Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook: TK

Patsy’s Italian Family Cookbook is a “must”--- for several reasons. Of course, a “must” for the recipes. But also a “must” for anyone who wants to understand Italian culture. Don’t buy it just for the recipes. Buy it to be taken back to a time when several generations of family would sit at a long, crowded makeshift table, usually in the basement, usually for hours, on a Sunday or holiday afternoon and enjoy the beautiful symbiosis of food and family. Voices were always elevated and smiles and laughs permeated the air. Every chapter contains celebrity photos and testimonials, restaurant-related anecdotes, family photos and yes, there are stories about Frank Sinatra, who once proclaimed Patsy’s restaurant one of his all-time favorites. More importantly, there is a common thread woven throughout the chapters that shows how family and friends create tradition by coming together and combining simple, fresh natural ingredients to create recipes that last for generations. My favorite chapter is “ Holiday Dishes” because it is so steeped in Italian tradition. This collection of recipes includes St. Joseph’s Day Bread, Pastiera, a wheat-based cheesecake served on Easter Sunday, Bacala Salad, a starter for the Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, Neapolitan Meatball and Rice Pie, a Christmas Day appetizer and Struffoli, little balls of fried dough with a honey glaze, a classic holiday dessert. Every recipe starts with a narrative from Chef Sal—either a description of the recipe or a family story that relates to the recipe . When it comes to the ingredients, less is more. Simple, fresh ingredients, that when combined, yield amazing flavor. Chef Sal makes the complex manageable and doable. He includes basics like seasoned bread crumbs, tomato sauce, and brown sauce from which you can build a Steak Oreganata, Chicken Cacciatore, or a Roasted Chicken with Rosemary-Garlic Sauce. There are also slightly more complex recipes like Crown Roast of Pork with Sausage Stuffing, Meatball Lasagna and Osso Buco that Chef Sal lays out in step-by-step fashion so that before you know it you have mastered what you thought was impossible. I know you will enjoy these recipes as much as I do and I know that you too will want to be transported back to a simpler day and time surrounded by family and friends and some of the best food in the world.

This book is a taste of heaven for me. My Grandma ( Concetta just like in the cookbook) passed when I was 12. I was blessed to eat the food but did not have recipes. The tomato sauce reminds me of the old days. So good. Thanks for sharing. The clams are yummy too and also the chicken with spinach and cheese filling. The cannoli cream is to die for and the meatballs yummy. I can't wait to make a few more. Thanks for sharing. Magnifico!

Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook is both a beautiful and user-friendly cookbook, so it can make you feel like you'll make dishes worthy of putting on Patsy's tables yourself! Two things make me love this book. First, the recipe ingredients are things I can easily get my hands on - my pantry already has lots of these ingredients. For what needs to be fresh, I don't have to run to five stores or go out of town to find those!. Then, I so appreciate the directions, written in an everyday cooking language. I can play chef without worrying about coming across terms and methods that are foreign to me. I'm an everyday cook who can handle these dishes confidently! And while the pasta is boiling, the eggplant is roasting, or the bracciole is simmering, there's a lot of fun stuff in here to enjoy: anecdotes that remind me of my Italian heritage and my gramma's kitchen; entertaining pics and quotes from celebrities who love Patsy's as much as my friends and I do; and photographs of dish presentations that inspire ideas on how I can serve my friends and family delicious food like a pro. Thank you, Sal, for allowing me to bring your food into my house through my own handiwork, though I'll never say no to bringing it home in a doggy bag after a trip to NYC!

Made the Sicilian pork chops in a brown gravy base, it was very tasty...it said you can prep the gravy ahead and freeze and use for the pork chops or other applications. I like recipes that allow so much flexibility in a pinch. The recipes are simple and straightforward, comforting and familiar, like Grandma used to make.

Great cookbook, but don’t rely on the recipe list in the description. I bought this for the chicken liver cacciatore recipe that I love at the restaurant, but the recipe isn’t actually in the book (unless I have a page missing!). Disappointed.

This cookbook and the restaurant it represents were featured in a movie I watched. I forget the name of the movie. The movie was forgettable, but the cookbook is one of the best I have ever used. I made two recipes from the cookbook and both were unbelievably amazing. Usually I buy a cookbook, test a couple recipes, they are terrible or mediocre and I give the book to Goodwill. Not this one. The Italian Beef Stew is now a staple cold weather meal in my household. I hope Patsy's restaurant is still there when I am finally able to visit the Big Apple.

Patsy's Italian Restaurant, a legendary and iconic NYC red-sauce favorite, has provided me with many evenings of happiness, and this cookbook shares salivating snapshots of the delicious culinary highlights from many of those dinners with friends. Combining intimate anecdotes and back stories with rich, colorful photography and simple-to-follow instructions, Chef Sal serves up a cookbook that's destined to be an Italian family classic that will get you cooking satisfying family fare ASAP. Pro tip: bring your copy to the restaurant when you're in NYC, and ask Sal (and his father, and former Patsy's chef, Joe) to sign it personally. They'll warmly welcome you and your guests, share yet another amazing story, and create yet another memorable moment for all!

Bought this cookbook for my hubby, our chef in residence. Saw Sal Scognamillo on the Harry TV show & heard how much Frank Sinatra (Old Blue Eyes) loved the restaurant Patsy's in NYC. Hubby is a big Sinatra fan so I got him a Sinatra Duets CD. Can't wait to dine al fresco listening to Frank & enjoying some of these great recipes.

I love love love this book for the BEST home-cooked Italian dishes! ... As long as you can find the right ingredients AND the right condiments - you can save a heck of a lot of money dining out in expensive Italian restaurants! A good investment for me and my family - that's for sure!

Good book

Such yummy choices to try and recreate at home. What a well-laid-out book, and the photos are priceless! Good buy for my collection.