Lidia Matticchio Bastianich - Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master

Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master — read online for free the complete book (whole text) full work

Below is the text of the book, divided by pages. System saving the place of the last page read, allows you to conveniently read the book "Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master" online for free, without having to search again every time where you left off. Put a bookmark, and you can go to the page where you finished reading at any time.

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

1234567...48

Also by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Lidias Family Kitchen: Nonnas Birthday Surprise
Lidias Favorite Recipes
Lidias Italy in America
Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidias Christmas Kitchen
Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy
Lidias Italy
Lidias Family Table
Lidias Italian-American Kitchen
Lidias Italian Table
La Cucina di Lidia

Appetite by Random House edition
Published 2013

Copyright 2013 Tutti a Tavola, LLC

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisheror in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agencyis an infringement of the copyright law.

Appetite by Random House and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House of Canada Limited

Library and Archives of Canada Cataloguing in Publication is available upon request
ISBN: 978-0-449-01620-6
eBook ISBN: 978-0-449-01621-3

Interior photography by Marcus Nilsson
Cover photograph Marcus Nilsson
Jacket design: Kelly Blair
Designed by M. Kristen Bearse

Published in Canada by Appetite by Random House, a division of Random House of Canada Limited, a Penguin Random House company

www.randomhouse.ca

v3.1

This book is dedicated to my mother, Erminia, or Nonna Mima as the family calls her. At ninety-three years of age, she still has a twinkle in her eyes and is full of love, affection, and wisdom. As my grandson Lorenzo, fourteen years old, put it in a recent speech:

To Nonna Mima, someone to whom seventy is young and anything over twenty dollars is expensive Nonna Mima often says, Experientia est magistra vitae, meaning Experience is the teacher of life, and with ninety-three years of experience she should know. The life knowledge passed down to me by Nonna Mima is invaluable. She is the fundamental force that drives me to excel and enjoy life. Her story is a story of perseverance, appreciation, imparting knowledge, but most importantly, never giving up hope. Nonna Mima is the root of our family system.

Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Common sense is not so common.

Voltaire

Contents

The Wisdom of the Table

When I think of my grandmothers kitchen, the family table is what comes to mind first. It was the wooden table with light-blue painted legs where we had our meals, where we gathered every day, ate, shared our food, our stories, and our lives. That was long ago, and now I often ask myself: Why am I a chef, and why am I so passionate about food? Why do I find peace and consolation among farmers and seasonal vegetables? Why do eggs and cheese caress my soul, and why is the crunch of crusty bread music to my ears? Why does the smell of rosemary and basil awaken my spirit? Why is the crackling skin of a roast and the mellowness of braised Swiss chard and roasted potatoes so gratifying? Why, when all the chairs are filled at a table and chatter fills the air, does my heart palpitate and my being shiver? Why have I dedicated my life to cooking for family, friends, and strangers? Why am I so gratified in doing this?

It is all about Grandmas kitchen table. That table was not in a separate room, the dining room; it was in the center of the kitchen. At that table, stories were told by the elders, and our futures were discussed and projected with wisdom. At that table, I was fed, nurtured, and loved.

I decided that I wanted never to leave that table, but to stay close to it for the rest of my life. And so I remained in the kitchen.

Today it is ever more difficult for families to gather at the dinner table, with wholesome and nutritious food to share. Business has prevailed, and the availability of fast food has changed our priorities. The seasons and the gifts they bring are not anticipated, the natural gifts of nature are altered, and friends and family are less and less likely to gather around the table for a meal.

But among the increasing interest in and discussion of recipes and food, I hear echoes. I hear a wanting, a longing, for people to reset that table. There is great wisdom in returning to the kitchen and relighting the fires that can bring families eating together, friends gathering, and people from different cultures eating one anothers food, discussing their differences, and maybe even resolving world peace.

Is that too much to ask for too much to hope for?

No, I do not think so; all it takes is resetting that table in the kitchen.

Lidia

Acknowledgments

I need to thank the many people who have helped me do what I love mostcook, teach, and record it all in cookbooks. In this book in particular, I share with you wisdom acquired in my many years of cooking, the importance of food, and the benefits that good cooking can provide to your life, your family, and your well-being. Wise cooking is not just about proper nutrition or delicious taste; it is just as much about what happens at the table and in our lives.

I have many people to thank for helping me collect these recipes, test them, photograph them, and, ultimately, compile it all into this book.

To Peter Gethers, Christina Malach, and Jade Noikmy Knopf dream team; their editorial skills, thoughtful advice, and extreme organization are almost all one needs to write a book. The time spent with them has been wonderful, and much more than a collaboration on this book. Thanks to my kitchen companion, Amy Stevenson, for her precise testing and recording of the recipes for this book, as well as for being our culinary producer for the companion TV series. We have spent many hot hours in the kitchen together and developed a great family friendship. Sometimes Amy brings along her children, Eli and Lily, and they love spending time with Grandma Erminia while we test recipes. After all, cooking is a family affair.

Thank you to Marcus Nilsson, friend and food photographer, whose every photo of my food induces salivation and a desire to go and cook. For tying up all the efforts and hard work into a wonderful design, thank you to Carol Carson, Kelly Blair, and Kristen Bearse. A special thanks to my dear friend Paul Bogaards for his continued enthusiasm and belief in my work, to his team for the endless efforts in marketing and promoting my works, especially to Sara Eagle.

Next page

1234567...48

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

Similar books «Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master»

Look at similar books to Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master. We have selected literature similar in name and meaning in the hope of providing readers with more options to find new, interesting, not yet read works.

Michael R Wilson

The Del Posto Cookbook

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

My American Dream

Bastianich Lidia

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy

Bastianich Lidia

Lidias celebrate like an Italian: 220 foolproof recipes that make every meal a party

Bastianich Lidia Matticchio

Felidia

Bastianich Lidia Matticchio

Lidias favorite recipes: 100 foolproof Italian dishes, from basic sauces to irresistible entrées

Bastianich Joseph

Healthy Pasta: the Sexy, Skinny, and Smart Way to Eat Your Favorite Food

Bastianich Lidia Matticchio

Lidias Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Lidias Favorite Recipes: 100 Foolproof Italian Dishes, from Basic Sauces to Irresistible Entrees

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Lidias Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Lidias Italy in America

Discussion, reviews of the book Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master and just readers' own opinions. Leave your comments, write what you think about the work, its meaning or the main characters. Specify what exactly you liked and what you didn't like, and why you think so.