Reviews for Brunetti's Cookbook

The average rating for Brunetti's Cookbook based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-04-15 00:00:00 Randy Strickland Donna Leon's Brunetti books are fabulous when it comes to food descriptions. If you're anything like me, and have started to crave some good Italian food while reading them, this is an enjoyable read. It was written by Donna Leon's best friend and talented cook, Roberta (Biba) Pianaro. They have been friends and Leon has eaten at Biba and her husband's home for more than thirty years. The other day I decided that I will no longer review a cookbook without trying out at least one recipe. I can't believe that I didn't make this rule for myself earlier! What was I thinking? I mean honestly, I don't think that it's right to review a cookbook without trying out at least one recipe! Well, I made an entire meal from the recipes here the other night and everyone was happy. First we had Chickpea Balls for the antipasti (appetizer). Our main course was Lamp Chops with Tomatoes and Basmati Rice. I was meant to cook the lamb chops with the tomato sauce, but I chose to make them separately, since some family members can't handle the ingredients in the tomato sauce. It was interesting that the excerpt for this recipe was a story about a Persian friend. "What better for a Persian friend than lamb chops?" Donna Leon lived in Iran (my birthplace) for a while, and left around the same time that so many had to leave. For dessert, we had Oven-Baked Apples with Confectioner's Custard and Cream. They were delicious, but the picture isn't appealing at all. Now, as far as cookbooks go, this book is okay, just not the best. The layout is not as organized as I like cookbooks to be. Also, there are a few recipes that contain ingredients which aren't available where I live, and may be unavailable to others also. Mind you, this is not only a cookbook. There are excerpts from the Brunetti books, as well as essays with insights into Venetian life. Some of my favorite quotes: "Italian life is filled with food: people talk about it constantly, spend a great deal of time shopping for it and preparing it, and devote a joyous amount of time to eating it. One has but to pay close attention to them when they talk about food, or when they cook and eat, to begin to understand how fundamental it is to the living of a happy life and how vital it is to Italian culture." "One of the first things that was said to me when I came to Italy forty years ago, speaking not a word of the language, was 'Mangia, mangia, ti fa bene.' Eat, eat, it's good for you."

Review # 2 was written on 2010-07-23 00:00:00 Jj Bear Okay, I didn't really read anything but the recipes and copied a few for my resident chef to try. Good Italian cooking!