"... They brought pasta - a deep ceramic plate of steaming spaghetti in a wonderful tomato sauce, fragrant with fresh basil, or a thick creamy smell of wild mushrooms. For dessert they served a piece of parmesan - mature, crumbling - with aromatic pecorino from Sardinia and a large plate of fruit from the kitchen. the aroma of brewing coffee, conversations subsided to a whisper and became lazy, cozy, intimate.All kinds of cakes served on coffee: crispy macaroons, macaroons, glazed eclairs, swollen from cream.Vin santo, sweet, dark, poured into small glasses; Sunday lunch was drawing to a close ... "
If I ever decide to conduct cooking classes, the first thing I will recommend to my students is the book by Amore and Amaretti, an Australian journalist, Victoria Cosford. And to the obligatory reading.
I have not yet met a more "tasty" book. Even the "Gargantua and Pantagruel" of old Rabelais did not seem to me so appetizing at the time.
My dear readers! If you salivate from only one phrase "Italian cuisine", then you are welcome, here.
Word amore It has already become international and does not require translation, but amaretti - these are such small macaroons that came to us from the province of Lombardy. By the way, Amaretto liquor is also related to these cookies, because both words - amaretti and Amaretto did not come from the verb amare ("love")as many think, but from the adjective amaro, which means “bitter,” like the taste of almonds. Perhaps, “Amaretto” deserves a separate story, and you, my dear readers, will definitely hear it.
But back to Victoria Cosford's book Amore and Amaretti.
The action begins with the main character, Australian Victoria, whom Italians call La wiki, meets the handsome and culinary magician Gianfranco, a chef from God and a co-owner of the restaurant. Gianfranco is magnificent, passionate about everything. Victoria falls in love and decides to stay in Italy to learn how to cook and be with her lover. But then ...
Although, stop, I will not reveal the intrigue. What happened next with the black-headed impulsive Gianfranco and the main character, you will find out for yourself.
Of course, you are unlikely to find intricate intrigues, detective story and fiction in Cosford.
But if you love to meditate over a cup of tea or cappuccino, and the process of choosing vegetables, cheeses or meat brings you to a special inspired state, if the phrase “conjure over a dish” is not an empty phrase for you, then “Amore and Amaretti” is absolutely your reading matter .
Victoria travels around Italy, working in trattorias and restaurants, acquires new acquaintances, falls in love, partes, tastes new dishes, absorbs Italian sun with every part of her body, in a word, uses every moment to enjoy Italy.
In the book you will not see well-trodden tourist routes, they can only be guessed at small - here and there marks left.
For example, on a rare weekend La wiki gets to Rome, Venice or Florence to wander through the old streets hidden away from prying eyes, visits herbalist's, bookbinders, outlets, bars and restaurants.
By the way, the author reveals many secrets about the so-called culinary travels, which are very popular among tourists from all over the world.
In a word, as they say, it is better to read once than hear a hundred times.
So, sit back in your chair and enjoy. Bon appetit, that is, reading!
