Paper Palate

The Wiseguy Cookbook
by Henry Hill and Priscilla Davis – New American Library/$18.00

If you don’t know who Henry Hill is, you should. He’s a mobster-turned-informant who was immortalized in the 1990 film Goodfellas. Hill is also an author who, with Priscilla Davis, turned out The Wiseguy Cookbook, a unique volume containing mob stories and authentic Italian cooking.

Ok, even if you aren’t interested in the wiseguy mentality and the whole Mafia thing, this cookbook is worth checking out. Hill has assembled clearly written and seemingly easy-to-create dishes that run the gamut of Italian cooking. I’m talking aglio e olio, wedding soup and creamy risottos. And lest I forget, the ever important homemade cannoli.

Granted, Hill’s obsession with food is a little obscure. He continually references cooking quickly when on the run – as if that seafood risotto cannot wait till the next place he got whisked off to in the Witness Protection Program. I mean, of course, Italian culture is intertwined with its food and cooking, but come on…looking for cheese when the FBI is on your trail? That’s just a little off…

To Hill, the “Fab Four” isn’t the cast of Queer Eye but garlic, olive oil, basil and parsley – my staples. He takes into account that sometimes you just can’t get the real stuff and are forced to resort to dried herbs. And he includes ideas on substitutions when you cannot find a key Italian ingredient like pancetta.

If you are interested in the life, get this book. If you love Italian food, get this book. Honestly, I cannot believe how much I enjoyed it.