Enoteca: Simple, Delicious Recipes In The Italian Wine Bar Tradition

Enoteca: Simple, Delicious Recipes In The Italian Wine Bar Tradition
An enoteca is more than just a place to have a quick glass of wine and a light meal or snack. It’s a place to meet friends and relax in an inviting atmosphere. With more and more travelers returning with fond memories of these charming Italian hangouts, enoteche are already becoming a hot trend. Find out about the evolution of wine bars in Italy from renowned chef, author, and teacher Joyce Goldstein and discover the origins of the light, simply prepared cuisine. Each mouthwatering recipe and the part it plays in the enoteche lifestyle is described in detail, accompanied by wine recommendations for each course and stunning color photography evoking the lively spirit of these traditional venues. From succulent seafood and pasta dishes to focaccia and fritters-and even sinfully delicious dolci-anyone can enjoy the enoteca experience at home.

Customer Review: good book

This book is very nice and has interesting food in it. The pics are very nice as well. Surprising how simple Italian food really is.

Customer Review: Excellent, Inexpensive source for Italian Entertaining

`Enoteca' by noted Mediterranean culinary writer and teacher Joyce Goldstein is one of those rare books which rekindle one's interest in an area the reader believed has been almost totally burnt out by reading dozens of books on, for example, general and regional Italian cookery. The Enoteca is a Greek based word for an Italian wine bar similar to the Spanish tapas bar and the Greek and Turkish meze bars. There is a strong similarity between an osterie, an older term, and the Enoteca, as both serve wine and neither have a full trattoria style menu. The Enoteca may even not have any tables, but it will most certainly have a wide variety of wines and a selection of foods which may be made on the premises but which may as likely be brought in from nearby food stores and restaurante or trattoria kitchens. The best American model I know of is Mario Batali's Babbo `restaurant and Enoteca', where the emphasis on wine selections supported by partner Joe Bastianich supports the dual function for this establishment.



The fact that while the term Enoteca may be old, it has been enthusiastically adapted by the Italian culinary establishment which has gone so far as to codify the requirements which allow a business to label itself an `Enoteca'. These requirements are largely based on the bar's stocking a large number and variety of Italian wines, plus a sizable stock of French and other foreign wines. The Enoteca model seems to be primarily a northern Italian thing, with strong exemplars in Venice and Milan. One of the most attractive things about this book is the number of recipes for northern Italian dishes that mimic much more famous southern dishes such as the pizza and the Calzone.



The official model for an Enoteca does not require that the servers are qualified as master sommeliers, but they must be very well informed about wine and how their wines can be paired with food. Ms. Goldstein's co-author of this book is her son, Evan Goldstein, who is a master sommelier and who supplies all the wine to food pairings in the book. As I know virtually nothing about wine, the only evaluation I can give of these offerings is that they are better than most, in that they define both the characteristics of the wine which will go well with the dish, then recommend specific wine labels, generally at least two different wines, often from two different continents. This is about as good a source of wine to food pairings I have seen in a cookbook.



I almost have a sense that unlike the Spanish and Greek cuisine centers cited above, the Italian wine bar menu items have been lost in the great forest of information published about Italian cuisine. To be sure, almost all recipes in this book can be found in other major works from authorities such as Marcella Hazan and Giuliano Bugialli, but this particular collection of recipes just seems to come alive as they are presented to all satisfy a single purpose, being the most interesting finger food can be had to eat with a glass of wine.



The leading chapter points out the similarities between the Italian and the Spanish `bar food', as the subject here is fritters and frittatas, comparable to fried empanadas and the potato tortilla. Many other Italian cookbooks have lots of recipes on frittatas, but the croquettes seem to be much less easy to find.



The second chapter is on savory pastries and breads featuring `pizza rustica', green pies, crostinis, focaccias, and an especially interesting flatbread from Romagna. These northern Italian specialities are all strong analogues to the southern Italian specialities as well as the Mexican flour tortilla.



The third chapter on pastas and grains features fresh pasta and baked pasta dishes that are very easy to bake in advance and dish out portion by portion. So, lots of gratins and casseroles here. If you happen to be as fond of gratins as I am, you are almost certain to have the same warm reaction to this book.



