"italian american" news and stories

'Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook: More Than 100 Classic Italian Dishes to Make at Home'
Recipes by Michael Ronis with Mary Goodbody
Photographs by Alex Martinez
St. Martin's Press -- 2008
Buy it on Amazon

In the increasingly refined and innovative world of New York Italian restaurants, Carmine's remains proudly devoted to its red-sauce roots. It's a loud place with large portions and a complete lack of pretension: you'd just as soon find a foam or amuse bouche on its menu as you would a loaf of Irish soda bread or bowl of borscht. The focus is on Southern Italian food like grandma used to make -- think meatballs the size of a baby's head, shrimp scampi and garlic bread, not bruschetta.

It follows that the restaurant's laid-back, welcoming style would translate to its companion cookbook: "We hope," the introduction states, that the book's pages "will soon be stained with red sauce, dribbles of olive oil and sticky fingerprints, all happy accidents as you discover our recipes."

This is a cookbook meant for weeknight family dinners and large gatherings, or any event, really, that calls for large helpings of comfort food. Flipping through it is a bit like visiting the Italian American Culinary Hall of Fame: Look, it's Meatball Heroes! And over there, Penne Alla Vodka! Long time, no see, Shrimp Fra Diavolo! They're all here, and they're all eager to please.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Sonoma Foie Gras, a California company, is going on the offensive by threatening Whole Foods with legal action for pressuring some if it's suppliers to discontinue their sale of foie gras. Whole Foods has a written policy against cruelty and does not carry the delicacy. The chain would prefer to do business with companies who do not support the industry.

Give the tradition of lambic beers, which are naturally fermented with airborne yeast, a try instead of relying the antiseptic modern brews. They have a unique dry, tart flavor that develops into fruityness as the beers mature and are blended together. They pair well with strawberry rhubarb tart.

American Italian food remembers its roots with dishes like fried calamari and fettuccini alfredo, offering diners something refreshingly familiar: big servings, thick and delicious tomato sauces and lots of atmosphere. Frank Bruni picks his favorites.

Sometimes the development of a 3-star dessert starts with something old - like a recipe from Catherine de Medici - but in the hands of a master chef, sweet and savory still make new and wonderful combinations.

The Minimalist, Mark Bittman, prepares fried fish with fried ginger.

Frank Bruni dines at Buddakan, with a two star review.

 

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