Product Description

‘Most of what we have learnt has been from Italians who we’ve cooked side by side with. With this book, we want you to cook side by side with us’ Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. Over the last twenty years, Rose and Ruth have both visited Italy time and again and during these visits have learned the many different subtleties that appear in dishes from the different, and very diverse, regions of the country. They have cooked alongside mothers, grandmothers, cousins and wine makers who have shared their family recipes. This book is Rose and Ruth’s personal interpretation of these recipes. It’s a celebration of the real, classic food of Italy; the traditional, regional food they both love to eat when they are in Italy, and the food they love to cook at their restaurant and also at home. The precious recipes that they have become well known for, as well as the ones that are cooked less and less in Italy these days.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #587 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From the Author
Q&A with Ruth Gray and Rose Rogers:

Ruthie
How did you discover Italy?
My husband is Italian with family in Florence and Trieste.

What draws you to Italy?
The people and of course the food.

What is your favourite memory of Italy?
Eating three lunches in one day with Rose in Milan.

What makes this new cook book different from your others?
This book is our personal stories and memories of recipes we have learnt while on our travels in Italy.

Which recipe has the best story behind it?
Peposo – Veal shank cooked for 12 hours in Chiani Classico.

You have inspired many of our well known chefs - who is your greatest inspiration?
My partner Rose Gray.

What is the key to the River Café’s success?
Rose and I being at the restaurant every day cooking with our chefs, using only seasonal ingredients.

What do you say to people who regard Italian cooking as just pizza and pasta?
Travel there!

What has been your most memorable meal?
Too many to remember but sitting at Gianni Franzi’s house in Venaza on a sunny day eating trenette al pesto with my children.


Rose
What does food mean to you?
Food is what I look forward to every day. It is about extending my imagination and meeting new people.

How did you discover Italy?
I cooked Italian food for my children when they were young and decided to live there in the early 80’s for three years where I made many Italian friends.

What draws you to Italy/Italian food?
The people.

What is your favourite memory of Italy?
Tasting my first porchetta sandwich on a lay-by outside Pisa – it was delicious and such a surprise.

What makes this new cook book different from your others?
This book shares the philosophy of our cooking and the way that we work together.

If you had to choose just one dish, what would it be?
Ovoli Salad – finely sliced, raw ovoli mushrooms, drizzled with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and shavings of parmesan.

Which recipe has the best story behind it?
Zuppa di Pane.

What is the key to the River Café’s success?
The fact that Ruthie and I are here every day.

What do you say to people who regard Italian cooking as just pizza and pasta?
Spend some time exploring Italy.

What has been your most memorable meal?
White truffle, fresh tagliatelle which we had on a wine trip in Piemonte in November.

About the Author
Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers launched the River Café in 1987 and, since that time, have achieved a worldwide reputation for their cooking. They have written several bestselling River Café cookbooks and have appeared on television, presenting The Italian Kitchen for Channel 4.

Customer Reviews

The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook
When I first looked through this cookbook I immediately got that Italian feeling - the photographs are stunning and just reading a few of the anecdotes put me in the mood to cook. I had a dinner party on the weekend and chose all the dishes from this book - and it was a huge hit - everything tasted delicious and all my guests raved about it! I served Swiss chard malfatti, sea bass baked in salt and grape foccaccia which was still warm from the oven - yum! Can't wait to try out all the other recipes.

The Best from The River Cafe!
First of all, this is an incredibly beautiful book. The photographs of the food, Italy, the people and the two
authors Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers that accompany the recipes are great. I've already cooked a few of the dishes and
what you see is what you get.
I've got all the River Cafe books and this is the best because it puts you in Italy side by side with the cooks, the vintners, the
restaurant owners, the farmers and cheese-makers.
It's amazingly easy to use - the recipes are clear and uncomplicated. If you stay true to Rose and Ruthie's ingredients you can't
go wrong.

Delicious and authentic
This is the real Italy, from an eating point of view. The photos bring you as close to the food and people as possible without being there, not to mention being very helpful in knowing how a dish ought to look. Each recipe is situated in its local context, often connected to friends and real individuals the authors have come to know during their frequent trips. It also contains tons of useful tips on what ingredients to buy to get authentic flavour. So far I have made the pork chops with cannellini beans and the pasta with anchovies - both were simple and as delicious as my memories of Italy. If you have to buy one of the River Cafe cookery books, or one Italian cookery book, for that matter, this is definitely the one!