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Chicago Tribune
Good Eating section
Bookshelf
October 25, 2006
Italy’s Unsung Glories
By Joe Gray, Tribune staff reporter
The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy
By Domenica Marchetti
(Chronicle Books, $19.95)
What it is: Despite the huge number of Italian
cookbooks out there, author Domenica Marchetti's effort stands out
with its focus on soups and stews--a subject she said "gets short
shrift" in Italian cooking. "But if you go to any restaurant in
Italy, there's always a wonderful selection of soups," she said.
"It's this heart of Italian cooking that has been overlooked."
Using the Italians' broad definition of soups and stews (the
latter includes what we would term braises), she developed and
adapted the recipes, many "known only in their own little
regions," she said. "Wonderful examples of regional cooking."
Praise (and quibbles): Packed into this slim volume is a bookshelf
full of information. Merely reading the "cook's notes" provides
inspiration enough to keep you cooking for weeks.
But you won't stop at the notes when everything sounds so
delicious. Recipes range from simple to more complicated, from
quick to long-cooking. Marchetti arranges them by season, arguing
for the Italian idea of eating soups year-round: fennel-scented
pork stew for fall or zucchini blossoms in summer broth.
Her explanations of technique are some of the most clear we have
read. Cleaning artichokes, for example, is finally made clear to
us. The dishes we tested, cranberry bean stew with fennel and
radicchio and smothered chicken with escarole and leeks, were full
of complex flavor and so simple to prepare.
Our quibbles are minor and number only two: a longing for more of
the excellent photography and a wish that she had included total
preparation and cooking times.
Why we think you'll like it: Marchetti pulls back the kitchen door
curtains, giving us a peek into the meals she prepares for her
young family, speaking to us in a casual manner about the cuisine
she loves so. She is a convincing ambassador for the cooking of
her Italian mother (Marchetti's teacher and inspiration) and
family, and an engaging companion.
We just don't know what to make next: Maybe zuppa di grissini
(bread stick soup)?
Copyright 2006 Chicago Tribune Company
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