A go-to, no-fuss cookbook for anyone who loves Italian food but needs a a simple repertoire of country-style recipes that don't require a lot of preparation or cooking time.
Cucina Rustica, "the rustic 'kitchen," is Italian food at its simplest and freshest--a celebration of the complete Italian meal from soup to dessert. With more than 250 recipes that use readily available ingredients in deliciously creative combinations, culinary multitaskers Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman offer a style of cooking and eating that's inviting, easy, and elegant.
This is the 3rd of Viana La Place's cookbooks I have bought; all of them are superb. She has a gift for evoking the sights and smells of luscious fresh produce, artisan cheeses and crusty breads with her lively, obviously loving, descriptions. This is the way the Italians eat: simply, with love and gusto.
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Like another reviewer, I spent a few weeks this past summer in Italy. In a small town near Rome I had one of the most memorable meals of my life. In Naples I had a plate of spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce and basil so good if I'd dropped dead right then and there, I would have died a contented man. When I got home, I wanted to recreate the food I had in Italy. This book, and all the others La Place has written, showed...
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I bought this book about 10 years ago after reading it in a library. The soup recipes alone are worth buying this book. I still make the Broccoli, Bean, and Pasta soup on a regular basis. A great cookbook for vegetarians who are tired of the same old, same old...
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Cucina Rustica has inspired the first review I have written. I must say that his book was one of the best impulse purchases I have ever made. So far, I have made about 10 of the recipes and each one had become an instant classic in my house. I'm especially fond of the risotto and pasta dishes (but that's the carbohydrate addict in me talking). The ingredients are simple yet cleverly put together. I think the highest praise...
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Given to me as a gift a few years ago, this cookbook has become my most used. Recipes are simple to follow and raves at the table are guarenteed. Recommended recipes: Goat Cheese with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Light Minestrone, Shrimp with Rosemary... and so many more. I have since given this book as a gift to many, MANY friends!
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