Cucina Fresca: Italian Food, Simply Prepared and Served Cold or at Room Temperature by Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman

  • Chicken broth

    from Cucina Fresca: Italian Food, Simply Prepared Cucina Fresca by Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman

    • Categories: Stocks; Italian
    • Ingredients: stewing chicken; onions; carrots; celery; bay leaves; sage; basil; thyme
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Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Fennel, green bean, and olive salad

    • tui on April 01, 2013

      This is a good combination. We had it with a roasted shoulder of lamb and it worked well.

    • pastaplease on March 03, 2026

      Liked this. Added about twice as much anchovy. Really liked the dressing, but I am partial to lemon. Next time I would try some Kalamata or Castelvetrano olives (or a combo). The oil cured olives were fine, but it didn’t feel as if they had to be those specifically. This is an easy, refreshing salad and I imagine it would travel well.

  • Russian salad (Insalata Russa)

    • pensky on May 29, 2026

      A good iteration of this classic. Delicious with peas if no beans available. A few cubes of ham is a nice addition.

  • Wild mushroom and prosciutto frittata

    • lisari on June 29, 2025

      Easy and good on a hot night.

  • Baked vegetable gratin (Verdure al forno)

    • hillsboroks on June 23, 2014

      This turned out to be a great side dish for grilled Italian marinated lamb chops. Salting and draining the zucchini first meant the zucchini kept its shape and a bit of crunch despite sauteing and then baking. The flavors of the various vegetables blended nicely. My guests loved it and requested the recipe. Nice change from mushy bland zucchini!

  • Grilled flank steak

    • Breadcrumbs on July 13, 2011

      p. 210 - First use of this recipe and book. Disappointing but no fault of the recipe, rather it was our pricy organic Mennonite flank steak from NOTL that was a tough, inedible mess. This marinade was tasty and next time I'll boil it as a sauce as the author suggests. Very simple to pull together. I'd like to try this again and hope for a better piece of meat. We marinated overnight and cooked a little under med-rare as always.

  • Grilled butterflied leg of lamb

    • Maefleur on July 17, 2022

      Very simple and delicious. Just remember to give time to marinate.

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Reviews about this book

  • Food52 by Matt Sartwell

    It couldn’t stand alone as the only Italian cookbook that someone owns but it’s an incredibly inspiring Italian cookbook.

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 0060962119
  • ISBN 13 9780060962111
  • Published May 31 1987
  • Format Paperback
  • Page Count 305
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
  • Imprint HarperPerennial

Publishers Text

A definitive classic in Italian cookbooks, Cucina Fresca loosely translates as fresh, light food that's served cool or at room temperature.

-- USA Today
Among the most fun in [this] crop of cookbooks. A delicious compilation of exuberant, healthy Italian dishes.

--New York Times
The freshness of the recipes is what makes them so appealing. That they are also simple adds to their charm

--Los Angeles Times
Straightforward Italian recipes...a highly innovative and charming cookbook to inspire you

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