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

`Lidia's Italy' by PBS Italian Cooking teacher extraordinare, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, is another entry in one of those `little trends' in cookbooks which swirl about in eddies running off the greater currents of national cuisines (Italian, French, Mexican, Spanish, Thai, you name it), regional cuisines (mostly Italian, Spanish, and American), fast cooking (Rachael Ray and company), grilling, low carb, and what have you.This mini-genre deals with personal tours of culinary highlights through various venues in Italy. The two earlier heavyweights in this recent trend are `Biba's Italy' by notable restauranteur and cookbook writer, Biba Caggiano and `jamie's italy' by `The Naked Chef', Jamie Oliver. Both books impressed me, but for somewhat different reasons. Caggiano gave us the insider's catalogue of recipes for great classic Italian dishes, while the effervescent Oliver gives us the brilliant outsider's enthusiasm for seeing Italian cuisine with fresh eyes. Bastianich's book is naturally more similar to `Biba's Italy', since both are professional cooks who were born and raised in Italy. All three are great foodie books, but Bastianich's book appeals to me over Caggiano for three reasons. But before I get into these, let me give you the lay of the land in `Lidia's Italy'.While Mama Lidia does the culinary tour of ten (10) of her favorite venues, daughter Tanya, a highly educated guide of cultural tours through Italy does verbal snapshots of historical and artistic places of interest at each of these venues. I will not address Tanya's contribution except to say that while it did add value to the book, it does not contribute much to my appreciation. It may have had a bigger impression on me if pictures of the sites were included. For me, this book is primarily about the recipes of these regions.The ten regions are:Istria, the peninsula east of Venice and Lidia's ancestral home, which is now part of CroatiaTrieste, the Italian city at the northern end of the Adriatic, which for centuries belonged to Austria/HungaryFriuli, the center of the second most interesting culinary venue in Italy, after Emilia-RomagnaPadova and Treviso, inland from the city of VenicePiedmonte, with the cities of Turia and Alba, near France, and `truffle central' for the world.Maremma, in southern Tuscany, the site of the Bastianich' newest vineyard.Rome, the traditional slaughterhouse of Italy, and `artichoke central'.Naples, which needs no introduction to American lovers of Italian food.Western Sicily, including Palermo, Trapani, and Marsala, the home of the Italian sherry.Puglia, the Italian bread basket and a heavy olive producer. Famous for its breads.The first thing I like about the book is that seven (7) out of ten (10) of these regions are on the fringes of Italian culinary terroir, which means they reflect more outside influences than the typical `Italian-American' fare based on Tuscan, Roman, and Neapolitan cuisines. Even better, the first four (4) of these venues are in the northeastern part of the country, where the German and Slavic influences are at their strongest. Thus, we get lots of dishes with cabbage, apples, braised pork, and delicate pastries, reflecting the relatively recent 200 plus years of rule of the region from Vienna, so they feel quite familiar to my Austro-Hungarian ancestry.The second, less personal reason is the great mix of the familiar and the new. On the one hand, we have many great familiar pasta, risotto, polenta, and gnocchi recipes from various regions (Note that Friuli and not Rome has the greatest variety of gnocchi recipes). On the other, I find recipes for at least five (5) varieties of fresh pasta (gramigna, bigoli, makaruni, tajarin, and maltagliati) which are unfamiliar to me. Another dimension that separates this from a conventional Italian cookbook is the abundance of recipes for popular Italian ingredients such as organ meats and game.The third reason I'm fond of this book is that I have always found Lidia's recipes to be better written and easier to follow than many other restauranteur / chef / authors such as Caggiano and Batali. Her books (and `Molto Italiano') are the first I go to when I want to try a new type of Italian dish, since I have never failed to enjoy the results of following her recipes.A potential fourth reason (which I cannot judge, since I never saw her PBS series) is that her books, unlike all the books from the Food Network celebrity hosts, closely follows her broadcast plan. That would make it doubly valuable if you happen to like her shows.One last personal impression is that while the book does not give an `in depth' philosophy of the craft of cooking as you get from either Marcella Hazan's `Marcella Says' or the great `Chez Jacques', you are given the sense that cooking is not about these particular recipes, it's all about what you can take away from them and do for yourself. Bastianich clearly states that you simply take what works for you, with no obligation to follow the whole recipe. This is great advice, especially since the subtitle which starts with `140 Simple ... Recipes...' is just a tad misleading, as there are some recipes here which are both labor and time intensive.On the other hand, there is nothing here which requires much in the way of fancy equipment. And, Ms. Bastianich has cleverly told us for each recipe what size and shape of special kitchenware we may need. Even better, the list of Internet sources at the back of the book is one of the best I have seen in quite some time, as it gives good sources for items specific to individual recipes. And, it even plugs the very best `latticini' (Italian cheese maker and grocery store) in Manhattan, DiPalo's on Grand Street in Little Italy.

