Northern Italian Cooking or Fresh Food Fast

Northern Italian Cooking

Author: Biba Caggiano

Even if your mama wasn't born in Italy, you know how authentic Italian food is supposed to taste -- fresh, flavorful, rich and bursting with that special ingredient: love. Italian-born Biba Caggiano takes you under her wing with over 200 recipes from Northern Italy -- the center of great cooking. Simple-to-master recipes will have you making tortellini from scratch, authentic pasta sauces, savory meat dishes and luscious desserts in no time. Soon you'll be cooking as if you had grown up in a Northern Italian home. Your kitchen will be filled with the aromas of homemade Minestrone, Tagliatelle Bolognese Style, Shellfish Risotto, Bruschetta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil and Roasted Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary, just as if you had learned to make them all at the side of a real Italian mama. Everything from simple dishes for a family meal to more elaborate recipes for special occasions are here in this new edition of a classic that has sold more than 400,000 copies.

Follow the many who have learned from Biba and do as they do; if someone asks you where you learned how to cook real Northern Italian food, tell them Biba taught you everything you know.

Publishers Weekly

Biba Caggiano, Bologna-born and raised in the Emiglia-Romagna region, gives her audience the chance to cook like a native in Biba's Northern Italian Cooking. The author of six cookbooks and owner and chef of Biba restaurant in Sacramento, Calif., prepares simple to sumptuous meals, from antipasto to dessert, with dishes for all occasions. First she discusses essential Italian ingredients and equivalents and begins each course section with a brief account of what it entails. Her Green Lasagne Bologna Style, Shellfish Risotto, Pheasant with Gin and Juniper Berries and Pears Poached in Red Wine will lure eager diners to a bounteous table. ( Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Table of Contents:

	Fabulous Foods of Northern Italy	1
	Some Basic Ingredients	3
	Appetizers	6
	Soups	20
	Pasta	36
	Gnocchi, Polenta and Risotto	75
	Fish and Shellfish	101
	Game and Poultry	113
	Lamb, Pork and Variety Meats	128
	Veal and Beef	146
	Vegetables	169
	Salads	188
	Eggs and Sauces	197
	Desserts	209
	Seasonal Menus	239
	Metric Conversion Charts	243
	English Index	244
	Italian Index	250
	About the Author	252

Interesting textbook: Audience Economics or International Organizational Behavior

Fresh Food Fast: Create Delicious, Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hour

Author: Peter Berley

From award-winning chef Peter Berley: mouthwatering seasonal vegetarian menus that can be created in under an hour

Sophisticated, home-cooked vegetarian meals without the fuss. Is that too much to ask? Absolutely not.

True to his roots as a restaurant chef, cooking teacher, and family man, award-winning vegetarian chef Peter Berley has a passion for meals that taste incredible, salute the seasons, and are easy to prepare in under an hour. In Fresh Food Fast, he provides forty-eight meals -- twelve for each season -- including recipes, a shopping list, an equipment list, and a game plan that takes you step-by-step through the menu.

Included are substantial, satisfying meals that will bring pleasure to vegetarians and omnivores alike:

Spring
bibb lettuce and radish salad with crème fraîche citronette braised spring vegetables with grits, poached eggs, and chives

summer
spicy corn frittata with tomatoes and scallions cucumber salad

fall
pasta with spicy cauliflower, chickpeas, and cherry tomatoes pan-grilled radicchio salad with honey- balsamic glaze over frisée

winter
balsamic-roasted seitan with cipollini onions garlic mashed potatoes and parsnips

Berley also provides delectable dessert recipes for each season, including spring's Warm Honey Lemon Curd over Strawberries, summer's Blueberry-Nectarine Crisp, fall's Roasted Grapes with Red Wine, and winter's Caramelized Bananas with Blood Orange and Pistachio.

In a world where fast food is generally prepackaged and second-rate, Peter Berley teaches us how we can live without compromise andenjoy fresh, wholesome meals any night of the week as we connect with family and friends.

Publishers Weekly

At the outset of this superb guide to cooking uncomplicated vegetarian fare, Berley asks a rhetorical question: "Stylish, sophisticated, home-cooked meals without a fuss-is that too much to ask for?" If this cookbook is any indication, it isn't too much to ask for; in fact, it's a very simple request that Berley happily fills. The former executive chef of New York's Angelica Kitchen and chef and co-owner of the city's Miette Culinary Studio lays out healthy, quick meals requiring minimum effort. He divides the book by season and gives 12 menus for each. In a minimalist style reminiscent of Mark Bittman's, Berley describes key ingredients to keep in the pantry (herbs, grains, beans, oils, etc.) and important tools (he's particularly fond of the pressure cooker). As the title suggests, the recipes draw on seasonal produce; Berley reminds readers that buying vegetables in season will save money and ensure the best quality. Each menu consists of at least two dishes-a main course and a side-and some include a third accompaniment or appetizer. Although simplicity reigns, the dishes do encompass a variety of ethnic cuisines, including Asian, Caribbean, Italian and Mexican flavors. Berley gives a brief intro to each dish (e.g., before giving the recipe for Wild Mushroom Fricassee over Farro, he explains what farro is and how to cook it; he also makes a case for saving some Rhubarb Crisp for the next day, since "leftovers are great for breakfast; just substitute yogurt for the whipped cream"). (Mar.) Forecast: Berley's book is perfect for cooks who are too busy to spend two hours cooking dinner but want delicious, healthy meals-that is to say, almost anyone. A national broadcast and print media campaign, 25-city radio campaign and author appearances in New York; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; and Seattle will target buyers. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.