Recommendation for cooking, food and wine

The Il Fornaio Pasta Deck features delectable pasta recipes from every region of Italy. Enjoy well-loved meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes customized for the home cook.
Includes
- Trenette con Pesto alla Genovese – Pasta ribbons with pesto, green beans, and potatoes
- Pici con Salsiccia – Hand-twisted noodles with a sausage sauce
- Farfalle al Salmone – Bow-tie pasta in a smoked salmon, caper, and brandy cream sauce
- And more!

About the Author
Michael Lamotte is a San Francisco-based photographer whose photographs have appeared in Bon App tit, Esquire, Sunset, and other notable publications, as well as in prominent national advertising campaigns and three other cookbooks. Maurizio Mazzon , a native of the Veneto region, developed his extensive knowledge of Italian cuisines working at various restaurants throughout Italy and the U.S. He began his career at Il Fornaio in 1989 and is now vice president and executive chef, over

You might think that all Italian food is very high in calories and fat, but this cookbook shows that it is possible to enjoy all the flavors of Italian cuisine while maintaining a healthy, low-fat eating plan.

It takes a kind of genius—or obsessive personality—to open five successful restaurants, host two Food Network shows and write three cookbooks, and Batali’s manic energy comes alive on every page of this fourth book devoted to dishes for the home cook. With over 300 recipes, the volume is an overstuffed celebration of the rustic local fare Batali loves, organized by course (antipasto, soup, pasta, fish, etc.). Fans will find repeat renditions of signature Batali dishes found in his earlier volumes, such as Short Ribs in Barolo, and Bucatini all’Amatriciana, but can also discover tantalizing new ones, such as Malloredus with Fennel, Game Hen with Pomegranate, and Lamb Shanks with Orange and Olive. Batali excels when he translates complex traditional dishes for the modern kitchen, such as Pork Loin in the Style of Porchetta. But in his desire to keep things “simple,” he sometimes goes astray, as in the case of homemade sausage, which is reduced to two not-very-simple steps of instructions. Such compression threatens to undermine Batali’s true passion for teaching Americans to savor the intense flavors of local ingredients simply prepared. All in all, the book tries to pack in too much; the two pasta sections would make a book in themselves. What the home cook really needs is more Mario, fewer recipes. Photos, drawings. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description

“The trick to cooking is that there is no trick.” ––Mario Batali

The only mandatory Italian cookbook for the home cook, Mario Batali’s MOLTO ITALIANO is rich in local lore, with Batali’s humorous and enthusiastic voice, familiar to those who have come to know him on his popular Food Network programs, larded through about 220 recipes of simple, healthy, seasonal Italian cooking for the American audience.

Easy to use and simple to read, some of these recipes will be those “as seen” on TV in the eight years of “Molto Mario” programs on the Food Network, including those from “Mediterranean Mario,” “Mario Eats Italy,” and the all–new “Ciao America with Mario Batali.” Batali’s distinctive voice will provide a historical and cultural perspective with a humorous bent to demystify even the more elaborate dishes as well as showing ways to shorten or simplify everything from the purchasing of good ingredients to pre–production and countdown schedules of holiday meals. Informative head notes will include bits about the provenance of the recipes and the odd historical fact.

Mario Batali’s MOLTO ITALIANO will feature ten soups, thirty antipasti (many vegetarian or vegetable based), forty pasta dishes representing many of the twenty–one regions of Italy, twenty fish and shellfish dishes, twenty chicken dishes, twenty pork or lamb dishes and twenty side dishes, each of which can be served as a light meal. Add twenty desserts and a foundation of basic formation recipes and this book will be the only Italian cooking book needed in the home cook’s library.

Hundreds of detailed recipes enable both the beginner and the experienced cook to prepare the Italian feast of their dreams. Step-by-step instructions cover a wide range of Italian delights, from regional specialties to showpiece entrees, from quick antipasti to elaborate dolci. Special attention is paid not only to preparation but to presentation, serving suggestion, and appropriate side dishes.

