Eleanora's Kitchen - Publisher's Weekly Article

Eleanora's Kitchen: 125 Fabulous Authentic Italian-American Recipes
Scarpetta, Eleanora Russo
ISBN: 0-76-791221-7
Broadway Books
Hardcover $29.95
2004/04

Scarpetta has all the elements in place to become a TV celebrity chef: accessible cuisine, appealing persona (à la Sara Moulton) and unflagging energy (enough to can tomatoes and bottle homemade liqueurs at the end of a day in the kitchen). Though Scarpetta was born in Naples, her book's culinary scope extends from Campania south to Palermo, by way of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Here readers will find the holy trinity of Italian-American eggplant: bruschetta, rollatini and parmigiana. "Red sauce Italian" restaurant favorites appear without fanfare and in all their authentic goodness: Fried Calamari, Linguine with White Clam Sauce, Potato Croquettes, as well as the mother of all marinara sauces, here dubbed "Sunday Sauce." Scarpetta also includes recipes for seasonal traditions, such as the classic Italian Easter pie, Pizza Rustica, and Struffoli, an Italian-American Christmas staple. At times, however, the superiority of TV as a teaching medium becomes obvious, as in Scarpetta's instructions for making tagliatelle, which are virtually impossible to visualize and have no illustrations. Still, this is a competent, organized and generous book. Although Scarpetta's tome may not stand out among the multitude of competent rivals, it's an unpretentious, accessible guide to unpretentious, accessible cuisine.

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