3 Books in 1 or Osteria

3 Books in 1: Cookies/ Bars/ Muffins Cookbook

Author: Lou Weber

The best of cookie, bar and muffin recipes is inside this fabulous 3-books-in 1 collection.

New interesting book: New Basics Cookbook or Rival Crockpot Recipe Card Collection

Osteria: Hearty Italian Fare from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen

Author: Rick Tramonto

Award-winning chef Rick Tramonto shows home cooks how to recreate the simple, flavorful Italian dishes he serves at his wildly popular Osteria di Tramonto.

Osteria means “tavern” in Italian. It is always a casual place, usually family-owned, where simple country cooking is served to accompany the local wine. In 2006, acclaimed chef Rick Tramonto opened Osteria di Tramonto on Chicago’s north shore. In this spectacular restaurant, he serves the kind of earthy, hearty fare so beloved by Italians—and Americans.

Now, Rick has written a cookbook showcasing the food from his osteria, with recipes ideally suited for the home cook. Osterias tend to be open all day, so Rick’s book features recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as for little snacks in between.

Breakfast and brunch recipes include omelets, frittatas, pancakes, crepes, and smoothies. Lunch includes salads, soups, pizzas, and simple pasta and meat dishes. Dinner offers everything from bruschetta and antipasto to fish, meat, and braised dishes, pasta, and desserts. There are small plates, too, and numerous antipasti, panini, and crostini.

Blood Orange Crepes with Vanilla Mascarpone, Roman-Style Omelets, Rick’s Mother’s Lasagna, Capellini with Six Summer Tomatoes, Wood-Roasted Mussels in White Wine Sauce, Braised Pork Shanks with Borlotti Beans, Lamb Porterhouse with Salsa Verde, Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes, and Italian Chocolate Pudding are just some of the more than 150 intensely flavorful dishes. This is an irresistible collection no true lover of good eating will want to pass up.

Publishers Weekly

Tramonto, a partner in five Chicago restaurants, and author of Fantastico!, Amuse Bouche and Tru, returns to the food of his childhood in this homage to the osterias so common in Italy. Osterias, or taverns, offer simple and straightforward dishes designed to accompany the wine. Tramonto and coauthor Goodbody stay true to this tradition, including wine recommendations for most recipes. In addition to the usual categories, the authors include sections on breakfast, sandwiches, pizza, cheese, and side dishes. Recipes are hearty and by no means simplistic. Panettone French Toast and Sicilian Tuna Sandwiches whet the appetite, while Asparagus with Fried Egg Salad and Pecorino, and Roast Chicken Piccata-Style offer new twists to everyday ingredients. Sidebars on salmon, aged balsamic vinegar and how to cook pasta highlight ingredients and techniques to aid in the kitchen and help the cook make better purchasing decisions. A handsome and lavishly photographed collection, this will appeal to Tramonto fans and earn him an even larger following. (Oct.)

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Judith Sutton - Library Journal

Tramonto is the chef/owner of an expanding empire of restaurants in the Chicago area, including the upscale Tru, and author of several other cookbooks. His latest, with longtime coauthor Goodbody, presents 150 recipes from Osteria, a more casual restaurant serving rustic Italian or Italian-inspired dishes such as Wood-Roasted Mussels in White Wine and Braised Veal Cheeks; there are separate chapters on breakfast, sandwiches, and cheese. Wine suggestions are given for the main courses, and many dishes are shown in full-page color photographs. For area libraries and others where chefs' books are popular.