The Villa Table: 300 Classic Italian Recipes - Softcover

De' Medici, Lorenza; Boys, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1857936981 ISBN 13: 9781857936988

Publisher: Chrysalis Books, 1995

Synopsis

In her writing and through her cookery school at Coltibuono in Tuscany, Lorenza de'Medici has done more than anyone to celebrate the refined but accessible delights of cucina alto-borghese. She has adapted an enormous repertoire of easily prepared recipes from this aristocratic culinary tradition, developed for today's cooks. This is her cookbook, and it starts with tempting antipasto dishes, many of which also make ideal finger-foods. With "I Primi" the first course - Lorenza indulges her passion for pasta, dried or fresh, and introduces luscious variations on this inexhaustible theme, as well as risottos, the richer polenta and dumplings for cold weather, and soups ranging from hearty vegetable to cold consomme. Appetizing main courses cover the spectrum of Mediterranean tastes and aromas, from succulent roasts - pork in almond sauce, chicken with bay leaves or juniper, leg of lamb with mint and thyme to beef braised in Chianti, rabbit with olives, breaded veal with tomato and basil, meatballs, patties and rolled roasts. Regional fish recipes include baked salmon slices with fennel and lemon. She also discusses the preparation of greens and vegetables, delicate sauces, and delicious desserts with light, clean tastes, and shapes and colours to delight the eye, as well as breads, wines and preserves. Lorenza de'Medici includes over 300 recipes, all of which are healthy and delicious, a celebration of lightness, simplicity and pleasure.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

recipes and techniques Lorenza de'Medici developed at her internationally famous cooking school in Tuscany, this gastronomic guide contains more than 300 elegant but simple recipes, from antipasti to first and second courses, from breads and cheeses to sauces and salads. But this is more than a guide to creating elegant dinners. It is an immensely useful and practical guide for contemporary hosts--with recipes that take a minimal amount of time and preparation. Accompanied by 100 beautiful full-color photographs, THE VILLA TABLE is a satsifying feast for the eyes as well as the appetite.

From Publishers Weekly

The Villa Table, the school offering classes in cookery by de' Medici at the author's Tuscany estate, now yields a cookbook. And it begins with a disclaimer. "I am not a professional cook," announces the author, who has been publishing cookbooks for the last 20 years. Hoping to reassure readers whose ways in the kitchen may be casual, she explains that she herself never had all the time in the world to spare for cookery, and that personal taste, not merely that of the experts, should be one's principle arbiter. The advice is ingratiating, though some of the recipes outstrip it in fineness of goal; a few others (e.g., spaghetti frittata) may be almost too simple. But the general standard is rich, taking in antipasti, first and second courses, vegetables, breads and sweets (an apricot caramel custard and a peach meringue are especially tempting), sauces and cheeses. The look of the book, too, is delicately ornate, with photographs that aspire to the aesthetic. It's difficult not to respond, not to glide toward the kitchen.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chrysalis Books
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1857936981
• ISBN 13: 9781857936988
• Binding: Paperback