Viana La Place

Cucina Fresca: Italian Food, Simply Prepared

and Evan Kleiman

Amazon Reader’s Review: “Make the Yellow Bell Peppers in Vinegar, Sugar and Oregano. I have made this dish many times to take to parties, and there hasn’t been a single occasion on which I haven’t been asked for the recipe. People GORGE themselves on this stuff. They love it. Another consistent winner is the White Bean, Red Onion, Tomato and Oregano Salad; it makes a terrific side dish with a broiled flank steak – the entire dinner can be ready in 15 minutes. The Torta Rustica takes some effort, but it really is a showstopper. More importantly, the authors’ concept of simple foods prepared with top-quality ingredients makes a wonderful philosophy. Their emphasis on olive oil yields a cookbook full of delicious recipes low in cholesterol, and tons of fresh vegetables. Healthy, sophisticated and delectable. These are ideal recipes to take with you to a picnic or party, since they can be served cold or at room temperature.”

Italian CookbooksCentral Italy, Northern Italy, Southern Italy

Cucina Rustica: Simple, Irresistible Recipes in the Rustic Italian Style

and Evan Kleiman

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Cucina Rustica, “the rustic kitchen,” is Italian food at its simplest and freshest. With more than 250 recipes that use readily available ingredients in deliciously creative combinations, La Place and Kleiman offer a style of cooking and eating that’s inviting, easy, and elegant.

Italian CookbooksCentral Italy, Northern Italy, Southern Italy

La Bella Cucina: How to Cook, Eat, and Live Like an Italian

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In La Bella Cucina, Viana La Place instructs us to look to Italy to discover how to live the good life–la bella vita. She paints a picture of generations gathered together around a table abundant with bowls of pasta, bright platters of vegetables, glistening olives, ripe fruit, and crusty peasant bread. The image poses a sharp contrast to American society, where most of us rush along spending many hours at work and the rest isolated in suburban homes or city apartments. La Bella Cucina is not just a cookbook, but a guide on how to live la bella vita no matter where you call home. La Place–celebrated author of several Italian cookbooks, including Cucina Rustica and Verdura–details not only the essence of true Italian cooking but also the way of life so profoundly connected to it. She even includes a blueprint for eating like an Italian–from a breakfast of espresso and biscotti to pranzo, the hearty Italian lunch, to cena, the late, light dinner typical in Italian households. In keeping with the traditions of true Italian cooking, La Place relies on simple, earthy ingredients to create evocative recipes that are at once rich in flavor and simple to prepare. Her soulful recipes like Summer Barley, Tomato, and Basil Soup; Dried Fava Bean Purée with Leeks and Bitter Greens; Sunday Meat Sauce; Spaghetti with a Mountain of Tiny Clams; and Roast Pork with Wild Fennel are more than sufficient for feeding the good life.

Italian Cookbooks, Italian Food, Lifestyle, Decorating & GardeningCentral Italy, Northern Italy, Southern Italy