Dear Francesca: An Italian Journey of Recipes Recounted with Love

by Mary Contini (Author)

• Prizes: ','1','ChildrenBookAge: ','Book Overview: A charming story, warmly and sensuously told, of an Italian family\'s emigration to Scotland, and the respect for Italian attitudes and passion for food that formed the cornerstone of their family life','part cookery, part storytelling - and wholly beguiling...don\'t miss it: there won\'t be a better cookbook published this decade * Elisabeth Luard, Daily Mail *
  a charming story...she unravels the family history like a precious thread...Contini\'s writing has a naturalness and honesty about it that brings a lump to the throat on occasion. It is full of warmth, love and respect for traditional Italian attitudes to food as the cornerstone of a nurturing family life. A lovely unmissable book. * Sunday Herald *
  a really heartwarming book of recollections and recipes, recounted with love and gusto * Sainsbury\'s Magazine *
  a remarkable book...a pleasure to read as well as to cook from * Homes & Gardens *
  From the barren mountains of Southern Italy to the chilly streets of Edinburgh, this is a joy - both in and out of the kitchen * Choice Magazine *','Based in Edinburgh, Mary Contini is a partner in the famous Italian delicatessen Valvona and Crolla. She also writes a column for The Scotsman and has presented Scotland\'s Larder on television.');">

  Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $4.19

  Written by leading cookery author Mary Contini, this delightful narrative is in the bestselling tradition of Anthony Bourdain and Annie Hawes. It tells the tale of the Di Ciacca family, tracing their journey from the barren Abruzzi mountains to the chilly streets of post-war Edinburgh. Addressing her daughter Francesca as she embarks on independent life, this is a compelling, often moving, family history in which Contini describes her ancestors' loves and lives in their adopted homeland where traditions were kept alive around the dinner table. With characters as colourful as in any novel, this is a book that will appeal to anyone who loves Italian food and wishes to share in a sense of family. It adds up to one of the most original books for food lovers in recent years, blending great narrative with heartwarming recipes and recollections.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $3.25

  If your mother had been brought up in an extended Italian family that was passionate about food, and gone on to run one of the country's most successful delicatessens, would you not want a record of all the knowledge and experience she had acquired? Dear Francesca provides just that, in a form that can be shaerd with other families and other cooks. Addressing her daughter Francesca, Mary Contini has written not only a wonderful cook book, but also a compelling and often moving account of her family history. She describes the life her grandparents led in a poor mountain village in Italy, their emigration to Scotland and the culinary traditions the extended family has kept alive in their adopted country. Informative, humorous and always passionate, this is a cookbook to read as well as to cook from day after day.
• Prizes: ','1','ChildrenBookAge: ','Book Overview: A charming story, warmly and sensuously told, of an Italian family\'s emigration to Scotland, and the respect for Italian attitudes and passion for food that formed the cornerstone of their family life','part cookery, part storytelling - and wholly beguiling...don\'t miss it: there won\'t be a better cookbook published this decade * Elisabeth Luard, Daily Mail *
  a charming story...she unravels the family history like a precious thread...Contini\'s writing has a naturalness and honesty about it that brings a lump to the throat on occasion. It is full of warmth, love and respect for traditional Italian attitudes to food as the cornerstone of a nurturing family life. A lovely unmissable book. * Sunday Herald *
  a really heartwarming book of recollections and recipes, recounted with love and gusto * Sainsbury\'s Magazine *
  a remarkable book...a pleasure to read as well as to cook from * Homes & Gardens *
  From the barren mountains of Southern Italy to the chilly streets of Edinburgh, this is a joy - both in and out of the kitchen * Choice Magazine *','Based in Edinburgh, Mary Contini is a partner in the famous Italian delicatessen Valvona and Crolla. She also writes a column for The Scotsman and has presented Scotland\'s Larder on television.');">

  New

  Paperback
  2003

  $15.42

  Written by leading cookery author Mary Contini, this delightful narrative is in the bestselling tradition of Anthony Bourdain and Annie Hawes. It tells the tale of the Di Ciacca family, tracing their journey from the barren Abruzzi mountains to the chilly streets of post-war Edinburgh. Addressing her daughter Francesca as she embarks on independent life, this is a compelling, often moving, family history in which Contini describes her ancestors' loves and lives in their adopted homeland where traditions were kept alive around the dinner table. With characters as colourful as in any novel, this is a book that will appeal to anyone who loves Italian food and wishes to share in a sense of family. It adds up to one of the most original books for food lovers in recent years, blending great narrative with heartwarming recipes and recollections.