Old World Italian
Recipes and Secrets from Our Travels in Italy: A Cookbook
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3.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Mimi explores the beautiful coasts and countrysides of Italy in this lavishly photographed cookbook featuring simple, authentic recipes inspired by the country's devoted producers and rich food heritage.
“A tribute to the home cooking of real families across the country.”—The Wall Street Journal
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY FOOD NETWORK
Beloved for her gorgeous cookbooks A Kitchen in France and French Country Cooking, Mimi Thorisson, along with her lively family and smooth fox terriers in tow, immersed readers in the warmth of their convivial lives in rural France. In their newest cookbook, the Thorissons pause their lives in the idyllic French countryside to start a new adventure in Italy and satisfy their endless curiosity and passion for the magic of Italian cooking.
Old World Italian captures their journey and the culinary treasures they discovered. From Tuscany to Umbria to Naples and more, Mimi dives into Italy’s diverse regional cuisines and shares 100 recipes for authentic, classic dishes, enriched by conversations with devoted local food experts who share their timeworn techniques and stories. You'll indulge in dishes culled from across the country, such as plump agnolotti bathed in sage and butter from the north, the tomato-rich ragùs and pastas of the southwest, and the multifaceted, seafood-laden cuisine of Sicily. The mysteries of Italian food culture will unravel as you learn to execute a perfect Neapolitan-style pizza at home or make the most sublime yet elemental cacio e pepe.
Full of local color, history, and culture, plus evocative, sumptuous photography shot by Mimi’s husband, Oddur Thorisson, Old World Italian transports you to a seat at the family’s table in Italy, where you may never want to leave.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In breathless prose, Thorisson (French Country Cooking) recalls "charging over the mountains in a car filled with children and dogs" to move from the French countryside to Turin on a whim. That fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants tone never lets up, resulting in a book that is exhilarating if occasionally scattered: a chapter on aperitivi, for example, opens with coffee drinks, and French madeleines pop up among the dessert selections with the justification that Turin was once a French duchy. The recipes are clear-cut and easy to follow, many of which come from Italian chefs and restaurants, such as the lemon meringue cake from Harry's Bar in Venice and tomato jam from landmark Neapolitan restaurant Mim alla Ferrovia. Characters like Frenky Vergnano, whose family owns Italy's oldest coffee roasting company, also pitch in. (He contributes an artichoke risotto recipe.) As the title indicates, these are largely familiar, classic recipes, or, as the author deems them, "the universally beloved ones... the Ultimate Best of Collection' " and cover stalwarts including eggplant parmigiana, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and pasta with everything from clams to a Bolognese sauce. The author's husband contributes a mini-essay on coffee and spectacular photographs. This is an impeccably styled record from a keen-eyed outsider looking in.
