Hearty pastas accented with tomato, pizzas with a crispy-thin crust, and artichokes braised to perfection are all hallmarks of the Roman table. A cookbook that showcases the cuisine and food artisans one of the world's most beautiful cities, Williams-Sonoma Rome is required reading for anyone with a passion for Italy.
This book begins with a little history of Italian cooking, the outdoor markets in Rome, and the distinct differences in the neighborhoods. Then the book discusses the following topics from a Roman perspective:
Coffee
Pasta
Greens
Pizza
Cucina Ebraica (Jewish Cooking)
Wine
Dolci (dessert)
The recipe section is subdivided as follows:
Antipasti
Primi (first course: soup, pasta, pizza)
Secondi (second course: meat and fish
Contorni (side dishes: vegetables)
Dolci (sweets)
The photography in this book is fabulous. They did a wonderful job of capturing what it is like to walk down the streets in Rome. As you turn the pages each new photo is another little peak into Roman life and food.
The recipes are very authentic. I was pleased to see that the recipe for Carbonara did not include the Americanized version which adds cream. This recipe is for the Carbonara that you would find in Rome. Of the recipes that I have prepared (approximately 50% of the book) all have turned out exactly as I expected them. A few of the recipes are time consuming. But, making homemade stuffed pasta is not something that happens in a flash.
If you are looking for a nice authentic cookbook on the cooking of Rome, written for Americans, you will love this book. My only complaint is that the book left me wanting more photographs and more recipes. Overall, this is an excellent book for those that love Italian cooking.
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