Cookbook: Osteria

the appetizer:

Osteria by Rick Tramonto explores a restaurant chef's passion for Italian food, including recipes for Charred Squash with Balsamic Vinegar and Parmigiano-Reggiano Zucca Arrostita con Balsamico e Parmigiano-Reggiano; Roman Braised Oxtail Brasata di Cota di Bue; and Sauté of Trout with Pumpkin and Anisette Trota con Zucca and Anisetta.

Cookbook

Osteria
Hearty Italian Fare from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen

by Rick Tramonto and Mary Goodbody

Click to buy Osteria

Award-winning chef Rick Tramonto shows home cooks how to recreate the simple, flavorful Italian dishes he serves at his wildly popular Osteria di Tramonto.

Osteria means "tavern" in Italian. It is always a casual place, usually family-owned, where simple country cooking is served to accompany the local wine. In 2006, acclaimed chef Rick Tramonto opened Osteria di Tramonto on Chicago's north shore. In this spectacular restaurant, he serves the kind of earthy, hearty fare so beloved by Italians—and Americans.

Now, Rick has written a cookbook showcasing the food from his osteria, with recipes ideally suited for the home cook. Osterias tend to be open all day, so Rick's book features recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as for little snacks in between.

Breakfast and brunch recipes include omelets, frittatas, pancakes, crepes, and smoothies. Lunch includes salads, soups, pizzas, and simple pasta and meat dishes. Dinner offers everything from bruschetta and antipasto to fish, meat, and braised dishes, pasta, and desserts. There are small plates, too, and numerous antipasti, panini, and crostini.

Blood Orange Crepes with Vanilla Mascarpone, Roman-Style Omelets, Rick's Mother's Lasagna, Capellini with Six Summer Tomatoes, Wood-Roasted Mussels in White Wine Sauce, Braised Pork Shanks with Borlotti Beans, Lamb Porterhouse with Salsa Verde, Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes, and Italian Chocolate Pudding are just some of the more than 150 intensely flavorful dishes. This is an irresistible collection no true lover of good eating will want to pass up.

About the Authors

Rick Tramonto has been cooking since he was a teenager growing up in Rochester, New York, as part of a large Italian family. He worked at some of the finest restaurants in the United States and Europe before settling in Chicago, where he is chef and partner of five restaurants. He was the founding chef of Trio in Evanston, Illinois, and then in 1999 opened the award-winning Tru restaurant, a Relais & Chàteaux property in Chicago, which has received four stars from the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Magazine. Rick has been featured in USA Today, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, People, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, and Conde Nast Traveler. He has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, and on PBS. Rick was named Best Chef in the Midwest by the James Beard Foundation for 2002. Tru was awarded the James Beard Best Service in America award in 2007 and was named in the Top 50 Best Restaurants in the World in 2000 by Conde Nast Traveler.

Mary Goodbody is a nationally known food writer and editor. Her credits include Tru, Amuse-Bouche, Fantastico and Taste: Pure and Simple. She has contributed significantly to books such as Back to the Table, The Naked Chef, How to Be A Domestic Goddess, and The Morton's Steak Bible, among others. She lives outside New York City.