simple ingredients, easy 1 person meals

This book is like a "mini history lesson" about SOME (not all) regions in Italy. And also, this is a cookbook about some of the interesting regional foods mentioned in each Chapter.Lidia and her daughter Tanya took a tour of some of their favorite regions in Italy (not ALL regions,but SOME regions), for example: Piedmont, Romagna, etc...Then, Lidia and Tanya wrote this book by describing each of the Italian regions visited, broken down into Chapters. Also, at the end of each Chapter (and there are 10 chapters) Tanya ,who has a PHD from Oxford, added her own personal take on the visits to each region, by sub-categorizing many of the "sights" worth visiting.Along with the mini history lessons throughout this book, there are many recipes that Lidia has developed, or recipes that Lidia has discovered during her Italian travels.I think this is a very "different" Italian cookbook, and not your average Italian cookbook seen in most bookstores. Therefore, if you collect a variety of cookbooks (not only Italian cookbooks, but multi-national cookbooks in general) then this book could be a very nice addition to your library.Many of the recipes would be difficult to reproduce because of "difficulty" levels. To me, some of the recipes did not seem "simple" as stated in the title.It seems to me that most of the recipes are not for an average or beginner cook. Also, since many of the recipes come from obscure towns that have their own "flavors", I would say that many of the recipes may not appeal to the average taste buds. For example, here are a few recipes that are either too difficult to reproduce by a novice, and/or recipes that would entail an acquired taste:~~Farro with Tuna and Tomatoes, p.333~~Anchovy Garlic Dip,p.141~~Pasta with Anchiovi-Onion Sauce,p.108~~Tiella filling of Octopus with Garlic and Oil, p. 250~~Filet of Wild Boar with Prunes and Apples,p.193~~Cooked Duck Sugo with Pasta,p.183On the other hand, there are a few recipes that COULD be duplicated and enjoyed...(although,some of these recipes are quite "common" and are often included in most Italian cookbooks):~~Water Soup, p. p.168~~Asparagus and Rice, p. 11~~Peaches with Almond Crust, p. 118-119~~Tiramisu Limoncello,p. 120~~Chicken Cacciatore,p.301~~Beef Braised in Peppercorns, p. 195~~Braised Pork Chops with Savoy Cabbage, p. 83The last thing I should mention is that I would have loved to have seen more photos of the recipes,and especially those recipes that are very unusual.All in all,though, I give this book 4 stars because of it's novelty and because of the interesting mini-history lessons scattered throughout.

Brilliant book well illustrated excellent recipes a true Italian Lady who give the best from the ten regions visited a must have if your interested at all in good cooking without the flurry and fancy

Another masterpiece from the great Lidia.Wonderful home recipes with the freshest and best ingredients make each recipe a delight to create and enjoy at your table.Lidia is zesty,full of fun and flavour.She is as delightful as her book.

Tasty and relatively easy authentic recipes with good, practical tips along the way. US measures if you are non American.

I love Lidia and this book does not disappoint. Many great recipes and a good variety; nothing too complicated and most of the ingredients and equipment used are basic pantry or every day items; nothing too exotic. The only downside is there isn't a picture of what each recipe should look like in the end. However, I've watched her make most of the recipes in the book on her t.v. series so I know basically what to expect. I look forward to trying them all!

My father watches her show so I purchased this for him the first day he used it