The following review was written by BC of Beans and Caviar.
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Gorgeously hearty would be the phrase I would use to describe the new cookbook Osteria by Rick Tramonto and Mary Goodbody.

Although the book is touted as a tribute to the homey family style Italian food which nurtured Rick Tramonto as he grew up, the quality of attention to detail is anything but casual. Dishes are beautifully and warmly presented in gorgeous photographs, without appearing overworked. The photographic presentation is not only a testament to the uniformity of theme but the pictures made me want to bury my nose in the book and lick them!

Recipes range from three ingredient dishes with few steps, like Dirty Pears to more involved and complex, such as the Ligurian Seafood Salad.

One of the sections that most intrigued me was the cheese section. This section describes various cheeses, sommelier recommended wines, and simple recipes along with serving instructions. This section would be of great interest to anyone planning a thoughtful wine and cheese tasting.

We decided to experiment with the cookbook when we brought it on vacation with us. What about treating this book as a restaurant menu and allowing people to order from it? I duly presented the cook book to my brother in law, a very discerning eater, and asked him to order as if it were a menu from Osteria. After he made his choices I set off to shop for the ingredients and prepare the various dishes.

This was where we hit a snag. Even though my brother in law made some pretty mouth watering choices, I discovered that the kitchen staff (me) is a lot less cooperative than professional staff …. besides being woefully underpaid. So I changed his choices and gave him exactly what I thought he should try. I’m sure Rick Tramonto’s mother and Nonna would completely understand.

My family tried the Polenta with Parmiggiano-Reggiano, Minestrone, Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes, Beefsteak Florentine, and Prosciutto with “Dirty Pears” – not all at one sitting though! The recipes were easy to follow and highlighted some great ingredients.

The Minestrone recipe was a lot more generous with butter then I typically am so I found myself reducing the butter. However, I wouldn’t give the amount of butter a second thought if I were ordering the Minestrone in the restaurant. Even with this minor change the soup was delicious. The scalloped potato recipe earned a tepid response from my family but they have a strong attachment to another version of scalloped potatoes.

Beefsteak Florentine was another deceptively simple yet delicious recipe. The combination of sea salt, lemon, olive oil, grilled steak, and arugula is one of my absolute favourites.

I discovered if you follow two important guidelines when cooking from Osteria, you will have fabulous results at home. The first guideline is to follow the directions – easier said than done for a strong willed home cook - and the second is to make sure to use top notch ingredients for mouth watering results. A source guide toward the end of the book will help the home cook locate the more exotic ingredients.

Would I consider recommending this book? A robust yes accompanied by “Buon appetito” would be my answer.

Dirty Pears interested us the most for two reasons. The first was the name and the second was the pairing of sweet pairs with prosciutto. The traditional pairing of prosciutto and melon is problematic because ripe melons aren’t always available. But pears, pears are always in ready supply.