Little Italy Cookbook [Hardcover]

PBS viewers will recognize David Ruggerio from his series Little Italy with David Ruggerio, in which the gourmet chef and owner of several fine restaurants in New York returns to his roots in that city's famous Italian neighborhood. Little Italy Cookbook is a companion to the series, a compendium of the delectable traditional family recipes Ruggerio grew up with. Divided into chapters with names such as "Nonna" (grandmother), "Mulberry Street" (the heart of New York's Little Italy), and "Amici" (friends), Ruggerio's theme becomes clear: these recipes are culled from real people and real places, many of whom are immortalized in the evocative photographs that liberally punctuate the text. Polenta with a Ragu of Wild Mushrooms, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Duck with Lentils--these dishes range from the homey to the sublime, and every one will make you feel like you've just stepped out of your own kitchen and into Little Italy.

Ruggiero is chef/owner of New York City's three-star Le Chantilly, but, as he says, this is not his "gourmet" cookbook. The companion volume to a new PBS series, it is a nostalgic exploration of his Italian heritage, with lots of recipes from family and friends?the first chapter, in fact, is devoted to the grandmother who raised him. This is simple Italian home cooking, along with favorite dishes served in neighborhood cafes and classic sweets, sometimes slightly refined by Ruggiero but still true to the original. Recommended for New York City libraries and for most other cookbook collections as well.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In Little Italy Cookbook, three-time three-star chef David Ruggerio, owner of several of New York's finest restaurants, returned to his Italian roots for his first cookbook. Ruggerio tours New York's Little Italy, exploring and celebrating traditional Italian-American family recipes. The delicious offerings include such dishes as Grilled Vegetable Pizza, Fusilli with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Sausage, Pumpkin Gnocchi, Orecchiette with Peas and Prosciutto, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Polenta with Ragu of Wild Mushrooms and Amaretto-Chocolate Cheesecake--dishes that are easy to cook and fun to eat. The book also includes illustrated features on the bakeries, pastry shops, and pizza restaurants unique to Little Italy. With evocative photographs of the people and places that represent Little Italy for Ruggerio--from Mulberry Street to Coney Island--Little Italy Cookbook invites us to enjoy the culture and cuisine he loves.

Brooklyn-born David Ruggerio has worked in professional kitchens since the age of 14 and apprenticed with some of the greatest chefs in France, including Michel Guerard, Roger Verge, Jacques Maximin, and Paul Bocuse.