5 comments about Italian Easy: Recipes from the London River Cafe.

1. 'Italian Easy' authors Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers are two English chefs who seem to carry a lot of weight in the community of writers on Italian Cuisine. They are one of the first employers of Jamie Oliver and were, I suspect, a strong influence on his style and choice of cuisine. In spite of Oliver's great celebrity, Gray and Roger owe nothing to this. Their reputation is firmly based on doing good Italian food before Jamie came to the limelight. Mario Batali also offers their books as one of his favorite reads for Italian recipes.

   Creating food that is both easy to prepare and sophisticated in taste and presentation always seems to me to be a chimera. An attempt to put together two things which are simply incompatible. I think Rogers and Gray have succeeded as well as anyone who has put their mind to this task. In their favor is the great pantry available to an Italian cook. Sometimes I think that if you put Parmesano Reggiano, fresh Tuscan olive oil, capers from Panteloria, sliced garlic, and basil from Genoa on shoe leather, it would taste good. It you replace shoe leather with artisinal bread, pasta, shellfish, spinach, or chicken and add tomatoes and anchovies, you basically have the recipes in this book. This is certainly an exaggeration, but not much. I am truly impressed by how simple and easy many of the recipes in this book appear on the page. Like a lot of simple recipes in Patricia Wells' new book 'The Provence Cookbook', they make you wonder how something so simple can taste good. I tried recipes in both books and I can attest that even a simple combination of pasta, broccoli, olive oil, garlic, and pancetta which comes together within 20 minutes, can be really impressive, especially as a dish which gives one both a starch and a vegetable.

   The same surprisingly short list of ingredients is the norm for most of the recipes. This is not to say there is no variety in the recipes. Just the opposite is true. In the short chapter on ricotta recipes, there are two different Italian specialities based on similar short ingredient lists that are totally unfamiliar to me. The first is 'Gnudi' that may be loosely described as a ricotta gnocchi. There are two recipes, one plain or 'Bianchi' and the other with spinach. The second type of recipe is a ricotta gratin named 'Sformata di ricotta'. The very best aspect of this and many other of these recipes is that it calls for cherry tomatoes which succeed in being reasonably tasty even if they are grown in a hothouse out of season. Another example of a successful mix of novelty and diversity is the chapter of nine potato recipes. Two of the nine are gnocchi, so there is nothing new there, and one is mashed potatoes with nutmeg and parmesan, so there is nothing dramatic there. But the other six recipes make dramatic combinations of potato with fennel, mustard, pumpkin, lemon, and tomato sauce.

   Speaking of tomato sauce, the book's pantry 'quick tomato sauce' is really quick with four ingredients and about 20 minutes of cooking time for an experienced cook. Compare this to Mario Batali's basic sauce which I find difficult to prep and cook in less than an hour (but then, I'm not the fastest knife in the kitchen).

   Even dishes which may appear to have involved or difficult recipes such as potato gnocchi or risotto appear simple in Rogers and Gray's words. I think this is a symptom that these recipes are not as daunting as they may seem to the newbie, but it is also a symptom of the fact that Rogers and Gray are writing to people who have some experience in the kitchen. The dozens of helpful little hints you typically get on the 'Molto Mario' show about the technique for heating garlic in oil, for example, are simply not there. There are no tips on peeling fava beans or even a hint that fava beans are naturally double wrapped. There is no babble about terroir or commentary on how the recipes were found or invented. Unlike the 8 year old 'Italian Country Cookbook' there is no consistent use of Italian recipe names with English translations taking a second line role. While many recipes such as potato gnocchi are Italian classics, many others are either highly streamlined versions of Italian classics or they are River Caf? inventions with Italian ingredients and techniques.

   I really like the many chapters with only a few recipes in some chapters, making it easier than usual to find the nine recipes based on potatoes or the three risotto recipes or the nine truly simple spaghetti recipes. The Brits must be as fond of spaghetti as we colonists. I really dislike the artsy presentation of the dozen bruschetta food photos on one page opposed to the corresponding dozen recipes on the following pages. What WERE these people thinking? Luckily, this nuttiness plays itself out by the time we get to the third chapter, carpaccio and we return to the sanity of recipe and photo on facing pages.

   This is the first River Caf? cookbook I have reviewed, and I regret my having overlooked them up to now. The authors have truly succeeded in giving straightforward recipes, easy to prepare with readily available (but not necessarily cheap) ingredients.

