The Italian Farmer's Table

The Italian Farmer's Table is more than cookbook, it's a journey through Northern Italy. The Italian Farmer's Table is a paperback cookbook measuring 8 1/2" x 8" and contains 320 pages. This cookbook contains 150 authentic recipes and local lore from different areas of Northern Italy. It has eight chapters each of which focusses on a different area in Northern Italy.

The chapters included are Liguria, Piemonte, Valle D'Aosta, Lombardia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna. Each of these chapters includes a beautiful colored map so you can see exactly where each area is in Northern Italy. There are several paragraphs at the front of each chapter that describe that region along with a number of beautiful photographs.

The recipe title is written in both English and Italian which lends to the exotic feel of the cookbook. Each recipe offers a list of ingredients with the measurements in both metric and U.S. equivalents. The instructions are well written and very easy to follow. There's a nice variety of types of recipes including main dishes, soups, salads and desserts.

Some of the recipes call for meats that some cooks may not be familiar using like rabbit and duck. There are a few gourmet cheeses that may be difficult for some cooks to find but substitutions (when available) are listed next to the ingredients list. Throughout the cookbook, there are a number of discussions of wines of the region. The photograhs included are not only of the dishes themselves but of the area farms, kitchens, produce and animals.

The 150 authentic recipes include: Swiss Chard and Ricotta Tarts, Fried Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lavender Encrusted Chicken with Pancetta, Rabbit with Olives and Pine Nuts, Frozen Chocolate Ricotta Cream Cake, Carpaccio with Gorgonzola Sauce, Pears and Walnuts and many more succulent appetizers, side dishes, main courses and desserts!

This cookbook is easily a collector's item. The Italian Farmer's Table will wow you for not only the photograhps and articles but for the scrumptous Italian recipes it offers. It's one of those cookbooks I curl up in a chair with to read.