The Italian Country Table: Italian Country Table

I like a cookbook that educates me and gives me background. This one does that. Because of this the recipes are more appealing and interesting. Some are for show and some are for use. This cookbook gets used.

I sing the praises of this book so often and loudly that you would think a) the author is my wife or mother, or 2) I get royalties on the sales. Neither is true.I have well over 200 cookbooks, 20 - 30 of which fall into the 'Italian cookbook' category.This book was given to me as a Christmas gift in 2000 (Pre-Amazon, I'm sure). I have made many of the recipes, and it's my 'go-to' cookbook when I'm searching for dinner ideas.In addition to numerous recipes in all categories (Salads, pasta, soups, meats, rice/grains/beans, vegetables, pizza, desserts), there are stories/anecdotes interspersed, which make you feel as if you're in Italy on a Saturday afternnon.While some of the recipes are familiar--and can therefore be found in many cookbooks--the author translates the cooking process into something special and unique. Thus, you don't just walk away with a recipe for chicken, fish, or sauce. Rather, the recipes are magical. I have made the RISOTTO IN THE STYLE OF MILAN so many times that the pages are falling out of the book. Guests RAVE (!!) about this dish, and if I could cook for the President or Julia Child, this is one of the dishes I would make.Other favorites of mine include:* Tagliarini with Fresh Artichokes, Parmigiano, and Lemon (can you stand it?);* Sausage, Peppers and Shells (cut back on the wine, as it makes a lot of sauce);* Nonna's Home-Style Lasagna (add a dash of nutmeg);* Risotto in the Style of Milan (shoot me now; I have had a peak life experience);* Wine-Glazed Chicken (Add a few satueed mushrooms);* Ninth-Night Lamb (It takes a while to cook, but it's good);* Spicy Spinach and Tomoatoes (enough said).Anyhow, if you don't love this book, contact me and I'll buy it back from you. It is not a 'stand-alone' cookbook, so you will need others, but my word, this one is incredible.

I've always dreamt of running into LRK to be able to tell her how much I absolutely adore this book. If you want a romantic read toss Romeo and Juliet aside and pick this cook book up! As a vegetarian not all recipes work for me, but she offers alternatives for some of the recipes which I appreciate wholeheartedly. All romanticisizing aside this books does offer a lot of great basic Italian staples for everyday use. I am still in search of the perfect sweet and spicy marinara but her version comes close :). Anyway.. you will not regret purchasing this book as it will provide days, months, and years of countless amazing recipes (not to mention her immense charm and wit)!

I've been a great fan of Lynne Rossetto Kaspar's "The Splendid Table" for several years now, having prepared and enjoyed many great meals from that award winning book. Although "The Italian Country Table" is less comprehensive and detailed than "The Splendid Table," it offers an irresistable selection of recipes from the Italian countryside. The fabulous food of Apulia is one of Italy's greatest culinary secrets, and Kasper gives us a delicious sampling of wonderful Apulian dishes like Pizza Rustica, Fava Beans, and Pasta Puttenesca. My copy is already stained and soiled, the sign of a cookbook that gets a lot of use. These are recipes you'll make again and again. And Kasper is a wonderful writer as well. The book is filled with lore and stories from Italian families throughout the countryside.

Sorry - I have made probably 1/4 of the recipes here and haven't made anything I would make again (and my wife basically wants me to shelve the book indefinately).Her pasta recipe is interesting, but too watery for my taste (guess that also goes for most of the recipes I tried), and enjoyed her discussion about tomatoes so much that I ordered seeds from the seed companies she recommended.Oh well. Back to Marcella I suppose. Know her books like the back of my hand though. Too bad, was looking for something new and exciting in Italian cooking.

My husband is an Italian food lover, and being familiar with a few recipes in the book from The Splendid Table show I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did because it was absolutely amazing. food is as close to authentic as you can get, the book is a great read, the recipes aren't overly complicated and they actually work most of the time (unlike some of the competition.) I'm looking at you Jamie Oliver.Overall the pasta chapters were glorious, risottos were delicious and I would recommend this book for those things alone.Of course there were a few head scratching moments: "Sausage Peppers and Shells" was simply disgusting. "Stufato" apparently means that the ingredients don't fit in the suggested pot and when you do get them in it's half burnt and half raw. Her foodie side means that you end up spending a small fortune on olive oil although most of the recipes are inexpensive on their own.Of course you can't get it right all the time and Lynn delivers enough of the time to make it well worth your while. If you want an entertaining Italian book you can actually use this is perfect.

I have all Lynn Kasper's (the Splendid Table on NPR) cookbooks but this has become my favorite "go to" cookbook when I start thinking about use of certain ingredients. I love reading it (as with all her cookbooks)as well as cooking with it. The information provided is interesting reading plus gives insight into the cuisine. The recipes are RELIABLY delicious. Also I have learned about the process of cooking individual or groups of ingredients and how better depth of flavor is developed by following her detailed instructions. The spicy eggplant soup has already been made twice and put up in the Freezer to save the tastes of summer produce.

My favorite cookbook out of about 60. Many of these recipes have become staples for us. I have given this book as a gift more than any other.

Informative and entertaining, a refreshing guided tour of familiar and less well-known regional Italian dishes and their, mainly rural and practical histories.