   Very highly recommended, especially if you have any taste for Italian food and need fast recipes. Also highly recommended if you like Jamie Oliver's style of food. This book is no nonsense good, easy cooking, as long as you have good basic kitchen skills.




2. You get the usual top quality presentations. Preparation is really easy! Triggers your own ideas.



3. I cannot believe that only two people have reviewed this book! It is by far one of the best books I own, and I have quite a collection. It is better than anything Giada DeLaurentis has done, simpler than Mario Batali, and as much as I love Jamie Oliver, is better than his new Italian cookbook as well. The book is simply beautiful. The layout and the photography make everything look irresistible. Even more importantly, everything I have made from here has been exceptionally good. The bruschetta ideas are inspiring. Almost everything in here is so simple, you wonder, why didn't I think of that? And yet the simplicity is deceiving as the outcome is beyond delicious. The pea and scallion pasta with prosciutto is insane. The sea bass with potatoes divine. The veggie dishes are so good I recommend this book to vegetarians despite the fact that it is not a veggie cookbook. If you buy one Italian cookbook, this is the one....



4. This cookbook is set up in a very unique which sets it apart from others in this genre. The dishes are rustic yet sophisticated; definitely a nice fixture for a beginner but also for a seasoned cook looking for some inspiration.



5. Great italian recipes. Ingredients wonderfully spelled out,easy directions and beautiful pictures.Presented in such a way that you will want to cook Italian every night!!

5 comments about On Top of Spaghetti...: ...Macaroni, Linguine, Penne, and Pasta of Every Kind.

1. This is such a great book! I'm a huge pasta lover, and I love trying new and interesting recipes. This book has a wide array of options. I've tried a handful already and can't wait to try more. There are lots of recipes with very few, simple ingredients, and yet the results are incredible. You can make a lot of them with things you already have in your pantry. And of course, if you want to you can go buy a few more and try something entirely different. Definitely pick up this book if you want easy and fast ideas for pasta that will taste like you're eating at a restaurant.



2. Good pasta, but the fact that they put rabbit in this cookbook is repulsive to me. They couldn't stick with chicken? Gross.



3. So far have tried only oen recipe and it was good but the book is very good reading and I feel I will use it many times.



4. I've just read the two worst reviews of this book got; the lowest one has nothing to do with the actual book - amazing. The other one is upset that rabbit is included as a meat in the book. Interestingly rabbit is normal fare in many parts of the world and especially in Europe. It's normal to see it on a menu in finer restaurants as filet and more traditional meats are considered boring. If this were an authentic East Asian book it may very have contained recipes for dogs and scorpions among other animals too numerous to mention. The world is getting smaller and smaller and it's time for America to wake up and see what the rest of the world was doing hundreds of years before we were even a country. Unless you've tried rabbit (and depending how it's cooked it's really good) don't knock it till you've tried it.
   
   That said this book is absolutely wonderful. I've tried many of the offerings and with rare exception they were all outstanding. Which are the best? I'm not going to tell you. I would love to have had this book all to myself.
   
   Still want a suggestion? OK, I'll give in and give you one - how about Pappardelle with Rabbit on pages 143-145. It's excellent. ;-)
   
   David Malek



5. I grew up in Providence, RI. I knew about Al Forno and Lucky's restaurant when I came back. It is about a mile away from my brother's store in Providence next to the river.
   
   Johanne Killeen and George Germon the couple that have inspired wood oven pizzas and much more. I were there before 1991 but all I can remember is a very hot orange harrisa sauce. Can't remember much else except we ate in Luck's upstairs and not in Al Forno side. Very good but I know I did not eat pasta, lasagna or something of the kind.
   
   I was looking for special Italian dishes. I have not been to Lidia's in Kansas City (can't afford it) but I watch her TV show. My mother likes to try some of her recipes from the book I sent her. However, my mind stil drifted back to the very highly regarding Italian restaurnts in Rhode Island. While there are many, the one that stands out is Al Forno's .
   
   While looking up what people thought about Al Forno's on Yelp and other sites for my blog (most said nothing but the best) , someone mentioned the latest new cookbook "On Top of Spaghetti" which was published in 2006. While I considered their first one Cucino Simpatica (which has become a classic) this new one sounded so good . Why? It seemed to offer recipes above the norm, taking a recipe and food to different levels. That is what I always look for in a restaurant, cookbook or meal.
   
   What I liked about this book (once I got it) was the impressive different dishes that the couple placed in this book based on their travels, cooking experiences and trying out real different recipes and ingredients.
   
   It arrived. You know when Billy Joel and Danny DeVita and Rera Pearlman rave about the chefs and the recipes then there is something great going on inside.
   
