Cookbook Review of the Month - July 2007
This month's selection is Cooking with my Sisters. I choose this book because I am a longtime fan of Adriana Trigiana's novel including Lucia, Lucia, Big Stone Gap, and Milk Glass Moon. This is my favorite type of cookbook as it encompasses both recipes and a biography of the family that passed them down. It reads more like a novel than a cookbook, you become part of the family. It is a must read!
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This is a cookbook filled with love and recipes. It fulfills a journey of six sisters into their Italian heritage and their family's recipes. Page after page it is filled with family photos, anecdotes and incredibly mouthwatering Italian recipes. As Mary Trigiani states in her synopsis at the end, "In our case, connecting happens around the kitchen table." The parallels to my own Italian upbringing are echoed in every page of this cookbook, from the similarities in the relatives to the similarities in the recipes. Among the wonderful recipes are Cavatelli, Gnocchi, Antipasto, Minestrone, Pezzi Duri, and so many other favorites of Italian Cuisine. Buy the book, it's a great read and you won't regret it. |
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Sample Recipe from the book: I choose the Crostoli or as we called them in my family, Fried Bows. I like this dessert because it is light, great to serve in the summer, can be done in advanced, and taste delicious.
Crostoli
Makes 2 to 3 dozen pastries, depending on the size of the pieces.
Ingredients:
- 4 extra large eggs
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 to 3 cups vegetable oil
- Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the granulated sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.
Begin heating the oil in a saucepan over high heat until it is ready for frying the dough. (Take a small, test piece of the dough and drop it in the oil. If the dough rises to the surface, the oil is ready.)
Roll the dough into a thin layer using a pastry roller. Then, using a pizza cutter with a serrated edge, cut the dough into various lengths. Tie each length of dough into a loose knot and drop the prepared dough into the hot oil piece by piece. There should only be a few of the prepared pastries frying at a time. Remove the pastries once they have fried to a goldenhue. Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar and serve on a pretty plate. They especially look nice when stacked high.
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