Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition

In spite of the fact that Barbara Lynch was brought up in South Boston, not Tuscany, numerous pundits trust her food equals the best of Italy. It has been commended by Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and Gourmet, and some more.

Lynch's food is even more wonderful on the grounds that it is self-trained. In a story straight out of Good Will Hunting, she experienced childhood in the fierce tasks of "Southie", where insignificant wrongdoing was the main reasonable approach to get by. In any case, in a home ec class in secondary school, she found her energy. Through a blend of want information, difficult work, and crude smarts, she bit by bit made her own unmistakable style of cooking, mining Italian and French works of art for thoughts and preparing them with creative mind.

The 150 plans in Stir consolidate complexity with reasonableness. Tidbits like prepared tomatoes and cheddar and fresh, rich brioche pizzas. Many the sly pastas Lynch is well known for, for example, little lasagnas with chicken meatballs, and potato gnocchi with peas and mushrooms. Lobster moves with aoli. Chicken enveloped by prosciutto and loaded down with liquefying Italian cheddar. Rich vanilla bread pudding with caramel sauce. Joined by Lynch's frank sentiments and shocking four-shading photos, these dishes will cause a buzz on home tables.

About the Author
Barbara Lynch is the James Beard Award-winning chef-owner of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, which includes seven restaurants and food businesses in Boston: No. Nine Park, B & G Oyster, The Butcher Shop, Sportello, Plum, Drink, and Stir.

Huge fan of Barbara Lynch's restaurants (No 9 park, The Butcher Shop, B&G oysters) and this recipe book is probably in my top 5 recipe books now (and I have a LOT of recipe books).It's written in Barbara's inimitable and conversational style and peppered with anecdotes throughout. The recipes vary from super easy (baked cheese and tomatoes with toasted bread) to fairly complex (the famous prune stuffed gnocchi with foie gras) and there are great pictures throughout. They also really work. The first recipe I tried was Gruyere and Tuscan ham puff pastries and they were to die for. I also love that Chef Lynch includes short cuts and alternative options as well as indicate when it's really worth the effort of making something yourself. For example - in the puff pastry square recipe I just mentioned, the reasoning behind splurging on Dufour puff pastry vs. Pepperidge Farm pastry is explained and you can also use a ready made honey mustard or the recipe for homemade honey mustard is included (delicious!)I'd highly recommend this recipe book for serious cooks and even newer cooks as the instructions are detailed and helpful and the food will be delicious!-Leah H.

It's been 2 weeks since I bought this book and already my husband and I have cooked 6 dishes and I've tagged many more recipes to try. Every recipe has been superb! This book is accessible, modern and the recipes so original and delicious. I have learnt many new techniques from the few recipes we've tried so far and used some easy to find ingredients in some very original ways. Tonight we made the braised short ribs with some creamy mascarpone polenta and the olive oil glazed baby vegetables. Last week after dining at the Butcher's Shop and enjoying the duck confit we made it ourselves at home with Kumquat Marmalade. The Seared Sea Scallops with Sauce Verte and Toasted Hazlenuts was fabulous and my favorite so far has been the Green Bean and Seared shrimp Salad with Spicy Curry Vinaigrette - what a great summery salad and one we'll make again and again. I hope that Barbara Lynch puts out more cookbooks as wonderful as this one. -dragonlady

I got this book about a week and a half ago, and I like it so much that I've been lugging it around the house like a security blanket. I bought it in the first place because I ate at one of Lynch's restaurants. It seemed worthwhile to pay for the chance of recreating those gnocchi at home. Lynch is very generous with her most popular recipes - she gives up the secrets to a best-selling bolognese sauce, the gnocchi that every single reviewer of Sportello raves about, and the dish that pretty much made No. 9 Park famous. The recipes run the full cycle of seasonality, and many can be dressed up or down as you like. (Some are harder to dress down, but it seems that the key to dressing a lot of food up is serving it in small containers.) -Rice V.