As he did so lovingly in
Little Italy Cookbook, his joyful evocation of Italian-American neighborhoods and cooking, David Ruggerio, multistarred chef, restaurateur, and television personality, invites you into the kitchen--this time to the family kitchens of the old country, Naples and Sicily.
The son of a Neapolitan mother and a Sicilian father, Ruggerio is 100 percent Italian: Neapolitan in emotion--passionate and fun-loving--and Sicilian in character--deep and soulful. From these contrasting strains comes David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen, a family album filled with more than 150 recipes: lamb roasted with the Mediterranean's finest olives, chicken baked in clay, fish roasted in a paper bag, Aunt Philomena's pasta with sardines, the famous Sunday gravy, Easter sweet rolls. Stunning photographs of food, family, and countryside, along with charming stories of old country traditions, make David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen the heart and soul of old country family cooking.
Come and meet the family! It's quite a cast of characters, and boy, can they cook! As he did so lovingly in Little Italy Cookbook, his joyful evocation of Italian-American neighborhoods and cooking, David Ruggerio invites you back into the kitchen, but this time it's to the kitchens of the old country, to Naples and Sicily. Step into the landscape and breathe in the aromas; dip some bread into the sauce simmering on the stovetop and enjoy the lively conversation--a celebration of the legacy of David's ancestors.
The son of a Neopolitan mother and a Sicilian father, Ruggerio is 100 percent Italian but with two distinct sides: He considers himself Neapolitan in emotion--passionate, friendly, fun-loving--and Sicilian in character--deep and soulful. Neopolitan cooking, like David, is colorful, accessible, elemental--"in your face." Sicilian cooking is more complex, its ingredients and flavors combining in more subtle ways, influenced by Sicily's many years of foreign rule. From these contrasting strains comes a multistarred chef and television personality with rich culinary roots.
David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen is a full-color family album, filled with stunning photographs, many shot in and around Naples and Sicily, of people, places, and food, along with informative sidebars, amusing anecdotes, and recipes gathered from family and friends. There's Lentil Soup with Macaroni, traditionally drunk--for luck--while walking up the stairs on New Year's eve but now eaten at the table after Uncle Tony accidentally doused Aunt Gloria with it one year, and Famous Sunday Gravy (ragu to many of us), a gift of David's grandmother and every Neapolitan grandma who emigrated to America. Undo the "evil eye" with Aunt Philomena's Pasta with Sardines, which could possibly qualify as Sicily's "national" dish.
With over 150 recipes for feast days and for every day, David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen delivers the heart and soul of Italian family cooking. It will have you feeling at home in your Italian kitchen, even if you're not Italian.
