Regional Recipes are Like Interactive Snapshots by Lisa Messinger - Cooks' Books on Creators.com

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Regional Recipes are Like Interactive Snapshots

"The New Regional Italian Cuisine Cookbook" by Reinhardt Hess, Cornelia Schinharl and Sabine Salzer (Barron's, $35).

If you've visited Italy, browsing through "The New Regional Italian Cuisine Cookbook" probably will make you wish that you collected recipes on your trips as well as photographs and souvenirs. In fact, this 200-plus recipe gem really covers all those bases. Filled with gorgeous full-page photography, it's certainly a keepsake worth treasuring.

It's like a glorious meal in that all is savored at once, close-ups of the food, followed by fantastic shots of the delicious locales. It's like jetting, driving, boating and strolling through each area, from Alpine Piedmont region to the island of Sicily.

First, you'll be introduced to each zone's people, land and products. In Liguria and coastal Tuscany, you'll wander the steep hills and small fields, eye the mighty gray Maremma cattle and feast on dried cod, zucchini blossoms, olive oil and an abundance of local greens. The Alpine region combines touches of both Alpine cooking and lighter Mediterranean techniques and ingredients. Fresh butter is a staple as are stables of sweets, but so are truffles, octopus and trout.

The authors, European food and wine journalists, also provide a helpful mini wine guide. Each region's standouts are covered with pairing suggestions.

Let's hope a series stems from the same posse's wanderings around Europe chronicling every region they love.

FRIED ZUCCHINI WITH WALNUTS

1 pound zucchini

Salt, to taste

3 tablespoons walnuts

2 shallots

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch saffron

3.5 ounces bacon, sliced thin (or substitute with pancetta)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Yields 4 servings.

Trim the zucchini; cut them lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle with salt and set them aside for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 120 F and heat ovenproof serving plates.

Coarsely chop walnuts. Peel and mince shallots and garlic. Melt butter in a skillet and briefly saute shallots and garlic. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the flour, the wine and heavy cream; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.

Pat dry the zucchini slices and dust them with the remaining tablespoon of flour.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and carefully fry zucchini until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; season with salt and keep them warm in the oven.

Add the saffron to the cream sauce and stir in salt and pepper. Pour it in portions on the warmed plates. Top the cream with zucchini; sprinkle the walnuts over the zucchini; garnish each portion with the bacon. Serve everything with either white or rye bread.

RICOTTA "MEATBALLS"

9 slices stale white bread

1 bunch parsley

1 red peperoncino (chili pepper; see note)

2 garlic cloves

1 organic lemon

1/2 cup pitted green olives

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 to 2 ounces freshly grated pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups olive oil

Yields 6 servings.

Crumble the bread and soak it in lukewarm water for about 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry the parsley and mince the leaves. Rinse and trim the peperoncino and mince it with the seeds. Peel and mince the garlic. Scrub the lemon with hot water. With a zester or grater, remove the zest from half of the lemon. Chop the olives.

Drain the bread and squeeze out the remaining water. Tear the bread into small pieces, and mix it well with the garlic, peperoncino, parsley, lemon zest, olives, ricotta, eggs and cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. With a melon baller, form small balls of the mixture and carefully fry these for about 4 minutes. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place them to drain on several layers of paper towels. Serve hot.

Note: When handling peppers, experts recommend wearing rubber gloves and not touching your eyes during or afterward.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After-Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.