From the Inside Flap
Classical and Contemporary Italian Cooking for Professionals Bruno H. Ellmer, C.M.C. “Classical and Contemporary Italian Cooking for Professionals is a reflection of Bruno Ellmer’s profound knowledge of Italian cuisine.… I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in cooking, and everyone who is interested in the art and history of Italian cuisine.” — Henry Haller, White House Executive Chef (retired) Italians have enjoyed the sensual pleasure of good food since the infamous feasts of ancient Rome. Italian cuisine reflects their love of eating — and cooking — in both simple but hearty traditional dishes and in the light, fresh nuova cucina of today’s innovative chefs. This sumptuous book is a comprehensive guide to this beloved cuisine, covering the spectrum of Italian cooking from regional specialties to showpiece entrées, from quick antipasti to elaborate dolci. Hundreds of detailed recipes enable both the beginner and the experienced cook to prepare the Italian feast of their dreams. Step-by-step instructions cover a wide range of Italian delights, including:

• Hot and cold appetizers: Carpaccio with Caponatina; Steamed Mussels with Vegetable Sabayon
• Hot and cold soups: Beef Broth with Spinach Crêpes; Pasta and Bean Soup, Veneto Style
• Egg dishes: Poached Eggs with Shrimp Marinara Sauce; Seafood and Herb Omelet
• Pasta: Spinach, Tomato, Herb, Beet, and Pumpkin Pasta Doughs; Spinach Tagliolini with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
• Rice, polenta, and gnocchi dishes: Risotto with Black Truffles; Small Spinach Gnocchi with Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Stocks and sauces: Garlic and Red-Pepper Sauce; Mustard Cream Sauce
• Fish and shellfish: Braised Eel in White Wine and Herbs; Batter-fried Squid with Warm Lobster Mayonnaise
• Meats: Sautéed Veal Chops in Mustard Cream Sauce with Wild Mushrooms; Beef Canapés with Walnut Cream Sauce
• Poultry: Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Prosciutto and Fontina with Tomato Sauce; Roast Duckling Stuffed with Chestnuts and Prunes
• Game: Venison Medallions in Orange Sauce with Cranberries; Rabbit Legs Braised in White Wine with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
• Vegetables: Broccoli Flan; Sautéed Beet Tops with Smoked Bacon; Stewed Peppers and Egg-plant; Potatoes with Tomatoes and Basil
• Salads: Mushroom and Spinach Salad with Olive Oil and Lemon; Asparagus with Spicy Tomato Dressing
• Hot and cold desserts: Sicilian Cassata; Poached Pears Filled with Mascarpone in Fruit Zabaglione; Polenta Fritters with Plum Compote

Special attention is paid not only to preparation but to presentation, serving suggestions, and appropriate side dishes. Dozens of beautiful color photographs illustrate this treasure trove of enticing recipes. Professionals chefs will applaud this book as a veritable encyclopedia of Italian cooking. Casual cooking buffs will welcome it as nothing less than a master’s course in one of the world’s great cuisines.

Cucina Rustica,”the rustic ’kitchen,”is Italian food at its simplest and freshest. With more than 250 recipes that use readily available ingredients in deliciously creative combinations, La Place and Kleiman offer a style of cooking and eating that’s inviting, easy, and elegant.

About the Author
Viana La Place is the author of numerous books on Italian cooking, including Desserts and Sweet Snacks, Rustic Italian Style, and Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini. She lives in San Francisco and spends part of each year in Italy.

