A Tuscan in the Kitchen: Recipes and Tales from My Home

Pino is so refreshing, so much fun. His recipes have no quantities. Forget that, he says, be creative, abandon your inhibitions, trust yourself. A good Italian lesson in or out fo the kitchen! Although I'm an average cook, I find his recipes straight forward with ingredients organized in three columns--pantry, cold storage & fresh from the market. He chats away with you on little tips like how to make your bean salad ever stronger tasting, on episodes from his childhood, on the Tuscan way of life in the old days. With the polenta recipe you read about the "heartbreaking imagination" of the poor people who made endless varieties of polenta dishes for all three meals. He makes you laugh throughout the book with tales like his first kiss with his face among the stinging nettles--just before the grilled vegetable recipe. A full of life book! You'll have a good time cooking and soaking up the Tuscan culture around food and love. What else is there?Margaret Cowan, author of Your Guide to 133 Decadent Cooking Holidays in Italy.

I bought 'Tuscan in the Kitchen' years ago and find myself turning to it continually. I have tried 99% of the recipies and find each one bursting with flavors not found in any local retaurant. Measurments for the ingredients are not given, leaving the recipe in the hands of the cook. This requires a bit of wisdom in cooking and inspires all sorts of improvisation. Not for the beginner! But worth the fun.

I have enjoyed using this cookbook for almost ten years. Not only is the book visually beautiful, with wonderful anecodtes, the recipes are amazing. The stains on the pages attest to that. More than a few of the recipes have become my "comfort food" favorites, yet they still draw compliments when prepared for guests. Pino Luongo has taught me a philosophy in cooking that has spilled over into all of my food preparation--and I thank him for it. This book is a joy to read and especially to use.

I have lived, eaten and cooked in Italy, primarily in Florence, for over six years. For the most part these are dishes you eat in the homes of Tuscany, not the restaurants. The ingredients are authentic, the recipes honest and simple. Of all the cookbooks I own this one has the most bookmarks; a sure sign that it holds a disproportionate number of favorite recipes. That it contains gentle reminiscences of life, Tuscany, family, and food is a bonus. As to the lack of precise measurements for some of the ingredients, no self-respecting nonna is going to measure much of anything with tools more precise than eyes, hands and a convenient spoon. With dishes like panzanella some days you have more bread, some days more tomatoes; adapt accordingly

This is a great book but he does not include quantities, so if one isn't a confident cook it'll lead to problems. I strongly recommend this book