Featuring 140 mouthwatering new recipes, a gastronomic journey of the Italian regions that have inspired and informed Lidia Bastianich's legendary cooking. For the home cook and the armchair traveler alike,
Lidia's Italy offers a short introduction to ten regions of Italy--from Piemonte to Puglia--with commentary on nearby cultural treasures by Lidia's daughter Tanya, an art historian.
- In Istria, now part of Croatia, where Lidia grew up, she forages again for wild asparagus, using it in a delicious soup and a frittata; Sauerkraut with Pork and Roast Goose with Mlinzi reflect the region's Middle European influences; and
buzara, an old mariner's stew, draws on fish from the nearby sea.
- From Trieste, Lidia gives seafood from the Adriatic, Viennese-style breaded veal cutlets and Beef Goulash, and Sacher Torte and Apple Strudel.
- From Friuli, where cows graze on the rich tableland, comes Montasio cheese to make
fricos; the corn fields yield polenta for Velvety Cornmeal-Spinach Soup.
- In Padova and Treviso rice reigns supreme, and Lidia discovers hearty soups and risottos that highlight local flavors.
- In Piemonte, the robust Barolo wine distinguishes a fork-tender
stufato of beef; local white truffles with scrambled eggs is "heaven on a plate"; and a
bagna cauda serves as a dip for local vegetables, including prized cardoons.
- In Maremma, where hunting and foraging are a way of life, earthy foods are mainstays, such as slow-cooked rabbit sauce for pasta or gnocchi and boar tenderloin with prune-apple Sauce, with Galloping Figs for dessert.
- In Rome Lidia revels in the fresh artichokes and fennel she finds in the Campo dei Fiori and brings back nine different ways of preparing them.
- In Naples she gathers unusual seafood recipes and a special way of making limoncello-soaked cakes.
- From Sicily's Palermo she brings back
panelle, the delicious fried chickpea snack; a caponata of stewed summer vegetables; and the elegant Cannoli Napoleon.
- In Puglia, at Italy's heel, where durum wheat grows at its best, she makes some of the region's glorious pasta dishes and re-creates a splendid focaccia from Altamura.
There's something for everyone in this rich and satisfying book that will open up new horizons even to the most seasoned lover of Italy.
