La Cucina di Terroni: The Cookbook (Cosimo Mammoliti, Meredith Erickson)

Terroni is a Toronto institution. Established in 1992 in a downtown space with a Gaggia coffee machine, four barstools, and some panini to go, Terroni has grown, under the auspices of proprietor Cosimo Mammoliti, to ten exceptional and beloved restaurants in Toronto as well as three in Los Angeles. Each restaurant feels like an independently owned establishment but follows a simple rule: delicious Italian food with a strong southern Italian influence, made with quality ingredients and no substitutes.

This beautifully designed, unique cookbook tells the story of Terroni through its food—in recipes, photography, and in narrative vignettes. Capturing the energy of the restaurants in words and pictures, it will engage, inform, and entertain readers and pique their interest to try the recipes for themselves.

La Cucina di Terroni opens the vault and generously offers readers over 100 of the restaurants’ most beloved recipes. Loosely organized around “a day in the life,” chapters proceed from morning Colazione (such as cornetti—Italian croissants—frittata alla ’Nduja, Uova al Purgarotio, and bombolone—Italian doughnuts) through lunchtime pizzas, panini, and breads (famous panzerotti, pizza Santo Spirito, and Pane Pugliese). Then we move on to late afternoon Aperitivi, including some classic cocktail recipes and snacks, to Antipasti, Zuppe, Primi, Secondi, Contorni, and Dolci. Included as well are a Dispensa (pantry) chapter, featuring the core recipes that Terroni chefs use constantly (pasta and pizza doughs, sauces, sourdough, brioche, and much more). Every recipe was gorgeously photographed at various Terroni locales, giving the book a visual sense of the beauty and energy of the Terroni spaces.

Readers are sure to pick up the book because it offers their favourite Terroni recipe (Spaghetti al Limone, Funghi Assoluti, Gnocchi all Simi, the famous Panettone, homemade salsiccia, and so much more), and keep reading because it offers so many extraordinary southern Italian delights. The cookbook will stand as both a lasting legacy of a beloved institution and a gift to loyal customers for their continued, dedicated patronage.