If Philly still had bookstores, we’d suggest getting in line at one now to get a copy of Marc Vetri’s forthcoming kitchen compendium Rustic Italian Food, which we expect will be one of this fall’s hottest titles. It drops on November 1. But since places to buy new books seem pretty few and far between, you’ll have to pick up a copy at either Reading Terminal Market’s Cookbook Stall or order it online. The book, which Vetri describes as more of straightforward cookbook than his previous effort, 2008’s well-received II Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey, which as its title suggests, is a collection of essays and recipes the he penned as more of a memoir of the path that led him to his eponymous restaurant. “This is more of a homey, artisan cookbook,” Vetri told Grub Street. “A lot of what’s in it is geared toward home cooks.”
Though the book is aimed at cooks of all skill levels, Vetri said that it shouldn’t be considered dumbed down. “There’s definitely things that are a little more challenging in there,” he said.
The majority of Rustic Italian Food’s 120 recipes either come from the chef’s restaurants, or were drawn up in his home, where the bulk of the book’s photos were shot, too. Through thoughtful, step-by-step instructions, it walks readers through the fundamentals of Italian cooking, covering everything from kitchen basics and instructions on pasta and bread making to sauces and dry-cured salami.
