MACCIONI, ALVARO — Alvaro\S Mamma Toscana

UK, Pavilion Books Limited. 1998. Hardcover with dust jacket, 29cm. Book, 224 exc pp & 1.5 kg for post.With over 150 recipes, Mamma Toscana is Alvaro Maccioni's first book, and was inspired by the tradition of the robust family cooking of his mother and grandmother at their home in Vinci. There are a dozen recipes for sustaining soups and a wealth of savouries, including polenta dishes, while his collection of pasta recipes alone will keep home cooks happy all year. Typical are his hearty meat dishes. Tuscany also has a fine tradition of cooking with seafood and fish, and traditional dolce dishes complete this feast of a cookbook. In his introduction to the recipes, Alvaro explores the culinary tradition which embodies his own individual cuisine and outlines the general principles for an instructive appreciation of the Tuscan way of cooking. Evocative descriptions of the diverse landscape of Tuscany, the feast day celebrations which punctuate the year and the idyllic alfresco meals in summer convey a captivating picture of country life. All who know and love the food of this enchanted region will now be able to recreate the full, authentic flavours conjured up through the ages by that adept cook and archetypal mother figure, Mamma Toscana. Excellent/Excellent/very Good.