Lucinda's Rustic Italian Kitchen

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Lucinda Scala Quinn is one of the hosts of PBS's Everyday Food. Her slender Lucinda's Rustic Italian Kitchen (Wiley 2007) will remind you of the wonderful everyday dishes you have forgotten to cook or never knew just how. Culled from her Italian family's recipes, there is nothing fancy, too difficult, or too time-consuming. What you'll find on practically every page are dishes you could make tonight or tomorrow night, dishes that will please practically anyone who likes Italian food. Lucinda's Introduction is about her grandmother and her four sisters, who were part of a documentary called Five Sisters from Rome, New York. The sisters and their male relatives squabble, visit each other and eat: Finally everything came full circle one day in a little locanda outside the town of Lucca in Tuscany. Noticing that I was refraining from drinking wine, the proprietress, a beautiful old lady, sat at our table, carefully peeling a succulent peach. She then sliced it into my glass and doused it with sugar and red wine. Without an explanation and wearing the warmest smile ever, she handed it to me and said, "Buena fortuna," knowing intuitively that I was pregnant. She reminded me of Aunt Jane and the five sisters from Rome, New York, smothering me with love and food and comfort. (p.15) This is a book of family recipes, after work recipes, and cold evening after school recipes. The book starts with some easy-to-make cocktails, including Fruit and Fresh Herb Carafe (p. 14) in which Proseco is poured over fruit, herbs and vodka. It was made for Lucinda by Cesare Casella – at Beppe? Lucinda doesn't say. There are fun appetizers like the pretty Miniature Meatball Panini (p. 32) handsomely photographed by Quentin Bacon. Lucinda even includes a tip to cook the meatballs ahead of time and thaw them for a party. The pastas are all quick and handy, from a simple Spaghetti Pomodoro (p. 41) to Rigatoni with Rapid Ragu (p. 51) that includes pork and finely chopped mortadella. She finishes off with her own favorite: Linguine with Clams (p. 55). Again, it's easy, but it's also a dish many forget to make – and forget to add the little touches that make it excellent, like a red pepper oil. This is a great book for weekend night ideas – or weekends. These are the kind of Italian recipes that warm the heart and feed the soul. Previous articles: [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks, cookbook reviews --> back to Super Chef