Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book

A 12-month journey through the tastes of Tuscany.

In this exquisitely photographed book, Tessa Kiros uses each month of the year as a device to explore and record recipes in seasonal cooking with fine ingredients. Her personal observations throughout reveal the nuances of the Italian meal.

"The Store Cupboard" has tips on filling the pantry with the right ingredients. The "Basics" section provides preparation instructions and recipes that Tuscan home cooks learned from their parents and grandparents. Substitutions for harder-to-find ingredients are offered along with encouraging tips on improvising to suit any taste. Wine notes and a glossary round out the book.

Here are examples of the fabulous recipes:

• Risotto alla Toscana (Tuscan risotto)
• Spezzatino di cinghiale (wild boar stew)
• Zuccotto (chocolate and vanilla sponge pudding)
• Melanzane alla parmigiana (baked eggplant with tomato, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese)
• Stracotto di manzo (beef braised in red wine)
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Twelve is a sensitive, personal exploration of one of the world's most popular culinary traditions by an author who lovingly shares her discoveries with the home cook.

Italy's Tuscany's cuisine is explored for a year, a chapter a month, with recipes for the numerous courses of an Italian meal as well as a chapter on ingredients and substitutions and one on the basic techniques and recipes known by all Tuscan home cooks.

Tessa Kiros has opened gourmet restaurants in Sydney, Athens, and Mexico, and cooked at London's famous Groucho Club. She currently lives in Tuscany and is also the author of Falling Cloudberries: Bk.2.