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Italian Cookbooks

From Booklist October 15, 1998

Because of religious traditions that for many years mandated meatless Fridays, Italian cooking has always had an undercurrent of vegetarianism. Easy availability of fresh local produce in town markets only enhanced this tendency. Experienced cookbook author Criscuolo turns to recipes from her Italian-born grandmother for her newest vegetarian cookbook, and she turns out simple, attractive recipes that will delight anyone eager for Italian dishes without meat. Like all good Italian cooking, Criscuolo's recipes rely on the best ingredients, simply presented. She offers risotto prepared in the traditional manner but with broth made from spinach. Only a few recipes call for meat substitutes, but there is a profusion of cheese, whose sharp, distinctive pungencies are not readily duplicated by soy-based substitutes. Criscuolo's imaginative approach combined with Italian cooking's popularity makes this book a good selection. Mark Knoblauch

Book Description

Claire Criscuolo's latest cookbook contains the personal favorite recipes from her Italian grandmother for colorful, authentic meals. All recipes are vegetarian, and for classic Southern Italian dishes which require meat products, Criscuolo provides suggestions for alternatives. With chapters on appetizers, side dishes, pastas, entrees and desserts, Claire's Italian Feast evokes the fresh, abundant flavors of Italy with dishes like: * Portobello Mushroom Caps, roasted with mint and garlic

Newsday, 2-4-98

It's a great relief to see that Jack Bishop, food writer and cookbook author, prepares his food in a completely ordinary kitchen. The no-frills Sag Harbor setup has no professional range and precious little counter space. The refrigerator is smaller than he is. It is in this simple kitchen that Bishop tested most of his recipes for his new book, The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, and it's proof that you don't need anything fancy to make yourself a good dinner. 'There's a lot of culinary rigamarole,' said Bishop. 'In Italy, you have to have a special pot to cook polenta. It's got to be a copper pot. I have a great reverence for things Italian, but I'm an American, and I shop in America. I'm more interested in people facing the challenge of what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-eat-tonight.' To that end, Bishop has melded two of the most popular trends in cooking in his newest book, a collection of 350 recipes that revel in all manner of Italian food that doesn't contain meat. Bishop calls himself a 'semi-' vegetarian, the kind of no-big-deal vegetarian who doesn't want to face a slab of meat on his plate, but wouldn't mind a little prosciutto in his pasta sauce. 'I like the flavor of pork and lamb, but in the end I prefer vegetables,' he said, 'and I could live without chicken for the rest of my life.' His newest book is an outgrowth of his earlier book, Pasta e Verdura, a collection of 140 pasta dishes made with vegetables. Although he didn't intend to, Bishop lost 7 pounds off his already lean frame during the writing and the recipe-testing phase of that book. The dishes featured fresh vegetables, usually tossed with a pound of packaged pasta and a little olive oil. The new book, The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, while mindful of unnecessary fat, is not lean and mean. It is a bigger, more comprehensive book that features many richer and heartier recipes, such as baked shells with fontina and Parmesan-flavored bread crumbs-macaroni and cheese by any other name. It calls for a cup of heavy cream, 1/3 cup of butter and half a pound of cheese. The book also features more of Bishop's well-honed advice. He is an editor and writer for Cook's Illustrated, a quirky culinary magazine that has developed something of a cult following for its kitchen-detective format. It takes a topic, say meatloaf, and sets out to find the best possible way to make the ideal recipe. First it'll fiddle with the ratio of ground beef, pork and veal to find the best combination. Then it will test 11 binders, including tapioca and corn flakes. Next, it moves onto the onions: raw or sauted? Bishop says the magazine is fascinating and fun to work on, if not particularly creative for a writer. But the approach has benefited his own cooking and teaching techniques. When Bishop tackled the topic of how to make polenta in his book, he researched various ratios of cornmeal to water before advising his readers how to proceed. That advice-filled, leave-nothing-to-chance approach also is evident in the book's thick header notes-those chatty paragraphs that precede each recipe. Bishop is particularly generous with his advice there, warning readers of the possible pitfalls, encouraging them to try new things. And he names names, giving specific brands of ingredients. 'There's no reason not to share that information,' he said. 'People ask me all the time what brands I use. My book is not an armchair book,' he said, 'although I love those kinds of books. I envision it in the kitchen.' While the book is not written for beginners, Bishop has kept the novice cook in mind. His students are either younger people who are new to the kitchen or older people who are new to vegetarianism. Either way, he finds that Italian cooking is well suited to the task. 'Italian cooking is so friendly,' said Bishop. 'People know it. It's not weird.' And there are many excellent Italian dishes that are vegetarian by chance rather than design, said Bishop. 'This is not like in England where they have a vegetarian society. Italians say, 'It's food. We're not making politics out of it.''

Amazon.com

Sicilian Vegetarian Cooking offers an unexpected but appealing assortment of recipes. In a cookbook on Sicilian food, you might expect to find recipes for La Fritella, a spring vegetable stew; Sformata di Cavalfiore, an elegant cauliflower casserole; Arancini, little rice balls; and Cannoli. Also finding recipes for polenta, risotti, and gnocchi is a surprise. Penza justifies offering these decidedly non- Sicilian dishes by explaining that today, Sicilians eat them as well as enjoying their traditional, regional dishes. Vegetarians will appreciate new ideas Penza offers, such as Penne with White Beans and Mushrooms, Parsley Pesto with Almonds and Mint, a savory rice pie, and a well-flavored vegetable broth to use in other dishes. Vivid, hand-painted illustrations give this paperback a colorful mien