ANTIPASTI AND OTHER APPETIZERS: GLI ANTIPASTI - Hardcover

For anyone who doesn't like meals, antipasti can stand in for them. Others sneak in these snacks before the real meal begins. Del Conte, a Milan-born teacher and writer ( Gastronomy of Italy ), here condenses what she knows into a brief but appealing volume. Some of the strong recipes include those for grilled bell peppers; baked zucchini with mint and garlic stuffing; carrots in wine and herb (parsley, thyme, mint, sage) sauce; and stuffed mussels. The vegetarian entries will satisfy across the board, but meat eaters will not go hungry: a warm seafood salad, for example, incorporates shrimp, monkfish, squid, mussels and scallops, while "Il Mio Carpaccio"--which sounds like a spoof on an aria--calls for raw beef. The author claims she was once "transfixed by the beauty of the food and bewildered by the choice." Bayley's watercolors remind us of that beauty in ethereal views of sausages; a mottled pear; a sanguine fish.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

These charming little volumes are two of the first in a new series from a well-known authority on Italian cuisine (also available are Il Risotti: Risottos and Other Rice Dishes and Il Dolci: Sweet Things ). Del Conte, author of the excellent Gastronomy of Italy ( LJ 2/15/89) and The Italian Pantry ( LJ 3/15/90), has fun in these collections of some of her favorite dishes. Each title includes only 30 recipes, beautifully illustrated by Flo Bayle's lovely watercolors, but they have been carefully chosen to convey the range of Italy's distinctive regional cuisines, and the author's headnotes include a surprising amount of background information. While not essential purchases, these are nevertheless recommended for larger collections and those specializing in Italian cookery.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.