Tuscan Cookbook

Book excerpt: Now in tradepaper, Tuscan Cookbook is a free pass to the famed Italian cooking schools run by Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer. These two brilliant cooks moved from Australia to Tuscany to savor the culinary traditions of the landscape. Home cooks will ease into the Tuscan mantra, "If it's not ripe, it's not available," and learn how this style of cooking preserves the freshness of this favored region of Italy. Recipes such as a stew of fresh cannellini beans, gnocchi with sage and burnt butter, stuffed peppers, ravioli of melanzane, grilled leg of lamb, and caramel panne cotte all conjure the delicious charm of kitchens from Firenze to Siena. Breathtaking photography captures the food, culture, architecture, and people of the countryside in a way that brings to life the talent and cooking ideas of these much-loved cooks.