In what is quite possibly the most fun of all the Sopranos-themed titles being published in time for the show's September return, this tongue-in-cheek cookbook brings homestyle Soprano family cooking to the table. Artie Bucco, the character (played by John Ventimiglia) who is the chef at the show's Vesuvio restaurant, sets the tone of this book of insider "family" secrets by explaining his family's move from Campania, Italy, to New Jersey, then turns to various Soprano characters. (A brief chapter on Neapolitan cooking is explained by the Newark Public Library's Natalie del Greco, who offers recipes for a simple Marinara Sauce as well as a Sunday Gravy.) In a chapter entitled "The Soprano Family Tradition," Bucco listens as Corrado Soprano Jr., or Uncle Jun', reminisces about Newark's Little Italy (which at one time felt like an "Italian Disneyland") while whetting his appetite with thoughts of Pasta Fagiole and Panzerotti (Neapolitan Potato Croquettes). While the book's conceit is playfully written by Rucker (The Sopranos: A Family History) in the voice of each character, the recipes, by Scicolone (Italian Holiday Cooking), are solid and honest-to-goodness Italian-American dishes. In a conversation with Bucco, Carmela Soprano reveals her Sicilian upbringing through such recipes as 'Shcarole and Garlic (sautéed escarole), while scale-tipping Bobby Bacala pontificates on the importance of sweets and offers his own way to make Cannoli. Even the godfather himself, Tony Soprano, lectures on the art of the grill (fans will remember his BBQ panic attack). In the end, readers are left with a book—filled with stills from Soprano
episodes—that is alternately enticing and wonderfully tacky, just like the Soprano family members themselves. (Sept. 16)
