Vincent Schiavelli's enchanting, sometimes deeply moving memoir with recipes, Bruculinu, America, is a warmly recalled distortion of Brooklyn, one of New York City's boroughs, as it really was. As Schiavelli says, "The stories may not always contain the strict facts, but they certainly tell the truth."  Don't be surprised if his beautiful reminiscence of the miracle (which took place before he was born!) that saved his uncle Salvatore Calogero from dying of pneumonia brings a tear to your eye. Schiavelli, a successful actor, writes scenes so vividly that you participate as he visits a strega, or witch, who exorcised him of a medical problem when he was nine years old. (After seeing a doctor, Schiavelli's mother figured that in case the condition was caused by malocchio, the evil eye, it would be wise to cover all bases.) Schiavelli's recollections often involve his grandfather, Papa Andrea, a Sicilian master chef. The 70 or so recipes in this enchanting book come from him. The Baked Mashed Potatoes made with peas and grated cheese and fennel-flavored Pasta with Chickpeas are delicious everyday dishes. Baked Macaroni, rich with mushrooms, ground meat, and a touch of cinnamon, is for Sundays. Cucciaddatu are the buttery, log-shaped Christmas cookies filled with nuts and raisins that each Sicilian cook makes in his or her own way. Here, cocoa powder, honey, and cognac add nuances to the nubbly filling. The only frustrations with Bruculinu, America are that its compact size makes it hard to keep one's spot while cooking from it, and that the recipes are woven through the text in no logical order; to return to something in particular, it's necessary to consult a list at the back of the book. --Dana Jacobi

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

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Schiavelli, Vincent

Cooking Education & Reference

Houghton/Mifflin

Reminiscences of life in the Italian neighborhoods of Brooklyn are accompanied by recipes for traditional dishes as prepared by the author's grandfather, a Sicilian master chef

Vincent Schiavelli is known to most of us as a character actor who has appeared in such films as Ghost, Man on the Moon, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Schiavelli grew up in Brooklyn, speaking both Sicilian and English at home. Some of his earliest memories are of sitting at the kitchen table while his grandparents told stories of the life and the people they had left behind in Polizzi Generosa, a small city in the Madonie Mountains of Sicily. As Schiavelli grew older, those stories, and the city about which they were told, took on a mythic quality. When he was nearly forty he made his first trip there, and what he found was more extraordinary than the "once upon a time" fables of his childhood. In Many Beautiful Things, Schiavelli invites readers to join him in discovering the people, culture, and food of the city that has, in essence, become his second home. Equal parts memoir and cookbook, it is the best of both. Schiavelli is an accomplished and elegant writer who evokes a foreign and often closed culture from a unique perspective: an outsider fluent in the language with still-strong familial ties. The recipes -- which reflect the ancient influences of Greece, North Africa, and Spain -- are simple, rustic, and delicious, depending on local products and seasonal bounty. This is not your usual Southern Italian fare but a unique regional cuisine: Pumpkin Caponata, Ditali with Drowned Lettuce, Fried Ricotta Omelet, Potato Gratin with Bay Leaves, Almond Love Bites, Veal Shoulder Roasted with Marsala, and Baked Pasta with Almonds (rigatoni baked in a pork ragù with chopped toasted almonds) are just a few of the extraordinary dishes you'll find in this book, all of which can be reproduced by cooks with delectable results. Schiavelli provides a comprehensive list of mail-order sources. And if you want to visit Polizzi Generosa, there's a guide on how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat. Illustrated with black-and-white line drawings by Polizzi's best known artist, Santo Lipani (who also happens to be an extraordinary cook), Many Beautiful Things is a feast, both culinary and literary.

Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa

Simon&Schuster

A celebration and evocation of Sicilian culture and cuisine, Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table recounts colorful stories of Sicilian barons, peasants, and princesses. Complete with sections on menu planning, from first course to accompaniments to desserts, this is a cookbook that can stand proudly among the best. Color photos.

Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table: Recipes from a Sicilian Chef As Remembered by His Grandson

Coco, Andrea

Regional & International

Citadel Pr

In this lively introduction to a traditional Southern Italian cuisine, the author presents time-tested recipes for the unique and delicious foods of Sicily. Illustrations &amp; photos.

Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table: Recipes and Remembrances of My Grandfather

Citadel

Birch Lane Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Schiavelli, Vincent. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Schiavelli, Vincent

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Schiavelli, Vincent. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

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

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

Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa

Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table: Recipes from a Sicilian Chef As Remembered by His Grandson

Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table: Recipes and Remembrances of My Grandfather

Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table: Recipes from a Sicilian Chef As Remembered by His Grandson