Pintabona, chef of New York’s Tribeca Grill who famously fed hundreds of recovery workers after 9/11, shapes a diverse collection of recipes around the story of his life. Unfortunately, Pintabona’s story—from his Italian-American childhood to his French and Japanese culinary training and his restaurant proprietorship—isn’t as appealing as the food he celebrates. By clinging to the memoir structure, Pintabona forces readers to discover dishes according to his life’s chronology, rather than in relation to ingredients, courses, seasonality or technique (though there is a list of recipes by course). When he works in France, readers learn about Îles Flottantes; when he visits Israel, they find Eggplant Cured in Lemon. The recipes include Sicilian Stuffed Calamari with Raisins and Pignoli, Japanese Yakinuku (barbecue), and Turkey Meat Loaf with Cranberry Glaze. The section devoted to working at the Tribeca Grill is more practical, where Pintabona’s elaborations on cooking for crowds—with hors d’oeuvres like Chicken Skewers “Cordon Bleu” and chafing dish entrées such as Filet Mignon with Horseradish Whipped Potatoes—bring a more cohesive flow to the narrative. But still, the book is a strange hybrid. Part personal scrapbook, part international cookbook, it lacks the spirit that its likable author displayed in his earlier Tribeca Grill Cookbook. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In the realm of world cookbooks, this book comes as close as any to a comprehensive survey. Pintabona made his reputation at New York’s Tribeca Grill, but it was a long journey. His upbringing in a Sicilian American home gave him a foundation in typical home Italian cooking. Professional training at the Culinary Institute of America gave way to years of travel and work in France, Japan, and Southeast Asia. These experiences all contributed to the astonishing range of recipes found here. Beginning with a typical Italian American dish of meatballs in tomato sauce, Pintabona proceeds to a rustic pate, poached prunes, miso-glazed fish, veal-stuffed artichokes, Singapore noodles, and fruit cobbler. Recipes vary in complexity from simple meats and casseroles to sophisticated Manhattan restaurant fare. Sidebars recall journeys accomplished and friendships made. Deeply family-oriented, Pintabona revels in memories of his Sicilian roots. His account of Manhattan restaurants’ response to the horrors of 9/11 makes moving reading. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

This is not your mother’s Betty Crocker. Put aside the ham and canned tomato sauce and get out the prosciutto and fresh plum tomatoes. From zuppa to dolce, this cookbook is filled with enticing, aromatic recipes compliments of chef Antonio Cecconi. You can almost smell the sharp Parmesan grated generously over Spinach Gnocchi with Nutmeg and the tang of fresh basil in Roasted Garlic and Onion Soup.

Featuring recipes from Italy’s 20 regions, Betty Crocker’s Italian Cooking is a primo introduction to the varying tastes of Italy that’s straightforward and easy to read. Recipes are referred to in English and shadowed by their Italian counterparts (what sounds more intriguing: Linguine with Spicy Chicken Sauce or Linguine con Pollo al Pepe?). Each page clearly lists the ingredients, the steps, prep and cook time, serving size, and nutrition guidelines. As a bonus, Cecconi proffers historical context for every recipe. He also suggests substitutions in case you’re just not up to creating a homemade tomato sauce or roasting your own red peppers. Make sure to stock your pantry with Cecconi’s list of Italian cooking essentials (extra-virgin olive oil, anchovy paste, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and chicken broth) before attempting these recipes, then give Ravioli alla Bolognese a whirl. Try the Grilled Beef Short Ribs with Savory Lemon Sauce and a side of Potatoes with Artichoke Hearts and Olives, or maybe Pizza with Spinach, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese. Follow it up with homemade tiramisu and piping hot espresso, or even a grappa to “aid the digestion and end the meal on a relaxing note.” If you need help with meal planning, there are menus and suggested wine accompaniments in the back. –Dana Van Nest

Book Description
From pizza to pasta to the classic cannoli, Americans have an enduring love affair with la cucina Italiana — renowned for everything from its great taste to its beautiful presentations.

Betty Crocker’s Italian Cooking has been completely revised and updated, with recipes by Italian native Antonio Cecconi, who provides tantalizing and authentic Italian recipes to delight the palate. With chapters ranging from appetizers to desserts, it is easy to find the ideal, authentic creation for any occasion. But there’s more to this book than just recipes — special features enable you to expand your understanding of Italian cuisine:

• An introduction discusses the cuisines of Italy and how the history of the areas influences the food there.
• Complete glossaries of Italian cheeses, pastas, vinegars, herbs, and olives and olive oils can help you choose the right ingredients.
• Both “first course” and “main dish” servings are included for adapting the dishes to different placement within the meal.
• A menu section provides delicious ideas for creating complete Italian meals, from appetizers and main course to desserts.
• Match Italian wines to the menus you plan.

With 80 full-color photographs and 200 tantalizing recipes, Betty Crocker’s Italian Cooking opens the door to the food and culture of Italy.”