   When I review a book, I start looking for many things. In this case, besides the interesting recipes, each one had a background, where and how they came to know this recipe. Special ideas about the ingredients, tips of all sorts abounded throughout the book. I immediately look through all the recipes to see which ones I want to try. I wan't try at least half of them but where should I start?
   
   I has a bunch of cherry tomatoes so I started with Spicy Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Roast the vegetables and peppers, I decided to puree them and toss with spaghetti. Very tasty. 9.4/10. So what is the next way to kick it up a level.
   
   I wanted to make something that was different then what I have made before but has a different spin in their book. I chose Sgaghetti and Summer Chicken Cacciatori. Not to difficult to make it did not use tomato sauce but just tomatoes. I was skeptical. I did not use panecetta but included everything else, I let it go for 40 minutes. It came out awesome.
   
   The chicken was juicy and the tomato and the ingredients permeated the chicken. I would rate it 9.8/10. While I did not include spaghetti this time, I will use the sauce and left over vegetables for tomorrow. This makes a fine spaghetti sauce. I might not want to buy canned spaghetti sauce again (well almost).

5 comments about Cucina of Le Marche: A Chef's Treasury of Recipes from Italy's Last Culinary Frontier.

1. As an avid cookbook collector, this is my favorite 2006 acquisition. I have been a devoted fan of Maestro, Chef Trabocchi's marvelous DC area restaurant and have been eagerly awaiting the publication of this book to learn more about his inspirations and bring some of the magic into my own kitchen.
   
   Even if you haven't had the privilege of dining at Maestro, this book is a must-own for anyone who appreciates authenticity and a unique take on a traditional cuisine.
   
   Buy this book and be prepared to fall in love with Le Marche!



2. Part travelogue, part cookbook, Cucina of Le Marche intersperses its recipes with family memories and great storytelling. This is not just a cookbook to quickly consult over the stove; it's a book you'll want to curl up with and really read. Some of the recipes are fairly involved, but the writing is easy to follow and what I've made so far has been delicious. The rice and spinach soup with prosciutto and parmesan is heavenly, and the Le Marche risotto is easy to make but super yummy (the secret ingredient is cinnamon). Beginner cooks, advanced chefs and avid readers should all find something to love here.
   
   Even with all the amazing restaurants in New York, I still crave the delicious food at Trabocchi's restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in VA. With this cookbook I can bring a little bit of his cuisine to my own kitchen. Bravo!



3. I love Fabio's cooking. It's Inspired and exploding with amazing flavor. Fof over a year and a half worling in Maestro, I didn't always understood where the genious came from. This book has allowed me to understand a lot about him.
   
   The recipes in the book are not your typical italian fare, it's a rustic, culinary treasure from a relatively undiscovered region of Italy. Very recomendable.



4. This book is based in large part upon the story of the Familia Trabocci,
   That story gives the reader/cook some real insight into the spirit of the food which is made with the excellent recipes. This is not really a cookbook for the beginner because, although it has very fine illustrations of dishes on the table, there are few procedural illustrations and many of the regional ingredients may be difficlt to obtain. It is a fine book of the cooking and customs of a region of Italy. Buy it and read it, you will enjoy it! You should also try to reproduce the cooking through some of the recipes in the spirit of the region.



5. Since my husband is from Marche, I enjoyed reading this cookbook with the side descriptions of life in the province. Some of the recipes would be difficult to make here due to ingredients, but there are some Marche favorites that are delicious.

5 comments about The Figs Table: More Than 100 Recipes for Pizzas, Pastas, Salads, and Desserts.

1. So far I've mainly made the pizza recipes in this book, but they alone are worth the price. The crust recipe is heavenly and quite easy to make. The dough balls are so light and fluffy after rising that they practically float off the board. They hardly need any working and cook in 6-7 minutes on a baking stone into a uniquely thin, light, crunchy and tasty crust.

   One thing to watch out for, however, is that English specifies fresh yeast for the pizza dough. I had trouble finding that, so I used the active dry yeast commonly found in supermarkets, and after one try it worked perfectly. The equivalent measure for the two teaspoons of fresh yeast is one generous teaspoon of active dry. Also, dissolve the dry yeast in the water/oil liquid (at 115 degrees F) just prior to mixing, rather than putting it in with the dry ingredients as specified for the fresh yeast. If there's a fault to the book, it's that English doesn't help you much with substitutions like this that vary from his ideal.

