A Tuscan in the Kitchen: Recipes and Tales from My Home by Pino Luongo

  • Toasted garlic bread (Fettunta)

    from A Tuscan in the Kitchen: Recipes and Tales from My Home A Tuscan in the Kitchen by Pino Luongo

    show

  • Show all Recipes...

Notes about this book

  • Breadcrumbs on April 06, 2012

    This is a lovely and unconventional book in that Mr Luongo does not suggest any quantities for the ingredients listed in his recipes. Luongo encourages the cook to trust their own instincts, use what's on hand and not to worry about measurements. This book was recommended to me by a friend who found it tucked into the bookcase of a villa she rented in Tuscany. She would take the book to the market with her and come home to prepare meals she described as heavenly. This is someone who rarely cooked anything from scratch at home. Somehow Luongo's laissez faire attitude allowed her to throw caution to the wind and she returned home a far more engaged and confident cook. My (used) copy just arrived and I'm delighted with what I see, tales of Luongo's life in Tuscany are woven through the recipes. Ingredients are listed in columns: Pantry, Cold Storage & Market.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Squid, fisherman's style (Calamari alla pescatora)

    • bellatavia on September 19, 2016

      I love Pino's recipes because he doesn't give you precise quantities of ingredients and instead lets you feel your way forward based on your personal knowledge of technique and how you like your food to taste and look. So, this recipe let me pick how much tomato and how many peas to add, what a delight! The ultimate result was delicious, and the pease were aun unexpected twist. I might add more red hot pepper flakes next time, (maybe I put in half a teaspoon?) but the squid tasted delicious and it was easy to pull together and light to eat. He suggests serving with crusty bread -- an excellent idea -- but I ate it over boiled lacinato kale and a scoop of red bulgur (for health reasons) and it was still very delicious (while not completely Italian),

You must Create an Account or Sign In to add a note to this book.

Reviews about this book

This book does not currently have any reviews.

  • ISBN 10 0517569167
  • ISBN 13 9780517569160
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Oct 12 1988
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 240
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Random House
  • Imprint Crown Publications

Publishers Text

This exuberant, delightfully unconventional cookbook is a warm, personal collection of recipes and reminiscences of the author's native Tuscany and a guide to a spontaneous way of cooking based on good taste and common sense rather than rigid rules.

In A Tuscan in the Kitchen, Pino Luongo, the creator of New York's successful Il Cantinori restaurant, presents 140 of his favorite recipes, from soups and antipasti to salads and desserts. The recipes include such tempting dishes as trout with balsamic vinegar, peasant-style risotto made with sausage and peas, roasted quail with tarragon, spaghetti with sea bass sauce, radicchio and orange salad, and baked peaches stuffed with walnuts and chocolate. Interspersed throughout in a spirited narrative are tales of his adventures as well as stories of family celebrations and the local traditions of the people who live in Tuscany's dries, hill towns, and fishing ports.

Mr. Luongo shows us how to cook the Tuscan way, using a small repertoire of ingredients and a few basic techniques to create dishes that taste delicious and can be endlessly varied. The ingredients in each recipe are broken down into a three-part list: pantry staples, like olive oil, pasta, and canned plum tomatoes; cold storage items such as eggs, butter, and cheese; and a handful of market foods that need to be purchased fresh. In the recipes, he gives basic instructions and guidelines for making each dish but does not give exact quantities. For instance, a recipe for tagliatelle with fresh garden vegetables suggests a variety of vegetables and herbs; the cook decides how many and how much of each to use, according to taste. Mr. Luongo teaches us the kind of flexibility good cookshave always practiced and encourages us to create our own personal style of cooking -- and have a wonderful time in the kitchen, too.

Filled with warmth and an irrepressible enthusiasm for life's pleasures, A Tuscan in the Kitchen is an original and inspiring cookbook.

Other cookbooks by this author