Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition
Product DescriptionAlthough Barbara Lynch was born and raised in South Boston, not Tuscany, many critics believe her food rivals the best of Italy. It has been praised byBon Appetit,Food & Wine, andGourmet, and many more.Lynch's cuisine is all the more remarkable because it is self-taught. In a story straight out ofGood Will  Hunting, she grew up in the turbulent projects of "Southie", where petty crime was the only viable way to make a living. But in a home ec class in high school, she discovered her passion. Through a mix of hunger for knowledge, hard work, and raw smarts, she gradually created her own distinctive style of cooking, mining Italian and French classics for ideas and seasoning them with imagination.The 150 recipes inStircombine sophistication with practicality. Appetizers like baked tomatoes and cheese and crisp, buttery brioche pizzas. Dozens of the artful pastas Lynch is famous for, such as little lasagnas with chicken meatballs, and potato gnocchi with peas and mushrooms. Lobster rolls with aoli. Chicken wrapped in  prosciutto and stuffed with melting Italian cheese. Creamy vanilla bread pudding with caramel sauce. Accompanied by Lynch's forthright opinions and stunning four-color photographs, these dishes will create a stir on home tables.Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Barbara LynchDear Amazon Reader,Growing up in public housing in a tough neighborhood in Boston, I couldn't afford culinary school. Cookbooks like Waverly Root'sThe Food of Italynot only taught me about new ingredients and techniques but were an escape. (They also helped me bluff my way through my first cooking job.)  Now I get to do what I love best: making people happy by feeding them really delicious food.InStir, I share my passion and my hard-earned knowledge. And of course, I give you my recipes, which the regulars in my restaurants have been clamoring for over the years. Some are almost embarrassingly easy, like Gorgonzola Fondue, Baked Cheese and Tomatoes, and Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Thyme. Others are a little more  involved but oh-so-worth-it, like Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Caraway Gnocchi. There's plenty of weekday cooking, including Green Bean and Seared Shrimp Salad with Spicy Curry Sauce, which I eat all the time, and Lemony Breaded Chicken Cutlets, which my daughter Marchesa loves.Then there are my pastas, which are my very favorite things, such as Chicken Meatball Lasagnettes  (a favorite of Julia Child's) and sauces that pair well with both fresh and dried pasta, such as my signatureBolognese(I share my secret ingredient).All of my recipes are written with the home cook in mind and so are full of the details that make a difference.  I hopeStirwill inspire you.Enjoy!Barbara Lynch(Photo © Justin Ide)Recipe Excerpts fromStirRoasted Fennel and Green BeansButcher Shop BologneseCreamy Vanilla Bread Pudding