Publisher's Weekly Review
Recipes such as sagne chine (Calabrese lasagne), vruocculi ca' savuzuizza (sausage and broccoli rabe), and pipi 'mpajanati (sweet pepper fritters) highlight this brilliant, comprehensive cookbook by Calabrian-born Costantino (who now resides in Northern California) and Fletcher (cookbook author and San Francisco Chronicle columnist). And while the region is hardly undiscovered, as the subtitle suggests (there have been several book in recent years on the region, and it's a favorite vacation spot for northern Europeans), Costantino certainly digs deep into the cuisine, highlighting authentic recipes along with an insightful narrative. She offers recipes for pane calabrese, a thick-crusted bread with a soft, tangy middle that the region takes pride in: homemade ricotta cheese and swordfish rolls with breadcrumb stuffing. She offers explanations on Calabrese meats (soppressatta, spalla, salsiccia, 'nduja), cheeses (butirro, caciocavallo), pastas (cannaruozzoli, scilatelli, and the Arberesh, or Albanian-influenced, couscous), as well as an entire chapter on preserves, such as fresh fig jam; mushrooms in oil with hot peppers (ubiquitous throughout Calabria), fennel and garlic; and a liqueur made from mandarin oranges. Costantino's cookbook offers home cooks a delightful journey along the toe of Italy's boot. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Writing with San Francisco Chronicle food columnist Fletcher, Costantino, who teaches cooking classes in San Francisco, introduces readers to her native Calabria, from its history to key ingredients like anchovies, canned tomatoes, canned tuna, capers, dried oregano, and olive oil. While these ingredients may seem a lot like those in other Italian food, the recipes are slightly different; Quick Tomato Sauce, for example, includes one small hot red pepper. Cooks new to Calabrian cooking are sure to enjoy Warm Christmas Doughnuts (made with yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes). Recipes are written for the beginning cook. Suggested wines and a list of ingredient resources are included. Highly recommended. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
