Composicion Italiana: Recetas de Familia

More than half of Argentina's population claims some Italian ancestry. In this slender volume Leonardo Matías Barraud pays tribute to his Italian grandparents, "immigrants of few words, silent; everything they wanted to tell us, they told us through the kitchen.”

Beyond his introduction, the author is content to let the detailed recipes speak for themselves, and we do wish the book revealed more about Italian-Argentine culture. Perhaps, like his grandparents, he wants us simply to learn by example.

While some dishes, such as ragu bolognese, seem familiar to Americans acquainted with Italian cuisine, others are less so: Cream of pumpkin soup with shrimp; lemon risotto; plums in wine.

Matías Barraud, a psychologist, is also a graduate of the Gastronomic Institute of Argentina, and a frequent visitor to Tuscany, where he cooks alongside members of his far-flung family,

Paperback. Color photographs throughout. In Spanish.