   The pizza toppings are imaginative and yummy, and can inspire you to create your own. English tends to be a bit minimalist, however, so we sometimes increase the cheese and some other topping ingredients.

   I've also made the white-chocolate challah pudding, which lives up to its billing as "sex on a spoon". Be sure you have plenty of people to share it, however, or you'll wind up with a big pan of incredibly delicious but super-rich pudding calling to you from the fridge for days.

   It's a uniquely great cookbook. I look forward to working through the other recipes.




2. This cookbook is one of my favorites. Right now, the roasted tomato sauce is bubbling away in my oven. Picture this: fresh or even canned plummed tomatoes, sliced onion, olive oil, herbs--simply dump it all in a roasting pan, come back in an hour and you've got a superb sauce. Most of the recipes are this simple: honest, fresh, quality ingredients, simply prepared, with great results.
   
   Todd English would not want to know how many friends have hand-copied recipes from my Figs Table cookbook--his publisher might sue me. I live near Boston, so everyone knows and loves Figs restaurant and the foodies will always spot the book in my kitchen and want to page through it. Inevitably, they will ask for pen and paper to copy recipes. I do think SOME of them actually bought the book.
   
   In addition to the roasted tomato sauce, Olivia's chicken is another recipe I make at least a couple of times a month. I need to buy a pizza stone so that I can try the pizza recipes. I have had great luck with every recipe from this book.
   You won't be dissappointed if you buy this book.



3. After thoroughly enjoying the Olives cookbook and Olives dessert, I was disapointed at the simplicity of this cookbook. I was expecting more eye opening dishes from the master of Mediterranean cooking.



4. rated by our cook club members.
   we gather together once a week, to experice and learn a new dish each time for the past few yrs,
   we hv used many different cook books, but his book is always the favorite among all of us.
   it is not only clearly stated " how to....", but also "simple and down to earth" food, not the fancy ones u see among other cook books.



5. I've been living in Charlestown for a little over three years now and over that time have come to love and feel at home at both Olives and Figs. This book does a wonderful job of capturing the things I love about Figs. So far I have made several recipes including the the pizza dough, mushroom puree, mushroom pizza, portobello burger, and couscous carbonara and all have been delicious. What is especially wonderful is that they taste identical to what you've had in the restaurant so you won't feel like English is holding back a secret or that these recipes can only be perfected with ingredients that represent the creme de la creme (although good ingredients certainly don't hurt.)
   
   Yes, olive oil, cream, and cheese are common ingredients but if you're watching your waistline it's easy to cut back on these items slightly to make them a bit more healthy. As a previous reviewer mentioned, the pizza dough is great. It has an interesting taffy-like texture and when rolled out thin, bakes up light, crispy and perfect, even on an inexpensive baking pan.
   
   While some of the recipes do require prepping components like a puree or an aioli ahead of time many of these things store well in the refrigerator so you can easily make some components ahead of time. I made the dough, for example, on a weekend, divided into balls that could be stored in the refrigerator and baked them up during the week. The book also mentions that the dough freezes well.
   
   The only thing I do wish is that they would reissue the cookbook as there are many new pizzas on the menu that are not included in the book. However, this is a small nit as everything in the book is fantastic and easy to master.

5 comments about Italian Food (Penguin Classics).

1. I've been carrying around my 1969 Penguin editon of Elizabeth David's book for over 30 years. It's now a wreck - it's been used so much! It is absolutely the best book I have read (and used constantly) that describes the art of cooking Italian food. Great descriptions of Italian (including regional) ingredients and really easy to follow practical menus. I was so delighted to learn that a new edition of this marvelous book (first published in 1954!) was available.



2. `Italian Food' is one of the three major books Elizabeth David wrote in the first five years of her culinary writing career, the other two being `French Provincial Cooking' and her first, `Mediterranean Food'. The titles of two of these three books, being about `Food' and not strictly about `Cooking' is very telling of the fact that Ms. David's major books on food are simply not like any other writer of her generation.
   
   For starters, it is a mistake to see Ms. David as `the English Julia Child'. While Julia Child was possibly the most outstanding teacher of cooking methods writing in English, Ms. David was the most distinguished scholar of English, French, and Italian cooking methods and cuisine. The hallmark of that difference was that while Julia Child reworked and expanded traditional recipes so that no detail was left to chance for the amateur American cook, Ms. David goes to equal lengths to describe exactly how Italians really cook, down to the marked inexactness of their measuring.
   
