- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (April 6 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0395913748
- ISBN-13: 978-0395913741
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 594 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,623,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Vincent Schiavelli's enchanting, sometimes deeply moving memoir with recipes, Bruculinu, America, is a warmly recalled distortion of Brooklyn, one of New York City's boroughs, as it really was. As Schiavelli says, "The stories may not always contain the strict facts, but they certainly tell the truth." Don't be surprised if his beautiful reminiscence of the miracle (which took place before he was born!) that saved his uncle Salvatore Calogero from dying of pneumonia brings a tear to your eye.
Schiavelli, a successful actor, writes scenes so vividly that you participate as he visits a strega, or witch, who exorcised him of a medical problem when he was nine years old. (After seeing a doctor, Schiavelli's mother figured that in case the condition was caused by malocchio, the evil eye, it would be wise to cover all bases.)
Schiavelli's recollections often involve his grandfather, Papa Andrea, a Sicilian master chef. The 70 or so recipes in this enchanting book come from him. The Baked Mashed Potatoes made with peas and grated cheese and fennel-flavored Pasta with Chickpeas are delicious everyday dishes. Baked Macaroni, rich with mushrooms, ground meat, and a touch of cinnamon, is for Sundays. Cucciaddatu are the buttery, log-shaped Christmas cookies filled with nuts and raisins that each Sicilian cook makes in his or her own way. Here, cocoa powder, honey, and cognac add nuances to the nubbly filling. The only frustrations with Bruculinu, America are that its compact size makes it hard to keep one's spot while cooking from it, and that the recipes are woven through the text in no logical order; to return to something in particular, it's necessary to consult a list at the back of the book. --Dana Jacobi
From Publishers Weekly
Schiavelli, an actor who has appeared in such movies as Amadeus and Ghost, was inspired to write these memoirs by a letter sent to his grandmother from Sicily in 1905. Addressed only to "Carolina Vilardi, Bruculinu, America," the letter actually arrived in his grandmother's hands. Focusing mainly on his cook-extraordinaire grandfather, Schiavelli eloquently demonstrates the primary place of food in the life of his immigrant Italian neighborhood. The total of 70 recipes are grouped by recollection rather than ingredients, and close each chapter. Birthdays were celebrated with the dishes eaten by the mother before she gave birth. Thus he offers, among other dishes, the ubiquitous Spaghetti e Pupetti (Spaghetti and Meatballs) served for his Uncle Charlie's birthday every April 20. Recollections of illness and the evil eye include the recipe for Anneddi cu l'ovu e Tumazzu, small pasta mixed with peas, pecorino cheese and raw eggs, "the ultimate comfort food." Easter included his grandfather's signature dish, Tumala d'Andrea, a mold of rice filled with pasta and meat sauce (similar to the timpani prepared in the movie Big Night). There are recipes for easy-to-make Orange Biscotti, and for the summer, Mannarina, a liqueur made with tangerine zest, sugar and grain alcohol. Schiavelli's authentic Sicilian-American dishes combine with his nicely told tales to capture the atmosphere of his Bruculinu upbringing.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eased my pain,
By
This review is from: Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, Told in Stories and Recipes (Hardcover)
I read this book with one arm. I had just broken my elbow in late 1998, and this book took me into another, happier world and literally eased my pain. You'll love the stories of a bygone era told with with love.Thanks, Vincent, for easing my pain with your wonderful book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
First rate,
By A Customer
This review is from: Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, Told in Stories and Recipes (Hardcover)
I originally bought this book because I have always been interested in ethnic neighborhoods. Having lived in Italy for the last ten years I was more skeptical about the recipes. Having said that, while I was reading the book it was clear that Schiavelli knew what he was talking about. Myself and my wife (who is Italian) have been consistently ecstatic about the results of the recipes.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, Told in Stories and Recipes (Hardcover)
I bought this book when it first came out, and it was loaded with nostalgia for me and my family, as well as recipes that were enticing (although they can get a bit complex.) A must read for any Italian-American with roots in Brooklyn or without, and anyone who loves a good story
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