Reviews
"Authentic" does indeed define this first cookbook from a longtime importer of Italian fine foods to the U.S. Even better, Beramendi is generous with credits, clear about his preference for simplicity (for instance, avoiding overcrowded plates and recipes with too many disparate ingredients), and forthright about his likes and dislikes. Expect great information about the basics, from deciphering important labels like DOP and IGP, to explicit instructions for the selection, use, and care of anchovies, capers, garlic, and other ingredients ... Autentico--and magnifico . -- Booklist Magazine "Perhaps because he loves to entertain, the author's tone is not so much that of a chef (although he is a chef) as that of a congenial host always at play in the kitchen. . . . The recipes are accessible and, true to the book's title, authentic." -- Publishers Weekly "Rolando Beramendi has had an enormous impact on American food. His fingerprints are all over our business here at Zingerman's, and I know we're not alone." -Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's "Rolando Beramendi brings the bounty of Italy to our tables with recipes that celebrate the vibrant ingredients and fresh flavors of his home country. A true talent in the kitchen, Rolando tantalizes us with everything from vegetable-friendly contorni to fruit-forward, rustic desserts. Autentico is bellissimo ! - David Lebovitz, author of L'appart and My Paris Kitchen "Rolando Beramendi has an unrivaled passion for the Italian foods he sells...With unbridled and infectious joy, Rolando speaks of their history, explains how to use them, even how to eat them. I truly believe that if it weren't for Rolando, the Italian food products available in America would not nearly be at the high level of quality they are now. Cooks and diners alike in America owe Rolando a debt of gratitude." -Nancy Silverton, chef/co-owner of Mozza Restaurant Group "Rolando has an amazing eye (as well as a nose and a palate) for the very best in food and drink, and he is as apt to find it in a peasant farmhouse in Tuscany as he is in an aristocratic palazzo in the Veneto. " -Nancy Harmon Jenkins "Rolando arrives at my house like a gust of spring, laden with new ideas, recipes and flavors. Bolstering his enthusiasm is a profound knowledge of Italian food, based on experience in the kitchen as well as at the table of Italy's greatest cooks. The idea that all of this will be encapsulated in a book that I can consult at will is very exciting." -Mary Taylor Simeti, author of On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal (Vintage) and Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty Centuries of Sicilian Food "Americans should be thankful to Rolando for the wonderful products that he has introduced to this country." -Rosetta Costantino, "Rolando Beramendi has had an enormous impact on American food. His fingerprints are all over our business here at Zingerman's, and I know we're not alone." -Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's "Rolando Beramendi brings the bounty of Italy to our tables with recipes that celebrate the vibrant ingredients and fresh flavors of his home country. A true talent in the kitchen, Rolando tantalizes us with everything from vegetable-friendly contorni to fruit-forward, rustic desserts. Autentico is bellissimo ! - David Lebovitz, author of L'appart and My Paris Kitchen "Rolando Beramendi has an unrivaled passion for the Italian foods he sells...With unbridled and infectious joy, Rolando speaks of their history, explains how to use them, even how to eat them. I truly believe that if it weren't for Rolando, the Italian food products available in America would not nearly be at the high level of quality they are now. Cooks and diners alike in America owe Rolando a debt of gratitude." -Nancy Silverton, chef/co-owner of Mozza Restaurant Group "Rolando has an amazing eye (as well as a nose and a palate) for the very best in food and drink, and he is as apt to find it in a peasant farmhouse in Tuscany as he is in an aristocratic palazzo in the Veneto. " -Nancy Harmon Jenkins "Rolando arrives at my house like a gust of spring, laden with new ideas, recipes and flavors. Bolstering his enthusiasm is a profound knowledge of Italian food, based on experience in the kitchen as well as at the table of Italy's greatest cooks. The idea that all of this will be encapsulated in a book that I can consult at will is very exciting." -Mary Taylor Simeti, author of On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal (Vintage) and Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty Centuries of Sicilian Food "Americans should be thankful to Rolando for the wonderful products that he has introduced to this country." -Rosetta Costantino, "Authentic" does indeed define this first cookbook from a longtime importer of Italian fine foods to the U.S. Even better, Beramendi is generous with credits, clear about his preference for simplicity (for instance, avoiding overcrowded plates and recipes with too many disparate ingredients), and forthright about his likes and dislikes. Expect great information about the basics, from deciphering important labels like DOP and IGP, to explicit instructions for the selection, use, and care of anchovies, capers, garlic, and other ingredients. His dislikes, by the way, are boldly apparent. "Disclaimer: I don't like turkey. While we're at it, I don't like chicken, either." Borrowing and occasionally personalizing many of the 120 recipes from his Italian chef-friends, Beramendi ensures through his well-presented instructions that the pasta will be al dente, the right wines will accompany, and the ultimate result will more than please. Recipes represent both familiar dishes and twists on traditional ones--caponata and risotto, swordfish torte and pizza without a crust--and are accompanied by good photographs and, when necessary, a few step-by-step visuals. In between are narrative snapshots of Beramendi's culinary heroes and his considerable knowledge, including a short dissertation on farro. Autentico--and magnifico . -- Booklist Magazine "Rolando Beramendi