cover image Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, Told in Stories and Recipes

Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, Told in Stories and Recipes

Vincent Schiavelli. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $24 (336pp) ISBN 978-0-395-91374-1

Schiavelli, an actor who has appeared in such movies as Amadeus and Ghost, was inspired to write these memoirs by a letter sent to his grandmother from Sicily in 1905. Addressed only to ""Carolina Vilardi, Bruculinu, America,"" the letter actually arrived in his grandmother's hands. Focusing mainly on his cook-extraordinaire grandfather, Schiavelli eloquently demonstrates the primary place of food in the life of his immigrant Italian neighborhood. The total of 70 recipes are grouped by recollection rather than ingredients, and close each chapter. Birthdays were celebrated with the dishes eaten by the mother before she gave birth. Thus he offers, among other dishes, the ubiquitous Spaghetti e Pupetti (Spaghetti and Meatballs) served for his Uncle Charlie's birthday every April 20. Recollections of illness and the evil eye include the recipe for Anneddi cu l'ovu e Tumazzu, small pasta mixed with peas, pecorino cheese and raw eggs, ""the ultimate comfort food."" Easter included his grandfather's signature dish, Tumala d'Andrea, a mold of rice filled with pasta and meat sauce (similar to the timpani prepared in the movie Big Night). There are recipes for easy-to-make Orange Biscotti, and for the summer, Mannarina, a liqueur made with tangerine zest, sugar and grain alcohol. Schiavelli's authentic Sicilian-American dishes combine with his nicely told tales to capture the atmosphere of his Bruculinu upbringing. (June)