October is an exciting month for many of us. The weather has changed, leaves are starting to turn, and the spooky feeling of Halloween is in the air. Did you know that October is also National Italian-American Heritage Month? This celebration was established in 1989 by a proclamation from both Congress and President George H. W. Bush. Records estimate that over 5 million Italians crossed the Atlantic and immigrated to the United States between 1820 and 2000. My great-grandparents made that voyage, and I am one of 26 million Americans of Italian descent living in the United States.
While most immigrants in the early 1900s were men working on farms and within coal mines, the second half of the century found Italian immigrants securing jobs in career fields of law, medicine, teaching, and the arts. This month is dedicated to thanking the Italian Americans that made contributions to this country. Whether you are of Italian heritage or not, anyone can join in on the fun of National Italian-American Heritage Month! Check out the listing below for how you can be a little Italian during October!
Taste: My Life Through Food- Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around the kitchen table. He shared the magic of those meals with us in The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table, and now he takes us beyond the savory recipes and into the compelling stories behind them.
Taste is a reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about his growing up in Westchester, New York; preparing for and shooting the foodie films Big Night and Julie & Julia; falling in love over dinner; and teaming up with his wife to create meals for a multitude of children. Each morsel of this gastronomic journey through good times and bad, five-star meals and burned dishes, is as heartfelt and delicious as the last.
Written with Stanley’s signature wry humor, Taste is for fans of Bill Buford, Gabrielle Hamilton, and Ruth Reichl–and anyone who knows the power of a home-cooked meal.
Everyone is Italian on Sunday- Rachel Ray
For Rachael, Italian food–spinach gnocchi, linguine puttanesca, chicken saltimbocca, pizza capricciosa–has the power to summon cherished, happy memories. In this one indispensable book, she has brought together signature recipes for the traditional Italian staples that she grew up with and still cooks for her family and friends today. From arancini to saffron gnocchetti sardi, from small bites to hearty meals, from her sister’s favorite Italian desserts to her husband’s Italian ingredient-inspired cocktails, here is a treasury of delicious dishes to prepare with love and devour with gusto.
Classic Italian cooking has always been the foundation of almost every meal that Rachael prepares, and she hopes that you and your family, friends, and neighbors will love savoring everything that Italian cooking has to offer. Italian Sundays are all about bringing people together and creating wonderful memories while enjoying the pleasures of great homemade food.
So pull up a chair at Rachael’s kitchen table and experience the magic of an Italian Sunday!
Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life- Frances Mayes
Frances Mayes–widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer–opens the door to a wondrous new world when she buys and restores an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. In evocative language, she brings the reader along as she discovers the beauty and simplicity of life in Italy. Mayes also creates dozens of delicious seasonal recipes from her traditional kitchen and simple garden, all of which she includes in the book. Doing for Tuscany what M.F.K. Fisher and Peter Mayle did for Provence, Mayes writes about the tastes and pleasures of a foreign country with gusto and passion.
Now with an excerpt from Frances Mayes’s latest southern memoir, Under Magnolia
