Risotto With Nettles: A Memoir with Food

Description

A wonderful, evocative memoir by the woman who first brought Italian cooking to Britain and fuelled a culinary revolution. 'Anyone who cooks should have Anna's books, it is the simple truth' Nigella Lawson A wonderful, evocative memoir by the woman who first brought Italian cooking to Britain and fuelled a culinary revolution. 'Anyone who cooks should have Anna's books, it is the simple truth' Nigella Lawson Born in Milan, Anna del Conte grew up in Italy in a gentler time. When war came to Italy everything changed- her family had to abandon their apartment and the city for the countryside, where the peasants still ate well, but life was dangerous... As a teenager, Anna became used to throwing herself into a ditch as the strafing planes flew over, and was imprisoned, twice. Her story is informed and enlivened by the food and memories of her native land - from lemon granita to wartime risotto with nettles, from vitello tonnato to horsemeat roll, from pastas to porcini. Anna arrived in England in 1949 to a culinary wasteland. She married an Englishman and stayed on, and while bringing up her children, she wrote books which inspired a new generation of cooks. This is a memoir of a life seen through food - each chapter rounded off with mouthwatering recipes.

Anna Del Conte was born in Milan, came to England as an au pair in 1949, married an Englishman and has lived in Britian ever since. Her books have won many prizes- Gastronomy of Italy received the Duchessa Maria Luigia di Parma award, Entertaining All'Italiana was shortlisted for the Andre Simon award, and The Classic Food of Northern Italy won awards from the Guild of Food Writers and the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. Her most recent book was Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes- The Best of Anna Del Conte. She has contributed regularly to Sainsbury's Magazine and received the Glenfiddich award for her articles in 1999. Anna Del Conte lives in Dorset.

Anyone who cooks should have Anna's books, it is the simple truth, along with the fact that she is, I'm telling you the best writer on Italian food there is...Anna Del Conte is unutterably chic and to be relished -- Nigella * Observer Food Monthly * A well-mannered memoir of an engaging life, laced with recipes -- Mail on Sunday * You magazine * Recipe-stuffed... Rich in mouth-watering prose, this is proof indeed that food doesn't just nourish your body but also your soul * Metro * A rollercoaster read... frank and thought-provoking. Del Conte has lived life to the full, through good times and bad, and there's plenty here to keep you turning the pages * Irish Times * Del Conte may have adopted English self-effacement with the energy of the converted but she knows how to tell a story -- Nina Caplan * Time Out London *