Bound to be Italian

Its amazing how reading a blog can get you motivated. Catherine Phipps word of mouth blog today, sent me rushing to the bookshelves at the back of the kitchen to see how many Italian cookbooks I have in my collection. Catherine, a journalist has 25, myself , who cooks for a living has 42!!!! Is this a passion or an obsession.When guests poke their nose into the CasaRosada kitchen and see a whole wall of cookbooks the inevtable question is - have you read them and do you use them - Yes they are reference books and they all get referred to when I am researching menus etc. I have always had a love affair with Italian cooking. The aroma given off by a simple fresh tomato sauce being steeped in a pan with fresh basil is unparalelled. Yes for me my Bible has to be Marcella Hazan´s "Essentials of Italian cooking". Matthew Forts two travelogues make a wonderful read and some of the regional recipes he unearths take you right into the heart of Italy´s culinary inheritance. I have to say I am not a great fan of the "Silver Spoon". Very seldom refer to it, and it is the one Italian recipe book I wouldn´t miss. Stefano Cavallini´s Cucina essenziale is a fantastic example of the traditional Italian kitchen with a contemporary twist.Groundbreaking reinterpretations of classic Italian traditions. Mary Contini´s "Dear Francesca" is one of my all time favourites. 5000 characters did not allow me to list my entire Italian Cookery book collection on word of mouth and respond to Catherine´s blog, so I said I would post the full list on my own blog here....

What is on the shelves of the O cozinheiro bookcase

Reference Works
The Silver Spoon, first published in italian by Editoriale domus as Il Cucchiaio dárgento 1950
The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia, Carla Capalbo, Kate Whiteman, Jeni Wright, Angela Boggiano
Essentials of Italian Cookery, Marcella Hazan
The Second Classic Italian Cookbook, Marcella Hazan
Italian food, Elizabeth david
The gastronomy of Italy,Anna del Conte

Toscana in bocca Grazietta Butazzi
(collectors item printed on recycled paper with printed corrugated cardboard cover 1978 )
Leaves from our Tuscan kitchen, or how to cook vegetables
Janet Ross /Michael Waterfield 1899
Italy in Small bites, Carol Field
The best of Northern Italian Cooking Giusti Lanham and Dodi
An invitation to Italian cooking, Antonio Carluccio
Antonio Carluccio goes wild
Alastair Little´s Italian kitchen
The Villa Table, Lorenza de Medici
Antipasti, Anna della Croce
Verdura, Viana La Place
Panini Bruschetta ,Crostini, Viana La place
Italian Regional Cooking, Valentina Harris
Italia Italia!!!- Valentina Harris
The 4 seasons cookbook, Valentina Harris
Italian vegetaran Cooking, Emanuela Stucchi
Enoteca , Joyce Goldstein
Polenta, Brigit Legere Binns
The River Cafe Cookbook, Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray
The River Cafe Cookbook 2 Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray
The River Cafe Italian Kitchen Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray
The River Cafe Cookbook Green Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray
Truly Italian, Ursula Ferrigno
Trattoria, Ursula Ferrigno
Passione, Gennaro Contaldo
Gennaro´s Italian Year, Gennaro Contaldo
Claudia Roden´s Food of Italy
Foolproof Italian cooking, Aldo Zilli
Cucina Essenziale, Stefano Cavallini
Harry´s Bar cookbook, Arrigo Cipriani

A good read with recipes thrown in:
Honey from a weed,Patience Gray
Pleasures of the Italian table,Italy´s celebrated foods and the artisan´s who make them Burton Anderson
Recipes from From Paradise,life and food on the Italian riviera, Fred Piotkin
Eating up Italy, Matthew Fort
Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons, travels in Sicily on a vespa, Matthew Fort
A Table in Tuscany, Leslie Forbes
Dear Francesca, Mary Contini