The Puglian Cookbook: Bringing the Flavors of Puglia Home Flexibound – May 10, 2011

As a beginner cook I always look at different recipes and want to try them out, this book actually made me want to try to make everything in it. In it you find out the history on the recipes the author provided to us ,step by step instructions that are easy to follow and best of all a picture for most of the recipes which is a good thing in my opinion, i always want to see what it would like before i make so i can compare what i cooked to the picture just so i know i did it right, also to see if i would like it...and that is the truth.Would i recommend this book? absolutely, but honestly i would suggest not buying it in kindle form i would tell everyone to buy the actual book, or in my case buy some copies and give the book away as a gift to my friends.give this book a try you may never know you might find a lot of goodies like i have..

Reviewing a cookbook is not easy. You can't just read it and make notes in the margins like other books. You have to pull out the pots and pans and try out the dishes. This book will make you glad you did.What I enjoy the most from this book is that the recipes are simple. They use simple, fresh ingredients that the author took the pains to research to make sure they can be purchased. But please do not confuse simple recipes for simple tastes, these dishes are anything but that! The flavors here are beyond compare for the time you will spend on them. We have not made everything in the book, but a good couple dozen now and they have all been fantastic.I can now admit that there are few things in cooking more enjoyable than cooking an anchovy filet in olive oil and watching it melt like butter.IF you are looking for something new to try and tired of the same old dishes you have been making then this is a great book. If you are an experienced cook then this is also a fantastic choice for the new flavors of the small part of Italy.I would say that this is not your everyday spaghetti and tomato sauce cook book, but one of my favorite dishes from it is a spaghetti one !

This book is a collection of simple and delicious recipes. I like the background information on the region and all the wonderful pictures, of both the food and the region. As with many kindle versions of cookbooks, the formatting could use some work (ie. page breaks so that recipe titles appear at the top of the page).

Viktorija Todorovska's cookbook is excellent for families!! I have three young children and, as such, time, simplicity of prep and healthy eating are a priority for us. The Puglian cookbook's recipes are simple (think 5 ingredients or so), healthful and flavorful--full of staples that reflect home-centered cooking focused on vegetables and olive oil (for Michael Pollan fans, the "mostly plants" rule is met easily here). Most ingredients are on hand or bought easily at the local produce store (with the exception of only one-or-two stand out recipes for special occasions). Especially see the Puglian Potatoes recipe! YUM! We just made this. Warning: if you're just flipping through the cookbook, you will look at the ingredients and recipes and think--hmmmm....there isn't much to this--can it be that good? And it is; it is! It's a cookbook that lets you get back to simple flavors and uncomplicated dishes--the kind you can throw together and really *taste* each flavor.If you're interested in regional cooking and trying something new for your family, I think you'll enjoy this. Photographs are gorgeous (and realistic! Todorovska took them at her home without a stylist).

Good cookbook. Great variety of recipes. Easy to follow. My only complaint is the price. I've found it elsewhere much cheaper. In fact, I brought a second copy on another site for 6.99.

Best cookbook I've ever purchased! My husband and I have traveled to this region in Italy a few times and each time we return home, we long for the food we experienced. We've tried to replicate the dishes. Some hits, but mostly misses. Then we stumbled across this cookbook and we get to relive our vacations several nights per week! The author knocks it out of the park. She presents amazing dishes in a reader friendly format that will have you cooking like a local for family and friends in no time. As an additional plus, the pictures are fantastic! From the white bean and escarole soup to the rustic tomato sauce to the orecchiette with arugula pesto to the chocolate tart, you will not be disappointed. Add a glass of red wine to any of the foregoing and consider yourself prepared for the perfect evening!!!

Just when I thought I didn't have room for another cookbook, I decided to buy The Puglian Cookbook...and I am so glad I did! I've had it for about a month and already it has become a favorite. The first dish I made was the Chicken with Prosciutto. I wasn't sure what to expect with so few ingredients, but it was excellent (I think the key was a good prosciutto and wine). Since I had such success with the Chicken dish, I tried the Zucchini Frittata when friends came over for brunch and they all raved at how fluffy and flavorful it was! Next up is homemade pasta, the Cavatelli to be exact; I have a feeling I'm going to wonder why I ever thought the boxed stuff was good. Thank you, Ms. Todorovska, for sharing these recipes and the cuisine of Puglia!

As a lover of Italian food, especially pasta, I was very excited to see the many unique pasta dishes included in this cookbook. I have already made three of them - spaghetti with zucchini, spaghetti with bread crumbs and anchovies, and spaghetti with tomato sauce, pine nuts, and raisins - and I plan to work my way through the entire list. Not only were these dishes delicious, but they were easy to prepare from ingredients that I already had on hand or that were easy to find. Todorovska does an excellent job of making the recipes accessible by focusing on a few simple ingredients and offering clear preparation instructions. While I have traveled extensively in Italy, I have not yet visited Puglia. After looking at these beautiful photos and trying these tasty recipes, I want to hop on a plane and go!

I would not recommend this book. It is cheap but it is almost wasted money. I Am Italian, I Am an experienced cook, both in the home and professionally (i.e. I cook for living) and I think I have a good knowledge of Italian food and good cook books. I am always looking for new books because one never stop learning, that is why I bought this book.The book is cheaply assembled: I am not one for glossy coffee table cookbooks, but the pics in this book are really boring: the majority are extreme close up of dishes, with dull colors and rather flat presentation.There is not much text in terms of history, traditions ecc ecc.The selection of recipes is very very personal: nothing about broad beans (fava beans), one of the main staple of traditional Apulian cooking, no mention of sun dried tomatoes (originally from Puglia), no mention of those lovely fried dumpling (panzerotti) that are so popular and so good, down there, in Puglia. Nothing about friselle (hard galettes-biscuits).In one of the recipe the author suggests of using frozen broccoli florets - why? She has clearly missed the point about on the key point about all Italian cooking: freshness. She is always suggesting using frozen pie crust.She says that is fun making fresh pasta and gives the recipes for cavatalli (well done), but then she does not say anything about the most famous Apulian pasta: orecchiette (what is the difference between cavatelli and orecchiette and why does she not give the recipe for orecchiette?).There are so many recipes that are not particularly from Puglia: asparagus tart, chocolate tart, coffee puddings (??), apple tart - the dessert section is the worse, actually.No mention of: bread and water soups (pancotto), grano arso (burnt wheat), taralli (kind of hard biscuits, savoury and sweet), ricotta dura (oven cooked ricotta, to be grated on pasta) - all these are quintessentially Apulian. Very little said about the hundred ways of using mussels, again one of the high notes of Apulian recipesFew good thinks; the most interesting things are to be found in the pasta section with some nice recipes that showcase fried bread crumbs, a very popular ingredient in much South Italy cooking.The author has also a website, you might want to check it first and decide if her style works for you or not.All in all, this is a missed opportunity. From my Italian point of view this books feels rather inauthentic and not at all in the same league as The Splendid Table, The Food of Northern Italy (Anna del Conte), My Calabria, just to give few examples of what I consider good cook books on Italian regional food).

ideal present for all foodies

Excellent book, well recommended.