta. This is the time for coffee or cappuccino and a dolci or gelato and more importantly, people watching. She stresses very sternly that the Italian people very rarely grab something to eat while walking and they'll always take every opportunity to sit, relax and socialize. Sounds good to me!Read full review
This Italian cookbook is absolutely fabulous. It's has very easy to follow instructions, outstanding recipes and it's filled with much cooking information. Being Italian and having been to Tuscany for cooking lessons, much of what I learned there is in this wonderful book. Touche' Lidia for sharing all your wonderful cooking skills. If you have no Italian cooking skills this book with make you a first class Italian chef in no time, if you do have the Italian cooking skills, it's sure to expand your cooking knowledge. I always place a post-it on the top of the pages of my cookbooks for easy access to finding a recipe. This book has so many post-its, it will take me forever to try them all. I highly recommend this book for beginners and experienced cooks. It's the Italian book of cooking knowledge. Buona Fortuna and Ciao...Read full review
This brillance of this book lies in its simplicity. Great food does not have to be complicated and very few chefs/authors illustrate this as well as Lydia. The instruction is clear concise and straight forward, just a good cook book should be. Great for Italian country cooking with an American audiance in mind. Lydia's ingrediants are almost always easily obtained so you don't have to live in a major metro area to use this book on the spur of the moment. Another plus is the font/type face used in the book --great for working in the kitchen and glancing back at it on the fly. You will find something for a big family sunday brunch or a romantic dinner for two. If you are serious about Italian cook GET THIS BOOK!
I needed some basic Italian recipes and Lidia makes everything easy. Her down to basics style has given me inspiration to take off on my own and make some simple but unique recipes. Lydia's anecdotes and chapter introductions add another dimension to each ingredient, tool, or type of recipe featured. Her whole approach adds an air of familiarity and confidence to my attempts at cooking.
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