I’m thrilled to announce the upcoming release of my dear friends’ fascinating book on the food history and ingredients of Brazil titled The Brazilian Table by Yara Castro Roberts and Richard Roberts.  They operate the Academy of Cooking and Other Pleasures in Paraty, Brazil, an incredible experience that will introduce you to Brazilian cuisine via Yara and Richard’s incredible hospitality.  I attended the school a couple years ago and apart from being an amazing trip to one of the most beautiful coastal areas on earth, I sampled some of the delicious recipes included in the book.  Yara and Richard’s enthusiasm for Brazilian food and culture is boundless and this book is in many ways a lifetime in the making.

Yara is the first Brazilian chef to write about its cuisine in English. She graduated from Boston University School of Culinary Arts and holds degrees from the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre.  She was also the host of the PBS Emmy-nominated Cook’s Tour television series.  More importantly, she is one of the best storytellers I know and is the source of endless culinary information and inspiration. Richard is, among many other things, a professional photographer and is responsible for the stunning photographs of Brazilian food, ingredients and landscape throughout The Brazilian Table.

Here’s an excerpt from the cover:

“Brazil—exotic, sensual, mysterious—mingles pleasure with high energy, and its cuisine is ndifferent. Recipes in The Brazilian Table adeptly blend native ingredients, such as manioc, cachaça, pequi, hearts of palm, and dendê palm oil, with traditional foods of Portugal, Africa, Japan, and the Middle East to create complex tastes that define this area of the world. The regions of Minas Gerais, Bahía, the Amazon, and the Cerrado are intimately explored from a food history and ingredient perspective, and a collection of recipes represents each area. A sample of the extraordinary cuisine includes Tucupi Duck Soup, Fish Paupiette with Crabmeat Brazilian-Style, Chicken Xim-Xim, Black Bean Tutu, Mango Galette, Giló Puff Pastry Tart, and Guava Paste Soufflé.”

It is currently available for pre-order. Visit The Brazilian Table at Amazononline casino.

Check out the website for the  book, www.thebraziliantable.com for updates on the book tour, reviews, culinary events and more.

I was about to mention a noteworthy pizzeria I visited in Rome, Italy, when I came across a posting on Slice NY featuring Morrissey standing coolly in front of the very same place! Montecarlo, located in the Piazza Navona area of Rome, was recommended to me by a trusted local and turns out some of the best pizza in the city. Always busy, Montecarlo is like a slice of Brooklyn with its bright lights, charmingly abrupt service and warm house red wine. And just like at home, I was clueless about the celebrities whose photos cover the walls. We started with some perfectly fried mozzerella balls. I loved my onion pizza (all 8 slices of it) with its major charring around the edges. My friend enjoyed the signature Montecarlo pizza with about eighty toppings including olives, mushrooms, sausage, peppers, onions, artichokes and a fried egg. I won’t try to guess what Morrissey may have ordered, but check out the SliceNY article for a thoughtful analysis of the intersection of Morrissey and pizza.

High on my “To -Eat” list on a recent trip to Italy were rosette rolls, a light, airy roll native to Rome. Decorated with five lobes or “petals,” this simple yeast bread has been part of the region’s cusine for thousands of years. Almost hollow with a crispy crust and very little crumb, rosette rolls are often eaten for breakfast with honey but are great with any meal.

I like to call it the “Crockpot of Tomorrow,” but Italians know it as the Bimby, billed as “more than 10 kitchen appliances in one compact unit.” At first glance, the Bimby resembles medical or spa equipment. However, it chops, stirs, steams, purees, kneads, crushes ice, cleans and knows what time it is. The perfect guest.

The novelty of the Bimby is that meals once requiring the use of several pans can be prepared almost effortlessly in a single, dishwasher-safe appliance. For those of us who enjoy the drawn-out process of chopping, stirring, tweaking and mess-making that goes along with meal preparation, the Bimby remains more of a curiousity. Nevertheless, its range of uses, making everything from spaghetti and meatballs to blackerry jam does surpass my beloved Crockpot. Using just the Bimby, my friend prepared a wonderful chick pea and pasta soup for us in minutes.

Known outside of Italy as the Thermomix, the Bimby costs about a grand and has limited availability in the United States. Big, heavy and somewhat complicated to use, I won’t be the first one on my block to buy one.  But if they add a deep fry function we’ll talk.