cover image Biba's Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities

Biba's Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities

Biba Caggiano, . . Artisan, $29.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-1-57965-317-0

Caggiano's pleasing collection allows home cooks to follow the current fashion of spotlighting regional Italian cooking by sampling recipes from five cities—Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Venice. She offers full menus, from antipasti to dessert, with multiple options for each course so one can choose between familiarity and novelty: for example, with Venetian appetizers, she suggests comforting Whipped Creamy Salt Cod, or piquant Salame with Honey and Wilted Radicchio. From Tuscany, she offers recipes for Rigatoni Dragged with Florentine Meat Ragù and Ricotta-Parmigiano-Spinach Dumplings. Caggiano (Biba's Taste of Italy ) emphasizes seasonality, as with a Milanese Roasted Capon with Pancetta, Sage, and Rosemary, or Rome's delightful "La Vignarola," a springtime stew of fava beans, peas and artichokes. Though simple, many of the recipes are time-intensive, but are worth the effort. Along with the recipes, Caggiano includes brief but tantalizing descriptions of eating traditions in each city and recommendations for wines and ingredients. (Sept.)