Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy

Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy
by Judith Barrett

Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy
List Price: $22.95
Our Price: $11.00
You Save: $11.95 (52%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.97 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Judith Barrett
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-01
ISBN: 1579547249
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Rodale Books

Book Reviews of Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy

Book Review: A perfectly delightful book of Italian Bean Recipes. Super
Summary: 5 Stars

`Fagioli' by professional cookbook writer Judith Barrett is quite clearly subtitled `The Bean Cuisine of Italy', as it is all about cooking with Italian beans.

This book immediately succeeds at the first and most important task of a special purpose cookbook in that it has made be really care about and be interested in its subject. It accomplishes this feat first by being a very attractively designed hardcover book with a very well sewn binding which nicely lays flat where you want it to. Next, it's modest artwork and typography complements its presentation so that it is simply a pleasure to read. No eye strain here. Congratulations to the Rodale Press for packaging a very nice volume. Finally, the all the introductory material is accurate to the best of my knowledge. There are no lingering myths about the risks of salting cooking beans, there is no doctrinaire approach to having to soak beans, and there is a tolerance, with warnings, about using a pressure cooker to cook beans, as the sine qua non of bean cookery is like barbecue, `low and slow'. The only hint of elitism I detected was the statement that somehow, the Italians have mastered a secret to a tasty cooking of beans which is beyond we poor New World neophytes who have been cooking beans for less than 400 years. I will concede that the knowledge of good bean cooking is probably a bit harder to find outside of Boston, but I think we have the hang of it.

One of the most liberating revelations was the fact that Italians actually cook a lot with dried beans imported from the New World, as North America exports much more than it consumes, and Italy consumes all it produces, so no dried Italian beans sit on the grocery shelves beyond a year of harvest, especially as date of production is stamped on the bean packages just as we do for bread and milk.

While my hero, Alton Brown has remarked that bean cooking is remarkably uniform, far more consistent across species than with grains, he certainly did not take into account the variety of beans covered by this book, which deals with at least fifteen (15) different species of beans, some of which have no substitutes if the real thing is not available. Fortunately, the unique varieties of beans, the chickpea and the fava are commonly available in the United States. Every other type of bean has more than one commonly available substitution, which is important since there are some beans which are available only in Italy and which do not travel well.

The recipes are organized in exactly the way one would expect from an Italian cookery subject, with chapters on:

Primi Piatti, divided into sections on Antipasti, Insalate, and Contorni (Side Dishes)
Zuppa di Fagioli, divided into sections on Minestre, Zuppe (Thick Soups), and Passali (Creamy Soups)
Pasta e Fagioli, of course
Secondi Piatti, divided into Fagioli e Farinacci (Grains), Fagioli con Carne (Meat), Fagioli con Selvaggina (Poultry), and Fagioli con Pesce (Seafood)

I have never, up until today, been quite clear on the difference between Minestre and Zuppa. I always thought of Minestre as a relatively thick soup, especially as prepared in Florence, for example, but the Tuscan bean soup recipe trumps all visions of soupy thickness by including six different varieties of beans.

This division of recipes does not mean there is no seafood in the salads or antipasti. In fact, the salads include tuna, shrimp, and octopus as co-conspirators in the salad recipes.

This book gives an excellent discussion of non-bean ingredients for its size and does the especially good service of telling us where we can get these ingredients at the same place where their use is discussed. This may not be the best arrangement when we pick up the book later as a reference, but it gives a very good sense of how easy or how hard it is to get some of these things such as bottarga, guanciale, and porcinis.

One could argue that if you have a library full of books by Marcella Hazan, Lydia Bastianich, and a platoon of other Italian cooking writers, what do you need with this book? My first answer is that unlike most general works written for Americans, it tells you what kind of beans are actually used in these recipes. Next, like every special subject book, it is simply a lot easier to find a recipe to fit your need for beans than rummaging through the index of six other books.

As expected from a professional cookbook writer, all the recipes are exceptionally well written and there is a delightful variety in the selection. I cannot guarantee that this book will remove the pasty flavor of beans from your preparations (especially since we have no way of knowing how old our dried beans are), but it will make every effort to do so. The rest is up to you.

Very pleasant, very informative, and very tasty read. Recommended.

Summary of Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy

From thick, rich minestrone with beans and vegetables, to delectable chickpea fritters, here are 124 easy-to-prepare, delicious, authentic favorites-in the only cookbook devoted solely to the glories of Italian bean cookery

Satisfying, nutritious, wonderfully adaptable, and one of the least expensive forms of protein, beans are an integral part of the cuisines of cultures all over the globe. This is especially true in Italy today, where you can find hundreds of bean recipes from nearly every region and where, for most families, eating beans is as fundamental as eating pasta. In Fagioli, the co-author of the best-selling cookbook Risotto celebrates the bean cuisine of Italy in all its splendid variety and versatility.

