Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories
by Sophia Loren

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Book Reviews of Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories

Book Review: La Cucina "Sfiziosa" della Sophia Loren!
Summary: 5 Stars

These recipes are authentic. I have tested several of them and find them to be excellent. The recipes are minimalist and leave plenty of room for improvisation, so you can substitute seasonal fresh ingredients or add your own version of a dish to hers. Although this cookbook has meat and meatless recipes, I have found that many of the traditional meat-based recipes may be adapted for a vegetarian without much fuss. Most of the recipes have full-color pictures, with beautiful food styling.

Many of the recipes reflect Ms. Loren's Neapolitan heritage. She offers "Ragù alla Napoletana" (Neapolitan Stuffed Beef Rolls and Sauce), which is a classic meal for Sunday family dinners. The making of the ragù, or sauce, is a ritual in the Italian kitchen. For vegetarians, there are two wonderful recipes: "Spaghetti con Salsa al Pomodoro Semplice" (Spaghetti with Basic Tomato Sauce) and "Spaghetti con Pomodoro Crudo" (Spaghetti with Uncooked Tomato Sauce.)

This cookbook offers recipes and guidelines for preparing everything from Antipasti to Dolci. One can use this book to make an authentic Italian dinner, with all the courses, from start-to-finish. Here is one of my favorite meals for casual entertaining, with recipes taken from Ms. Loren's book: Antipasti ("Melone e Prosciutto" e "Bruschetta"); Zuppa ("Il Minestrone"); Il primo ("Linguine con Salsa Sophia"); Il secondo ("Agnello Bella Napoli"); Dolce ("Torte di Ricotta.")

While Ms. Loren's cookbook does favor Neapolitan specialities, such as pizza, baccalà, and tirami-sù, she also offers classic recipes from Rome, Genoa, and Sicily.

"La cucina sfiziosa" is "the whimsy kitchen." "Sfizioso, -a" is a colorful Neapolitan word that Ms. Loren defines on page 178 as ". . . that little extra touch that takes a dish beyond its traditional form and adds a hint of fancy, sparking the curiosity and satisfying the most difficult palate."

I enjoy the spirit, imagination, creativity, and love that I find in these recipes and memories. Grazie Sophia Loren, la belleza della cucina e del cinema!

Summary of Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories

Reference Books

• Subjects > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Reference
• Regional & International > European > Italian