Cooking Rice with an Italian Accent! The Grain at Home in Every Course of Italy's Meals

From Radicchio Risotto to Almond and Rice Pudding, the retired priest–cum–cookbook author offers several courses' worth of creative recipes in this homage to rice, which, he points out, has long been a staple of Italian cooking. After all, "Rice is the pasta of Northern Italy." The author provides a brief history of rice's place in Italian culinary history—in the ninth century, Arabs brought the grain to Sicily, where it became a favorite with the wealthy—as well as a helpful list of cooking terms, instructions for determining the sex of an eggplant (males are less bitter than females) and the provenance of his recipes—many of which he sampled during visits to Italy. Humorous asides (e.g., Glutton's Risotto will test your fortitude in the face of the eponymous sin) are balanced by clear, straightforward instructions for creating rice dishes, and there are recommendations for the best rice, cheeses and broths to buy (though, of course, Orsini would prefer you to make stock from scratch). Many recipes call for butter and cream, but just as many emphasize vegetables. This is an upbeat, thorough cookbook that should please novice and experienced chefs alike. (Sept.)