The Tucci Table

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The series concludes in Sicily, where he finds Michelin-starred chef Tony Lo Coco, winemaker Ariana Occhipinti, and Princess Stefania di Raffadali in Palermo. He then travels hundreds of miles to the island of Lampedusa for sardines before arriving near the base of Mount Etna for a few more meals. From his late friend actress Natasha Richardson, whom he said was "an extraordinary cook who threw some of the best dinner parties I have ever attended', he shares her Pissaladiere, topped with anchovies, onions and olives.

Featuring family-friendly recipes and stunning photography, an all-new cookbook from New York Times bestselling author, beloved actor, and respected foodie Stanley Tucci. But if you think that a cookbook with a celebrity name attached to it is all that The Tucci Table is then you are about to be wonderfully surprised. Editor's note: This interview with Stanley Tucci appeared in the February issue of the Italian print edition of La Cucina Italiana as well as in the Spring 2021 issue of the American print edition. The guy had a huge cask with a spigot on it. From that, you’d bring your flask of wine, your fiasco, and that’s what my father would have with dinner,” he says. “You could just do it, because it was assumed you were giving it to your parents.”

Each recipe comes with a fun little story that introduces the people in Tucci's life, and makes you feel like you know them too. It made the recipes seem more personal, as though this book wasn't mass produced, but given to you as something special. There's a fair bit of humor in this book as well, which made it very easy to flip through for recipes. It's clear that this book was written in love. Decades later, Tucci is still no stranger to professional kitchens. Dropping in on chefs in Italy, like Tony Lo Coco (I Pupi, Sicily), Sarah Cicolini (Santo Palato, Rome), and Fabio Picchi (Cibrèo, Florence), was one of the joys of making the series. “You have to know how to stay out of the way,” he says with a reverence that recognizes the demanding nature of restaurant work. “That’s what is really important. And be deferential and know what they’re doing. It’s almost like you’re walking on stage while a play is going on.” Tucci was comfortable filming in Italian restaurants. However, he admits, “It doesn’t matter if the chef cooked it 40,000 times... You’re supposed to turn it out perfectly every time, no matter what the circumstances are. And those circumstances change at any given night and at any given moment. And that is the most terrifying and exciting thing about being in a kitchen and being a chef.” This is a book that virtually anyone can use. There are some basic recipes for those who are new to the kitchen, and more complex dishes for those of us who have more experience with cooking. A few of the dishes that I most look forward to trying include Isabel's New York Cheesecake Ice Cream, Baked Ham with Mostarda di Frutta, and Pan-Seared Loin of Venison with Red Wine, Juniper and Quince. Featuring family-friendly recipes and stunning photography, a cookbook filled with traditional and modern Italian dishes from New York Times bestselling author, beloved actor, and respected foodie Stanley Tucci.

Few actors can look so at ease or so convincingly distraught in restaurants, dining rooms, and bars on screen. His real-life obsession with cooking comes out in the “foodie” movies for which he is best known, like Big Night (1996), starring Isabella Rossellini and Tony Shalhoub, and Julie & Julia (2009) with Meryl Streep. The recipes are carefully written so that they can be followed easily. But more than the food, there is a strong and powerful sense of family throughout.

About Stanfords

Tucci formatted the book so that the directions come first, then the ingredients, which may confuse some people. This is a book for confident cooks, more casual cooks who like to go more by instinct than exact measurements. (See glug of olive oil, above) soția mea, Kate, a fost o bucătăreasă minunată și generoasă. Copiii noștri - Isabel, Nicolo și Camilla - și cu mine am făcut tot ce ne stă în putință pentru a recrea multe dintre felurile sale de mâncare pentru că, din păcate, cu excepția câtorva, nu au fost niciodată notate. Când le gătim acum o păstrăm mereu prezentă în viețile noastre și, deși erau delicioase, ceea ce le-a făcut cu adevărat speciale a fost faptul că erau parte din ea și că ea le-a preparat pentru noi.