Tuscany: Simple Meals & Fabulous Feasts from Italy

The Caldesis, who own two Italian restaurants and a cooking school in the U.K., share inviting, mostly simple, and often little-known recipes that rely on Tuscany’s famed home-grown ingredients and slow-and-steady techniques. The writing is excellent, personal (often sketching a quick portrait of an agriturismo chef or home cook who contributed the recipe), and full of tasty tidbits, such as that a staggering 14 billion cups of espresso are served in Italy annually. Organization is less impressive: pasta dishes like pappardelle with roasted tomatoes and hot pepper and hand-rolled pici served with a pigeon sauce are haphazardly divided between the lunch and dinner chapters, as are second courses like turkey breast rolled around sheep’s cheese and sage, and a beef stew with Chianti and porcini mushrooms. Chapters on breakfast, aperitifs, side dishes, and desserts are more logical. There are several standouts, such as pork tenderloin, which is coated in herbs and roasted; the accompanying vegetables are cooked in parchment. Despite the erratic organization, the package overall satisfies with crisp modern design and clearly written recipes. (Mar.)