Bryanna Clark Grogan is no light-weight vegan chef; she has authored half a dozen cookbooks. Her book Nonna's Italian Kitchen (Book Publishing Company, 1998, ISBN 978-1570670558) explores traditional Italian cooking with a unusual twist: all the recipes from gelato to pizza are free of all animal ingredients.
Overview
There is an extensive introduction to Italian food, explaining its history, the used ingredients and the differences between the regional cuisines. It is clear the author knows what she's writing about. The history of many of the dishes is also described. This is the kind of a cookbook that can be read in bed, not only in the kitchen (just be careful not to drool on the pillow!).
Everything in the book is very well explained, including the ingredients of each recipe - what can be substituted and what cannot. In general the ingredients are simple and most of them should be easy to find. No store-bought vegan cheeses or mock meats are needed. Obviously the freshest and highest quality vegetables should be used for the best results.
Nutritional information is listed for each recipe. Even though this is not really a low-fat cookbook, the listed fat and calorie contents for most dishes are surprisingly low, even with abundant use of nuts and other healthy sources of fats. Except for parts of the dessert section most dishes are healthy and very nutritious, but the taste has not been compromised.
Sadly the book does not look as intriguing as its recipes. There are no photos of the foods - even the cover only boasts a fairly uninteresting illustration. The only photos in the book are of Bryanna's Italian nonna (grandmother) Clotilde and her father Alejandro, which add a nice, personal touch.
Food
Italian book is much more than just pizza and pasta, or cheese, tomatoes and basil. Of course the classical dishes are also included, from pizza to lasagna, but the book introduces the reader to a variety of lesser known regional delicacies. Many foods are quite simple and can be whipped up quickly. Others, like the vegan fresh pasta, may take a little more effort, but are worth it.
Italians love fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, asparagus and pumpkin, as well as potatoes and mushrooms. Many dishes are vegetarian in origin or have required only minor tweaks, but Bryanna has come up with clever vegan substitutes for butter, cheeses, eggs, poultry, beef, pork, meat broth and even seafood. Many of these substitutes are (or can be made) soy-free.
The dessert section is particularly delightful, containing pies, cakes, crepes, chocolate mousse, sherbet and of course also gelato (Italian ice cream), including instructions about making it without an ice cream machine. The ice cream, at least made with raspberries, turned out heavenly even lacking the machine.
Of the other tested foods pasta with walnut sauce emerged as the winner with its rich creaminess. The lemon cream was also delightfully rich with a luscious lemon taste. While slightly bland on their own, the spinach "ricotta" dumplings were rather tasty when served with tomato sauce. The vegan "mayonnaise" and the almond-based "parmesan" were surprisingly close to their non-vegan counterparts.
All vegans or vegetarians who are fond of Italian food should consider getting Nonna's Italian Kitchen - and who doesn't like Italian food. It would also be great for those who love Italian food, but would like to eat healthier.
See Also
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