For you locals, Frankie's Pizza and Pasta Restaurant in Redmond, WA, which has been a favorite around here for about 24 years, will be closing soon!!! It's demise the result of more development - the corner where Frankie's is will soon be a new hotel...just what we need...sigh. I had the pleasure of lunching there recently with a dear friend and while I was waiting for her to arrive (traffic was horrendous) I picked up a copy of Frankie's cookbook from a rack in the lobby to read. I was immediately captivated! His recipes are favorites from the restaurant and the photography, done by Frankie himself, is colorful and beautiful plus the cookbook lays FLAT so it will be easy to read those recipes in the kitchen while making them!
This is a cookbook you will want to have in your collection...and you'll use it! The recipes are easy to follow and having tried most of them over the years at the restaurant, they are dang delicious. Frankie has an easy writing style which makes this book a pleasure to read...you do read cookbooks, right? But it's not just a recipe book because Frankie has included tips to make his recipes easy and a few suggestions for la dolce vita...living the sweet life!
If you're nearby, pick up a copy at Frankie's before they close, ($15.00) just a little bit of local history for your kitchen. It would make a great wedding gift with a pizza stone, no?
If you're not close by, not to worry, you can order from Amazon by clicking here.
Frankie's Italian Wedding Soup is a personal favorite, but his pizzas, which he gives step-by-step directions for, are worth every calorie. And while all the recipes in Frankie's book speak to me, there are two recipes I''m dying to make...Frankie's Pizza Rustica - think deep-dish-Chicago-style-pizza - so thick, cheesy and rich you just know the scale will jump 5 pounds after devouring this ooey-gooey Italian favorite. Then there's Frankie's Timpano. If you've seen the movie Big Night, (and if you haven't then rent it immediately before you do one more thing! Stanley Tucci is so fun to watch in this movie!) then you've seen a Timpano...a "kitchen-sink" Italian dish that will serve a small nation. It's made in a big enameled bowl which has been draped with pasta dough so the filling of meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, sausage, cheese, more eggs, onions, garlic, etc.,etc., can be wrapped up and baked into the most delicious Italian conglomeration you'll ever have and then it's all topped with Marinara sauce or as we like to say, Sunday gravy.
In the 9 years I've had this blog - yes 9!, I think I've only done one other cookbook review - maybe two - so when I tell you this is a fabulouso Italian cookbook, and that you need it and will be so happy to be able to cook like Frankie at home, believe me. And you're welcome.
Tell Frankie Nan sent you!
