TLC Book Tours Book Reviews: Tasting Italy

About Tasting Italy

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (October 23, 2018)

The experts at America's Test Kitchen and National Geographic bring Italy's magnificent cuisine, culture, and landscapes--and 100 authentic regional recipes--right to your kitchen.

Featuring 100 innovative, kitchen-tested recipes, 300 gorgeous color photographs, and 30 maps, this illustrated guide takes you on a captivating journey through the rich history of Italian cuisine, region by region. Rich excerpts feature the origins of celebrated cheeses, the nuances of different wine growing regions, the best farmer's markets in Venice, and more. Intriguing prose illuminates key ingredients, from olive oil and how it's made to the various pasta shapes of Northern Italy. In every region, the food experts at America's Test Kitchen bring it all home, with foolproof recipes for standout dishes as well as hidden gems: Piedmontese braised beef in lustrous red wine sauce, crispy-custardy chickpea flour farinata pancakes from Genoa (achieved without the specialty pan and wood-burning oven), and hand-formed rustic malloreddus pasta of Sardinia that is a breeze to make.

Purchase Links

National Geographic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Review: If you've ever watched America's Test Kitchen or Cooks Country you will love the style of this cookbook.

I'm a huge collector of fun cookbooks thanks to my mother. This particular book is fabulous, not just for the recipes but for the narrative. You learn a lot while flipping through the pages of this book and the illustrations will transport you to Italy. If you are not a traveler, perusing this cookbook may make you want to be one.

There were quite a few recipes that enticed me, but there was one that really stood out enough for me to make it and that was Pasta with Walnut Sauce.  I know it sounds strange, but on Christmas Eve, our family has a tradition of making a buttered noodle with Walnuts, so I knew I had to try this one.

The end result was similar to what my grandmother made, and this definitely will be a recipe that will be made for a holiday. Noodles with nuts area holiday tradition, and I'm going to make this a new Easter recipe.

I recommend this cookbook to anyone the likes to try new things. The layout is informative and each recipe has enough detail that most cooks will be able to create the dishes.

Rating: 4 flowers