Here you will find:
- Bean Basics-everything you need to know to cook and enjoy beans, including a guide to the most common beans in Italy and their American counterparts

- Ingredient Guide-information on the special Italian or hard-to-find ingredients, what they are, and how you can purchase them through mail-order and online resources

-·124 authentic dishes-both traditional and new-providing flavorful and creative ways to prepare beans: in antipasti and salads; in soups; with grains including polenta, barley, and faro; with pasta; and in hearty entrees prepared with meats, including sausages, game, beef, lamb, and pork.

Italian Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Italian Books
Nick stellino's glorious italian cooking ImageNick stellino's glorious italian cooking
by Nick Stellino
Putnam Adult; Published: 1996-04-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.13
Price in other shops: $24.95
Fresh Ways with Italian Cooking ImageFresh Ways with Italian Cooking
by Sunset Books
Sunset Publishing Corporation; Published: 1992-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops: $9.99
Italian Vegetarian Cookery Pb ImageItalian Vegetarian Cookery Pb
by Gavin Paola
Optima; Published: 1991-06-13; Paperback; Book
Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites: Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen ImageCiao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites: Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen
by Mary Ann Esposito
St. Martin's Press; Published: 2009-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops: $29.99
Ciao Italia Pronto!: 30-Minute Recipes from an Italian Kitchen ImageCiao Italia Pronto!: 30-Minute Recipes from an Italian Kitchen
by Mary Ann Esposito
St. Martin's Press; Published: 2005-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops: $27.95
Italia! Italia! A Passion for the Real Food of Italy ImageItalia! Italia! A Passion for the Real Food of Italy
by Valentina Harris
Sterling*+ Publishing Company; Published: 1999-09-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.30
Un Amico Italiano: Eat, Pray, Love in Rome ImageUn Amico Italiano: Eat, Pray, Love in Rome
by Luca Spaghetti
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2011-04-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $15.00
Italian Food (Penguin handbooks) ImageItalian Food (Penguin handbooks)
by Elizabeth David
Penguin; Published: 1964-02-28; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $6.95
A Casa: Seasonal Italian Home Cooking ImageA Casa: Seasonal Italian Home Cooking
by Anna Del Conte
Harpercollins; Published: 1992-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.19
Price in other shops: $27.50
Bologna Mia: Memories from the Kitchen of Italy ImageBologna Mia: Memories from the Kitchen of Italy
by Loretta Paganini
Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin's Press; Published: 2000-10-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $41.24
Similar Books and other products
Truly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking ImageTruly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking
by Roberto Santibanez
Wiley; Published: 2011-04-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.72
Price in other shops: $35.00
New England Soup Factory Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Nation's Best Purveyor of Fine Soup ImageNew England Soup Factory Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Nation's Best Purveyor of Fine Soup
by Marjorie Druker, Clara Silverstein
Thomas Nelson; Published: 2007-09-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.81
Price in other shops: $24.99
Intelligels® GENII Soft Foam **Laptop Computer** Wrist Rest! ImageIntelligels® GENII Soft Foam **Laptop Computer** Wrist Rest!
Computer Intelligence, Inc.; Intelligels®; Computer Intelligence, Inc.; Office Product; Office Product
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops: $21.99
La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy ImageLa Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy
by The Italian Academy of Cuisine
Rizzoli; Published: 2009-10-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.95
Price in other shops: $45.00
Lucky Peach: Issue 1 ImageLucky Peach: Issue 1
McSweeney's Insatiables; Published: 2011-07-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $300.00
Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen ImageSuper Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
by Heidi Swanson
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2011-04-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.05
Price in other shops: $23.00
Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More ImageAncient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More
by Maria Speck
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2011-04-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.14
Price in other shops: $29.99
Heirloom Beans: Great Recipes for Dips and Spreads, Soups and Stews, Salads and Salsas, and Much More from Rancho Gordo ImageHeirloom Beans: Great Recipes for Dips and Spreads, Soups and Stews, Salads and Salsas, and Much More from Rancho Gordo
by Steve Sando, Vanessa Barrington
Chronicle Books; Published: 2008-09-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.81
Price in other shops: $22.95
Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi ImagePlenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
by Yotam Ottolenghi
Chronicle Books; Published: 2011-03-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.71
Price in other shops: $35.00
Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day ImageSaved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day
by Judith Barrett
William Morrow Cookbooks; Published: 1998-12-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.38
Price in other shops: $24.99