Friuli Food and Wine: Frasca Cooking from Northern Italy’s Mountains, Vineyards, and Seaside

In this bighearted recipe collection, restaurateurs Stuckey and Mackinnon-Patterson note that, while Venice is overrun with tourists, the nearby Friuli-Venezia Giulia region remains under the radar. Throughout, the authors, writing with Erickson (Alpine Cooking), incorporate loving descriptions of the dishes served at the region’s frasca eateries (usually on farms or vineyards), such as a woven lasagna crafted in a loaf pan and sliced, and spelt-flour spaetzle-like “tadpoles.” Recipes are divided into land (pheasant with fennel and apples), sea (handmade pasta with sea urchin sauce from the Adriatic coast), and mountains (porcini soup), and the authors include profiles of such figures as Mirco Snaidero, a former motorcycle mechanic who crafts high-quality custom slicers used for the local prosciutto, San Daniele. Sommelier Stuckey writes elegantly about white wines from the region that age beautifully and details local grapes such as Picolit, and a section on grappa with aperitivo recipes is a bonus. Desserts include a yeast-risen gubana, similar to a babka, and a poppy seed biscotti. Rounding out the cookbook are generous travel tips including a list of cafés to visit in Trieste. The food and wine covered are exciting and intriguing, and readers could not ask for more knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides. (Apr.)