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Cooking Books -> Side Dish
Contorni: Authentic Italian Side Dishes for All Seasons
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by:
Simon, Susan
Bellati, Manfredi (Photographer)
Bacon, Quentin (Photographer)
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Publisher:
Chronicle Books
Published: July 2003
ISBN: 0811836762
Format:Paperback
Pages:132
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Book Description
From Publishers Weekly
With Insalate, Simon successfully took a basic Italian food category, the salad, and expanded it to its maximum capacity to encompass all kinds of delicious vegetable dishes. Here she does the same for contorni, or side dishes.
Granted, in Italy most side dishes consist of a vegetable sprinkled with olive oil and salt, but Simon's slight stretching of the definition is welcome, since it leads to inclusion of free-form Spring Vegetable Tarts and Eggplant Parmesan. She
acknowledges, for example, that while Classic Risotto, Milan Style is usually served as a first course in Italy (except when it accompanies ossobuco), it can easily take the place of mashed potatoes on the American table. Simon successfully translates
the Italian tendency to let the flavors of fresh produce shine through in deceptively simple creations such as Linda's Garden Green Beans, with lemon juice, tarragon and thyme, and Truffled Mushrooms, sliced thin and cooked with garlic and parsley. The
author also urges readers to eat seasonally, and the chapters are divided that way, with Gabrio Bini's Baked Vegetables (squash, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower among them) appearing in the fall and Braised Belgian Endive in the spring.
Copyright
2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Travelers returning from Italy bring back fond memories of Italian chefs' ways with vegetables. Using the freshest garden produce available in local markets, Italian chefs and home cooks
prepare both exquisite side dishes and appetizers. Susan Simon's Contorni , taking its title from the Italian for side dish, explains how to prepare such delights in an American setting.
Some items such as potato croquettes and baked tomatoes
adapt well to American produce. But classics such as Rome's Carciofi... read more
Book Description
Discover contorni—the delicious side dishes of Italy—in this wonderful cookbook of over 60 recipes from Susan Simon, author of
Insalate. Made with the freshest vegetables, these little dishes follow the seasons to take advantage of each ingredient at its most flavorful. From spring vegetable tarts—Crostate di Verdure Primaverili—to a colorful blend of winter carrots
and celery root—Carote e Sedano-Rapa alla Nonna Silvera—each recipe uses ingredients that can be easily found at the local grocery. Photographs illustrate beautiful Italian countryside, street markets, and perfectly ripe vegetables, and
showcase the mouthwatering recipes. With Contorni, side dishes are no longer an afterthought, they are the perfect accompaniment.
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