Coming Home to Sicily: Seasonal Harvests and Cooking from Case Vecchie

by Fabrizia Lanza, Kate Winslow, Guy Ambrosino (Photographs)

Case Vecchie is the most notable cooking school in Sicily, a place where life is lived and food prepared the same way it has been for centuries. And this delectable cookbook from owner Fabrizia Lanza is the definitive source of authentic seasonal Sicilian foods. Co-authored with former Gourmet magazine editor Kate Winslow, it tells Fabrizia's story of coming home to the family estate, Regaleali, to assist her aging mother with the cooking school that she founded in 1989. Fabrizia writes eloquently and in detail about the seasonal harvests, the foods produced--cheeses, jams, olive oil, vin cotto, estratto, and more--and the loyal and talented staff who make it all possible. Along the way, she offers more than 100 family recipes that she shares with her students. Guy Ambrosino's stunning color photographs bring the beauty of Case Vecchie to life.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Italy, Food, Reference, Italian Literature

336 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only tried a few recipes from this book so far, but they are phenomenal.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived in Sicily for two years, I loved the stories of food and culture and the flavors that came out of the recipes. I have some mixed feelings about the book - I dislike the elitist aspects of the slow food movement and this book has them in spades, but the author is very aware of it and I think that helps. A number of the recipes are also so simple as to not really be recipes, but they capture the simplicity of Sicilian cooking and the primacy of good, local ingredients eaten fresh. Like I said, mixed feelings.

Though I enjoyed this book, I won’t be adding it to my collection. The pictures and recipe for estratto are fantastic and I will be trying to make some later this season once our tomatoes come in (and I want to try her method for making marmalade), but for the most part I enjoyed this book for the nostalgia of the food and the culture I love so much and don’t see too many recipes that I didn’t already have my own version of or that I can make with local Ohio, ingredients.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

History + recipes both complicated and rustic and some with hard-to-source ingredients--right up my alley!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the back story. Case Vecchie is a place I would visit in a heartbeat and Fabrizia now seems like an "old friend". I will find my way to Regaleali one of these days.

[Margery Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting and wonderful recipes

[Benedetta Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food defines the rhythm of life in Sicily. There are beautiful photographs & interesting anecdotes to go with the recipes. But these recipes are not for the beginner. One senses there is a bit of wizardry in the kitchen at Case Vecchie.