Book excerpt: If your mother had been brought up in an extended Italian family that was passionate about food, and gone on to run one of the country's most successful delicatessens, would you not want a record of all the knowledge and experience she had acquired? This book provides just that, in a form that can be shared with other families and other cooks. Addressing her daughter Francesca, Mary Contini has written not only a wonderful cook book, but also a compelling and often moving account of her family history. Informative, humorous and always passionate, this is a cookbook to read as well as to cook from day after day.