The Food of Southern Italy

Got it years and years ago -- maybe late 80s -- one of my first cookbook purchases when I was still in Middle School as a matter of fact. Excellent book (I highly recommend the Sicilian rosemary chicken). My dust jacket is damaged well beyond repair, and common sense tells me I should have thrown it out long ago, but I don't want to. The recipes are great, the graphic design of the book is unique and easy to read, and the pictures are some of the slickest and most appetizing I've ever seen in an American cookbook. My only complaint with the book is that it's a bit too professional -- tools like raviolatrici (a very hard-to-find rolling-pin-like device used for making ravioli) and plaques au four (basically a huge cookie sheet) are not readily available in many places, requiring recourse to restaurant supply houses and large Italian neighborhoods; also, there is a one-size-fits-all approach to certain things such as bread dough that fits perfectly into a catering business such as the author's Vivande Porte Via but short-shrifts the richness of traditional Italian baking. These are minor issues, though, worthy of docking a half-star at most, and all the recipes are still quite usable for the home cook, and even then the professional mentality still leads to a great attention to detail. The book is eminently usable.Published in 1987, this is now quite an old book, but it's still in my opinion a classic of Italian cooking. Just prepare yourself for the possibility that you might need a second copy in case your main copy gets trashed in the kitchen.

Carlo Middione's THE FOOD OF SOUTHERN ITALY is of that rare category of cookbooks in that you are never sure which you like doing more, cooking from his book, or reading it in a comfortable chair. You can hear his voice as you read his heartwarming stories of his fascinating life and culture. The recipes are fantastic, 'Nfigghiulata Antica, Cozze con le Salsicce and his different ways of doing Baccala are among my favorites from this book. This is a very well researched landmark in Regional Italian Cuisine, that's why it stands out. Mr. Middione is in the same legue as Waverly Root and Elizabeth David.

As a professional chef there is one book that I constantly use and refer to. Carlo's "The Food of Southern Italy", the recipes are authentic and well tested. You will never have a failure with any of Carlo's delicious dishes. This is also just a fun book to read. I particularly love his paragraph on cooking pasta. He is a treasure, a gem in a profession filled with rock stars. Carlo's cooking is based on tradition and culture, in other words, real food. Buy this book, cook any of the recipes, cook all of them, because there is not one that isn't fantastic.

This recipe book is fabulous. Many of the lost recipes from my grandmother are found in this book. It is exactly what I was looking for. The book has many of my favorite recipes, including stuffed artichokes, which is a family favorite , and also potato croquettes - delicious! And don't forget the cannoli!

I have watched Carlo cook on TV and tried to write down his recipes. Finally I broke down and bought the book. It is even better than the TV show. Tonight I am cooking Calzone Neapolitan Style. I have no doubt it will be one of our favorites. Buy the book. I love it.