The next chapter on fish concentrates on recipes for cold salads and gratins made with fish, especially shrimp, tuna, baccala, trout, clams and mussels.



The next chapter on meat and poultry again concentrates on make ahead dishes such as stews and braises or carpaccios (raw meats).



The vegetable chapter has some nice little discoveries, featuring a mashed potato pie from Apulia. Other dishes, again, are cold salads or make ahead casseroles, stews, and gratins. One of the rare sautes is here, with a dish of sautéed mushrooms. I have never heard of Hobbits in Italy, but I am sure they would love to find this dish.



It is not surprising to find a chapter devoted to cheeses, as this is a natural accompaniment to wine. Aside from the ten (10) recipes, this chapter features a thumbnail guide to Italian cheeses.



There are only four (4) recipes for sweets, which is not surprising as the conventional wisdom on Italian food culture is that baked desserts are not a big thing. They are largely an excuse for Noni to break out the vin santo in the afternoon. For certain, the author's description of Enotecas indicates that they will do virtually no baking on the premises, as most of them will not even have a pizza oven.



The book includes an excellent little bibliography, including the volume from Carol Field, `Italy in Small Bites' which most closely matches the cuisine in this book.



Almost all of the recipes in the book were supplied by Italian Enoteca owners, developed by the excellent cookbook writing of Ms. Goldstein who never fails to please me with her careful working of classic recipes.



This extremely attractive, very reasonably priced book is a great find for planning food and wine for a party. How can you possibly go wrong with both authentic recipes and expert wine picks.

The Italian Wine Guide: The Definitive Guide to Touring, Sourcing, and Tasting (Dolce Vita)

The Italian Wine Guide: The Definitive Guide to Touring, Sourcing, and Tasting (Dolce Vita)

The wines of Italy are a delightful part of any visit to the Bel Paese, and The Italian Wine Guide is the ultimate guide to the world of these wines. This practical handbook offers current information on wineries, tours, and tastings throughout Italy, plus listings for over 1,900 wine stores. For those visiting winery towns, over 60 detailed maps and itineraries are featured, with suggestions on where to enjoy the best wines and dine on the finest local cuisine. A look at contemporary wine production in Italy is followed by detailed discussions of each region. The new edition contains listings for U.S. retailers selling Italian wines.

Customer Review: Where to Go, What to See, Drink and Eat

If you are serious about Italian wine and/or food this is great book to have in your library.



The book does a nice job of explaining the wine varietals from particular regions of Italy. They also tell you which years are outstanding, very good, fairly good and unsatisfactory by wine. This book is very helpful for a trip to your favorite wine store.



If you are interested in wine tours while in Italy the book gives descriptions of wineries and which one offer tours and whether you need to make reservations or not. I also appreciated the wine store names, addresses and phone numbers that are listed by region. My husband appreciated the similar listings of golf courses. Their listings of antique fairs were also useful.



When I was booking our last vacation, I compared the hotel and restaurant suggestions with other guides and found that they were similar. It is always nice to have multiple sources for information.



I think that this book has something for everyone. If you never plan to visit Italy this book is very useful with its general information about Italian varietals and which years to purchase.



Customer Review: Excellent source of information about visiting Italy's wine regions

Tbis book gives all the information needed to actually visit Italian wine regions and the wineries themselves.



Wineries in Italy are generally not set up to receive tourists as in Napa. Prior arrangements usually need to be made just to visit, not to mention an actual tour and on-site tasting.



The book is organized by region with specific address and contact information for some (but not all) wineries. You might not be able to find the exact winery that produced an obscure bottle that you found at Trader Joe's but you can find one near it and probably just like it.



The book is a heavy softcover octavo with glossy pages and many pictures. There are also paid advertisements for wineries and vinotecas grouped with the editorial content. This is not a drawback but is helpful to know which places actually welcome visitors (some don't). The famous Sassicaia winery at Tenuta San Guido in Toscana for example, does not. I found that the binding is poor and pages have a tendency to fall out but I may have gotten a bad example. The book is somewhat heavy (about two pounds) but on balance I would say worth actually carrying with you on your trip to Italy.



The Touring Club of Italy is an organization similar to AAA which publishes maps and guidebooks in addition to offering other travel services. They have a useful website (in English and Italian) at touringclubdotcom.