has had an enormous impact on American food. His fingerprints are all over our business here at Zingerman's, and I know we're not alone." -Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's "Rolando Beramendi brings the bounty of Italy to our tables with recipes that celebrate the vibrant ingredients and fresh flavors of his home country. A true talent in the kitchen, Rolando tantalizes us with everything from vegetable-friendly contorni to fruit-forward, rustic desserts. Autentico is bellissimo ! - David Lebovitz, author of L'appart and My Paris Kitchen "Rolando Beramendi has an unrivaled passion for the Italian foods he sells...With unbridled and infectious joy, Rolando speaks of their history, explains how to use them, even how to eat them. I truly believe that if it weren't for Rolando, the Italian food products available in America would not nearly be at the high level of quality they are now. Cooks and diners alike in America owe Rolando a debt of gratitude." -Nancy Silverton, chef/co-owner of Mozza Restaurant Group "Rolando has an amazing eye (as well as a nose and a palate) for the very best in food and drink, and he is as apt to find it in a peasant farmhouse in Tuscany as he is in an aristocratic palazzo in the Veneto. " -Nancy Harmon Jenkins "Rolando arrives at my house like a gust of spring, laden with new ideas, recipes and flavors. Bolstering his enthusiasm is a profound knowledge of Italian food, based on experience in the kitchen as well as at the table of Italy's greatest cooks. The idea that all of this will be encapsulated in a book that I can consult at will is very exciting." -Mary Taylor Simeti, author of On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal (Vintage) and Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty Centuries of Sicilian Food "Americans should be thankful to Rolando for the wonderful products that he has introduced to this country." -Rosetta Costantino, "Rolando has an amazing eye (as well as a nose and a palate) for the very best in food and drink, and he is as apt to find it in a peasant farmhouse in Tuscany as he is in an aristocratic palazzo in the Veneto. " -Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of The Four Seasons of Pasta "Rolando Beramendi has an unrivaled passion for the Italian foods he sells... With infectious joy, Rolando speaks of their history, explains how to use them, even how to eat them." -Nancy Silverton, author of Mozza at Home "Rolando Beramendi has had an enormous impact on American food." -Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's, "Authentic" does indeed define this first cookbook from a longtime importer of Italian fine foods to the U.S. Even better, Beramendi is generous with credits, clear about his preference for simplicity (for instance, avoiding overcrowded plates and recipes with too many disparate ingredients), and forthright about his likes and dislikes. Expect great information about the basics, from deciphering important labels like DOP and IGP, to explicit instructions for the selection, use, and care of anchovies, capers, garlic, and other ingredients. His dislikes, by the way, are boldly apparent. "Disclaimer: I don't like turkey. While we're at it, I don't like chicken, either." Borrowing and occasionally personalizing many of the 120 recipes from his Italian chef-friends, Beramendi ensures through his well-presented instructions that the pasta will be al dente, the right wines will accompany, and the ultimate result will more than please. Recipes represent both familiar dishes and twists on traditional ones--caponata and risotto, swordfish torte and pizza without a crust--and are accompanied by good photographs and, when necessary, a few step-by-step visuals. In between are narrative snapshots of Beramendi's culinary heroes and his considerable knowledge, including a short dissertation on farro. Autentico--and magnifico . -- Booklist Magazine "Perhaps because he loves to entertain, the author's tone is not so much that of a chef (although he is a chef) as that of a congenial host always at play in the kitchen. . . . The recipes are accesible and, true to the book's title, authentic." -- Publisher's Weekly "Rolando Beramendi has had an enormous impact on American food. His fingerprints are all over our business here at Zingerman's, and I know we're not alone." -Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's "Rolando Beramendi brings the bounty of Italy to our tables with recipes that celebrate the vibrant ingredients and fresh flavors of his home country. A true talent in the kitchen, Rolando tantalizes us with everything from vegetable-friendly contorni to fruit-forward, rustic desserts. Autentico is bellissimo ! - David Lebovitz, author of L'appart and My Paris Kitchen "Rolando Beramendi has an unrivaled passion for the Italian foods he sells...With unbridled and infectious joy, Rolando speaks of their history, explains how to use them, even how to eat them. I truly believe that if it weren't for Rolando, the Italian food products available in America would not nearly be at the high level of quality they are now. Cooks and diners alike in America owe Rolando a debt of gratitude." -Nancy Silverton, chef/co-owner of Mozza Restaurant Group "Rolando has an amazing eye (as well as a nose and a palate) for the very best in food and drink, and he is as apt to find it in a peasant farmhouse in Tuscany as he is in an aristocratic palazzo in the Veneto. " -Nancy Harmon Jenkins "Rolando arrives at my house like a gust of spring, laden with new ideas, recipes and flavors. Bolstering his enthusiasm is a profound knowledge of Italian food, based on experience in the kitchen as well as at the table of Italy's greatest cooks. The idea that all of this will be encapsulated in a book that I can consult at will is very exciting." -Mary Taylor Simeti, author of On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal (Vintage) and Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty Centuries of Sicilian Food "Americans should be thankful to Rolando for the wonderful products that he has introduced to this country." -Rosetta Costantino
