VILLA TABLE - Tapa dura

In her writing and through her cookery school at Coltibuono in Tuscany, Lorenza de'Medici has done more than anyone to celebrate the refined but accessible delights of cucina alto-borghese. She has adapted an enormous repertoire of easily prepared recipes from this aristocratic culinary tradition, developed for today's cooks. This is her cookbook, and it starts with tempting antipasto dishes, many of which also make ideal finger-foods. With "I Primi" the first course - Lorenza indulges her passion for pasta, dried or fresh, and introduces luscious variations on this inexhaustible theme, as well as risottos, the richer polenta and dumplings for cold weather, and soups ranging from hearty vegetable to cold consomme. Appetizing main courses cover the spectrum of Mediterranean tastes and aromas, from succulent roasts - pork in almond sauce, chicken with bay leaves or juniper, leg of lamb with mint and thyme to beef braised in Chianti, rabbit with olives, breaded veal with tomato and basil, meatballs, patties and rolled roasts. Regional fish recipes include baked salmon slices with fennel and lemon. She also discusses the preparation of greens and vegetables, delicate sauces, and delicious desserts with light, clean tastes, and shapes and colours to delight the eye, as well as breads, wines and preserves. Lorenza de'Medici includes over 300 recipes, all of which are healthy and delicious, a celebration of lightness, simplicity and pleasure.