[.uk] Lidia's Italian Table: More Than 200 Recipes From The ... (ISBN 0688154107)

Amazon.com Review:
Lidia Bastianich moved to the United States in 1959 from Trieste in northern Italy. She was 12 years old. Her actual home was over the line, in what became Yugoslavia after World War II. So food, for Bastianich, was both what made her family different from everyone they lived around in their new home in New York State and the anchor that held her family together. Bastianich calls this visceral sense of food "Lidia's Italian Table." It's the name of her PBS series and of this book, which accompanies the series. In sections that include antipasti, soups, pasta, risotto, gnocchi, polenta, vegetables, game and chicken, meats, fish and shellfish, and sweets, Lidia sweeps readers up into her arms and hugs them with the likes of Baked Onions with Butternut Squash Filling; Sauerkraut and Bean Soup; Bow Ties with Sausage and Leek Sauce; Shrimp Risotto; Fennel, Olive, and Citrus Salad; Braised Venison with Polenta; Baked Squid and Potatoes; and Zucchini Cake. Notice how most of these dishes have a familiar "Italian" ring, yet stretch beyond whatever that notion typically includes--the soup with sauerkraut, for example. Lidia's table is set in a part of Italy that doesn't get a lot of ready play. It's Italian, but then some. A little extra. If you try it, you may find it difficult to get up from Lidia's table. You may just want to stay. --Schuyler Ingle

I love Lidia but...:
this book is a little too "involved". I come from a big italian family, first generation here. The recipies are incredible, but a little impractical for every day. Try Lidia's Italian American Kitchen, that book is much better.

Excellent set of recipes for people who love to cook!:
Cooking is one of my favorite passtimes, but I love recipes that can be easily manipulated and turn out well on the first try. Lidia's show on public television has had me hooked for several months now and I have been itching to get my hands on her books. I purchased this one for the gnocchi recipe, among others, and I have not been disappointed. Her recipes come with clear directions and great explanations of her choices throughout! I am vegetarian and have been tremendously pleased that most of her recipes have vegetarian directions as a starting base, making it easy for me to enjoy this book for my own family table. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about fabulous Italian cooking!

The Original:
It's been a long time since PSE has shown the original series which this is the companion too. It was fun going through the book and remembering watching Lidia prepare them. Very interesting reading also.

Lidia's Italian Table:
A great cookbook which my wife uses on a frequent basis. Both my wife an I love italian food and have always enjoyed watching Lidia on PBS. We just had to have her cookbooks and were not disappointed.

Authentic Italian cooking:
The stories and recipes in this book portray the very soul of Italy. Immensely enjoyable, thoroughly recommendable.