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| WRITE
YOUR OWN COOKBOOK |
FOOD
& COOKING ARTICLE |
 |
 This
article has been inspired by a Christmas present I received
from the States - Recipes My Nonna Taught Me by Francena
So
many of you have wonderful recipes you have collected
over the years. You should consider following Fran's
example and creating your own cookbook so that the recipes
will never be lost to the family. They are a family
heirloom.
At
the bottom of the page I will give you details of how
you can obtain a copy of the book in the meantime, reprinted
for your enjoyment, here is the Introduction from the
book.
Introduction
When
I was a little girl I would visit my Sicilian grandmother
(Nonna). Her house gave me a warm feeling because
she was always cooking. She never followed a recipe
so I would watch her cook and write down all the ingredients.
She used a pinch of this and a handful of that and
was a delight to watch. Everything she made was delicious.
She would always say "mangiare, mangiare"
which means eat, eat. My grandmother is the reason
that I love to cook. Some of my recipes are over fifty
years old, a few are variations of others I have gathered
throughout the years, and several are original. My
daughters, Kris and Jill, are excellent cooks. Our
house is so food oriented that whenever anyone comes
to visit they are always hungry as soon as they walk
in the door even if they have just eaten. Can you
imagine how hard it is to diet in a house like this?
I
have never though of myself as a great cook, but quite
a few of my friends would disagree. Cooking is not
difficult, but there is more to cooking than just
preparing the food. Cooking is a combination of various
tastes, colours and textures. No matter how delicious
the food, if it does not look appetising it will not
taste good. Appearance is as important as taste. Food
has to be pleasing to the eye. Some of my recipes
are really simple and require almost no preparation
but others are more time consuming. Most of my recipes
can be made without adding salt and by using very
little fat. Ingredients can vary to personal taste.
For example, some olive oils are stronger than others
and some cheeses are sharper. I use a recipe as a
guide but never follow it exactly.
Olive
oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, onions and pasta are
staple ingredients I always have on hand. With just
these five ingredients you can create an entire meal.
Pasta can easily be served several nights a week in
a variety of ways. Sometimes I work with what I have
on hand trying out various combinations. When I have
guests for diner for the first time I serve onion
sandwiches, manicotti, salad, Italian bread, red wine,
cream puffs and cappucino. This is an ideal meal because
everything is finished before the guests arrive. The
only thing I have to do is toss the salad and serve
the manicotti. I also try to eat about one hour after
the guests arrive. I serve myself first because no
one will start eating until I sit down and this will
assure that their food will be hot.
The
main reason I wrote this cookbook is to preserve my
heritage and have something for my children and their
children. I have tried to create a cookbook that is
fun, easy to follow, simple to prepare and delicious.
This cookbook is not fancy but it is practical and
a useful addition to your kitchen. Try experimenting
with my recipes to create your own individual coking
personality - that's what cooking is all about.
Buon Appetito!
SAMPLE
RECIPES
If
you would like to purchase a copy of Recipes my Nonna
taught me by Francena go to her website at www.angelfire.com/oh2/cookbook
Email
Hub-UK : info@hub-uk.com
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