It is my pleasure this week to welcome fellow southern Italy expat blogger Cherrye Moore to share about a new cookbook. Cherrye writes often at her blog My Bella Vita about the beautiful region of Calabria where she lives, and this week she is here to tell us about a new cookbook called My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy’s Undiscovered South. I’ve heard so much about the wonderful cooking of Calabria, and I know this is one cookbook that will soon be in my library!

Welcome, Cherrye!

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One of the most rewarding things about being an expat blogger in Italy is getting the chance to virtually meet other Italophiles around the world. Whether, like Laura, they are a fellow expat in southern Italy or whether they are an Italian American/ Canadian/ Australian / fill-in-the-blank-based abroad, it is a surprisingly small community and we have our own six-degree thing going on that would surely make Mr. Bacon a proud man.

In a far-flung region like Calabria, my adopted home for the past 4+ years, this community is even smaller and not only have I gotten to meet other Calabriaphiles like myself, but I get to share in their excitement when they’ve reached our collective goal in positively promoting Calabria.

Next week-November 8, 2010, to be exact, Rosetta Costantino, a Calabria-born chef living in California will release her first cookbook, My Calabria. I was sent a review copy of the cookbook and Mamma Mia … che bello!

In addition to the vibrant photos and mouthwatering recipes, there is a good deal of history, facts and FYI on the region. One thing I’ve noticed about myself over the last few years is that I’m not particularly interested in reading books about living in Italy-or visiting Calabria-you know, since it’s not much of an “escape” to read about your own backyard, but I was enthralled with this book. In fact, I spent more time on the introductions and background information than I did with the recipes and I found myself grinning when Rosetta referred to her mamma and her down-home cooking.

It was fun to compare Rosetta’s recipes, which hail mostly from the province of Cosenza, to those we make here in Catanzaro and my husband even found a few of his mom’s old favorites sprinkled throughout the book.

If you are in the market for a new Italian cookbook and want to try something new and authentic, then pick up a copy of My Calabria. But I must warn you … don’t read it on an empty stomach. You might not make it through the first 20 pages if you do.

Norton Publishing is offering three My Bella Vita readers a chance to win My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy’s Undiscovered South before they can buy it! Head over to My Bella Vita for all the details before November 5th!

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Cherrye Moore is an American freelance writer and Calabria tour consultant living in southern Italy. She writes about travel for MNUI Travel Insurance and about traveling in Calabria on her sites, My Bella Vita, and Il Cedro Bed and Breakfast, the website for her B&B in Catanzaro.