Not My Mother's Kitchen: Rediscovering Italian-American Cooking Through Stories and Recipes

(Hardback)

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Mo Rocca, host of "My Grandmother's Ravioli" says- "When life gives you lemons, make limoncello! Not My Mother's Kitchen is a funny, loving, and oh so useful manual on food, family and survival when your mom is a terrible cook." Serving up a tale that is part memoir and part cookbook, acclaimed foodie Rob Chirico shares his culinary journey after growing up with an Italian-American mother who was hopeless in the kitchen. Rob Chirico learned to cook as a defense against his mother's awful meals. After discover-ing that there was more to real food than canned ravioli and frozen vegetables, he decided to try his hand in the kitchen. His memoir oers recipes, cooking techniques, and tips he has cultivated over decades. He blends his expert experience with an engaging and humorous narrative on growing up with suspect meals. "I was howling with laughter and shedding tears of nostalgia at the sensitive portraits of family and culture of the times." -- Linda Pelaccio, Culinary Historian and host of "A Taste of the Past" "... no mere cookbook. It is a personal story that lovingly and humorously describes the author's culinary coming of age. It is a family's history and it also is American cultural history..." -- Michael Stern, author of Roadfood, Chili Nation, American Gourmet "A heartwarming story of growing up in an Italian-American household where there was no dearth of love, but not much in the way of good food. Thrown in for good measure are plenty of recipes, cook's tips, and historical anecdotes. It's a keeper." -Julia della Croce, writer, journalist, and cookbook author

Reviews

Award-winning chef Chiricos (Field Guide to Cocktails) humorous culinary memoir recounts his love of Italian food that developed as a reprisal against his mothers dreadful cooking. Growing up in an affectionate Italian family, Chiricos home life was filled with laughter and music, but his dinners often consisted of canned and frozen foods and perhaps some cold cuts from the local deli. His grandmother, however, was an accomplished cook, and as the author accompanied her to their local markets, he developed both an admiration for good cooking as well as the ability to discern the excellent vs. average characteristics of ingredients. Chirico shares more than 70 recipes, including soups, salads, pastas, meat dishes, and pizza. Each recipe is prefaced with an introduction that includes a family anecdote or compelling facts about a particular item. Most of the recipes are uncomplicated and include easy-to-find ingredients (for the occasional rare product, a mail-order source list is included). Appendixes feature the authors favorite kitchen utensils as well as cookbooks he deems influential. Filled with nostalgic stories, delicious recipes, and a wealth of facts and tidbits about Italian food, this will appeal to readers who enjoy chef biographies.
- Library Journal

Chirico (Field Guide to Cocktails) delivers a title that is equal portions humorous memoir and cookbook, and totally entertaining. Comically referring to his mother as an assassin in the kitchen and to his quest to conquer the cuisine of his heritage as a measure of self-preservation, he shares his trials and tribulations from starting as a picky eater in a home where cooking didnt exist to becoming a passionate cook and food professional. His love of Italian food was ignited during a trip to Italy, where he discovered how the locals truly ate. Recipes include long-simmered summer tomato sauce; spring risotto with gorgonzola, ramps, and cherry tomatoes; and cacio e pepe. Along with these Italian favorites, there are some atypical recipes such as baked stuffed tomatoes and lamb rag. Chirico also provides historical and informative details on ingredients and recipe lineage. Approachable recipes and fun facts make this an entertaining read.
- Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Rob Chirico is a freelance writer, former art history professor at the New York Fashion Institute of Technology, and artist whose work has appeared in the food journal Gastronomica. He flipped burgers in college and won the Sutter Home Build a Better Burger Contest in 1991. Previous works include Field Guide to Cocktails (Quirk Books) and Damn!- A Cultural History of Swearing in Modern America (Pitchstone Press). Rob lives in western Massachusetts.