The De' Medici Kitchen

When we think of food, we think of Italy. The Italian medieval poet Dante knew the importance of food to his countrymen and women, and therefore gave gluttons an honored position in the second circle of hell in his Divine Comedy. But after watching the gorgeously filmed opening documentary which takes viewers through the vineyards, restaurants, bakeries, and sidewalk cafes of Tuscany before coming back to the kitchen, people will gladly go to hell for panzanella (Tuscan bread salad), panforte (a popular sweet), bucatini all' amatriciana (pasta with chili, tomato, and pancetta), or even a plain old cheese tortelli in a white truffle paste. Hosted by renowned cooking teacher and author Lorenza de' Medici, the series, which aired on public television, is divided into 14 parts, 13 half-hour segments in the kitchen, and the opening hour-long documentary which is simply and plainly outstanding (the instruction segments can't compete with the eye-popping cinematography, art, archival stills, and fine scripting of the documentary). The admirably poised Lorenza de' Medici of the tightly-written documentary fumbles a bit with the English language in the kitchen sections, but viewers will be able to follow along pretty easily--especially since video recipe cards are used prior to making each dish--and the culinary rewards are major. The 13 segments include: "A Roman Lunch," "Winter Table for Two," "Foods of the Po Valley," "A Piedmontese Feast," and "Italian Spice Box," each featuring an average of four dishes. a companion book is available (for $14.95) and should be circulated together with the video collection. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)