Enoteca: Simple, Delicious Recipes in the Wine Bar Tradition [Paperback]

`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.

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.

I love this book, good recipes and easy to make, and it's so nice to have the correct wines already chosen, takes the stress off me. 2 yums up!