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Overview
There is some truth to the old adage “Most of the world eats to live, but Italians live to eat.”
What is it about a good Italian supper that feels like home, no matter where you’re from? Heaping plates of steaming pasta . . . crisp fresh vegetables . . . simple hearty soups . . . sumptuous stuffed meats . . . all punctuated with luscious, warm confections.
For acclaimed actor Stanley Tucci, teasing our taste buds in classic foodie films such as Big Night and Julie & Julia was a logical progression from a childhood filled with innovative homemade Italian meals: decadent Venetian Seafood Salad; rich and gratifying Lasagna Made with Polenta and Gorgonzola Cheese; spicy Spaghetti with Tomato and Tuna; delicate Pork Tenderloin with Fennel and Rosemary; fruity Roast Duck with Fresh Figs; flavorful Baked Whole Fish in an Aromatic Salt Crust; savory Eggplant and Zucchini Casserole with Potatoes; buttery Plum and Polenta Cake; and yes, of course, the legendary Timpano.
Featuring nearly 200 irresistible recipes, perfectly paired with delicious wines, The Tucci Cookbook is brimming with robust flavors, beloved Italian traditions, mouthwatering photographs, and engaging, previously untold stories from the family’s kitchen.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
"A tavola non si invecchia." ("At the table, one does not grow old.")—Italian proverb. For actor/director Stanley Tucci, the pleasures of a warm family meal constitute the combination of magic and pasta that Federico Fellini sought in life. In this plentiful cookbook, he joins with his Italian-American parents to serve nearly 200 mouth-watering recipes, including Pork Tenderloin with Fennel and Rosemary; Roast Duck with Fresh Figs; Baked Whole Fish in an Aromatic Salt Crust; and Spaghetti with Tomato and Tuna. The main courses are each pair with wines.
Publishers Weekly
Stanley Tucci, before The Lovely Bones, The Devil Wears Prada, and Julie & Julia, first wrote, directed, and starred in a small but brilliant film called Big Night, about Italian brothers who open a restaurant along the 1950s Jersey shore. That film inspired the cookbook Cucina & Famiglia, written by Tucci’s mother, Joan, and Gianni Scappin, then chef at New York City’s Le Madri. Now Tucci has written his own cookbook, along with his parents and Scappin. There are few surprises, but no matter, as Tucci’s recipes evoke the comforting, elegant simplicity of Italian home cooking. Writing about a “variation on the traditional prosciutto with melon,” Tucci recalls his father’s backyard fig trees and suggests draping a slice of prosciutto over a quartered fig. With each recipe, Tyler Coleman offers an accessible wine pairing (“bubbly and light white” for the fig recipe). There’s a risotto with butternut squash, lobster, and sage that Tucci remembers Scappin preparing for him while researching Big Night. For meat dishes, Tucci presents pork tenderloin with fennel and rosemary, as well as seared tuna with tomato and bread salad. And for dessert, the northern Italian staple polenta is combined with plums (though, as in his appetizer, Tucci suggests substituting figs). Finally, in keeping with the theme of Big Night, Tucci offers in this truly delightful cookbook a recipe for the timpano—drum of pasta—as well as a vegetarian version. (Oct.)From the Publisher
“Stanley’s masterful artistry and talent on screen is inevitable, and having cooked with Stanley in my own kitchen, I can say with confidence that Stanley has talent behind the stoves as well. He is at ease and most skilled while cooking, and delivers truly delicious recipes. This cookbook is an intimate glimpse into the Italian heritage that Stanley holds dear—sharing the memories and flavors of his family table. And, it is with much admiration that I recommend this delicious read.”—Lidia Bastianich, New York Times bestselling author of Lidia’s Italy in America
“Stanley Tucci understands Italian food and Italian cooking. If that wasn’t immediately apparent upon viewing his brilliant film Big Night, it will be when you read this book. . . . Stanley’s co-author Gianni Scappin taught me everything important I needed to know about the food of Northern Italy. . . . His recipes and the techniques he taught me are fundamental to my life and have saved me from untold embarrassment every time I cook for my Italian in-laws.”
—Anthony Bourdain, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchen Confidential
“Chefs and actors share a wonderful bond, the warm friendship of their respective colleagues. Stanley has learned to straddle both professions and this terrific book is a testament. Stanley is totally passionate about his Italian culinary history, and he is extremely knowledgeable on the subject of how home cooks and professional chefs approach recipes. I adore his family anecdotes and recipes, especially when one region has a strong opinion how a tomato sauce is to be prepared. I am jealous, Stanley is the consummate actor/director, and now we can add chef/cookbook author. Well done!”
—Jonathan Waxman, author of Italian, My Way