   Unlike all the great modern writers in English on Italian cuisine such as Marcella Hazan, Giuliano Bugialli, and Lydia Bastianich, Ms. David not only gives us a survey of Italian ingredients, recipes, and methods, she gives us a critique of them as well. Can you possibly imagine Marcella Hazan saying that the Italians generally do not cook eggs very well?
   
   Note that Ms. David is as rigorous about her giving the correct Italian names to things as the very best of the Italian writers, but unlike the Italians, she is really seeing Italian cooking through French colored glasses. Today, we commonly think, for example, of a frittata as a distinct type of dish. Ms. David translates `frittata' into `omelet'. Her description of the technique is perfect, something even Mario Batali would be proud to quote, but he may object to the interpretation of the dish as seen by `the F country'.
   
   The importance of Ms. David's achievement, which required a full year's research in Italy, can only be appreciated when you realize that she was working in a climate of opinion in England which saw Italian cuisine as very dull, being nothing more than variations on pasta and veal. As we are well aware today, Ms. David found an enormous wealth of regional diversity in ingredients, methods, and even language, as the same pasta shape can be called three or four different names in different parts of the country.
   
   Since this is a critical and analytical look at Italian cooking, it is done by type of dish rather than by region. And, the book is not intended to be a `complete' survey of Italian dishes. There are a few well known dishes such as `pasta puttanesca' or `timbales' which are not here, and some, such as `spaghetti alla carbonara' which are found under a slightly different name, `Maccheroni alla carbonara' (which is actually more appropriate, as many types of pasta shapes are done with this eggy preparation).
   
   One of the many things that stand out in this book is how well Ms. David's personality and point of view come out on practically every page. In a recent competition for `The next Food Network Star', the judges stated over and over that the contestants must project who they were while presenting the culinary material. Like her great contemporaries, M.F.K. Fisher and Julia Child, this is certainly one thing which Elizabeth David does to great effect. I was especially pleased when she spoke of her connection to the much older travel writer, Norman Douglas. While Ms. David's biography did not clearly reveal the source of Elizabeth's love of food and food writing, the statements in Ms. David's own `Italian Food' make it clear that the elder Norman Douglas was her primary mentor in establishing her professional interest in food and writing about it at a very high standard.
   
   Ms. David's high standards are evident when you compare her writing with that of Tony May in his recent handbook, `Italian Cuisine' where I found several mistakes in identifying ingredients. While the culinary content was sound, Mr. May, and his publisher's copy editors, had relatively low standards for factual accuracy.
   
   A quick look at the back of `Italian Cooking' confirms the fact that this is more a work of scholarship than of a simple book on cookery. There are appendices of bibliographies on both cooking and tourism and notes on wine. One may need to be a little careful with any references, especially on wine and travel, as much in this area has changed in the last 50 years.
   
   Short of stumbling across an autographed copy of the hardcover edition with the original illustrations, you will want to refer to the revised edition, first published by Penguin Books in 1963, as this edition incorporates most of the footnotes into the main text, as the footnoted material was largely segregated due to the 1954 rationing of food in England.
   
   While Ms. David had several major culinary writing disciples, especially Jane Grigson and Claudia Roden, I believe the only place you will find writing at her level of scholarly criticism is from the leading modern columnists such as John Thorne, Jeffrey Steingarten, and James Villas.
   
   You may not want to cook from this book on a daily basis, but as I have, I believe you can use this as your primary source of Italian recipes, and be all the wiser for choosing this volume.



3. I want all her books. The recipes are current and real today. I want all her books
   and want them in hardback.



4. I have an old Penguin paperback version of this book, in my possession since 1966, held together with duct tape, speckled with with dots of olive oil, pesto and marinara from all these long years of use so it was with great delight that I found this new version on Amazon. It is a standard that I return to again and again for Mrs. David's keen understanding of what makes Italian cusine so superb; impeccable ingredients, careful attention to method and restraint. The recipes from this book taste the most like food I've eaten in Italy because Italian food, while layered with many nuances and flavors is essentially quite simple relying on exquisite freshness and finesse. Elizabeth David brings that lesson home in her wonderfully literate and direct voice sometimes reminding and sometimes demanding what the recipes are expecting from you. As is her wont the book is filled with asides and quotes from Italian writers and thinkers; F.Marinetti, the Italian futurist of the 1930s and Apicius from 30 A.D. and a line like this from Guiseppe Marotta, the Neopolitan writer, who says about spaghetti: "The important thing to remember is to adapt your dish of spaghetti to circumstances and your state of mind". She wins me over with her charming/demanding use of the English language, her dry sense of humor and her obvious love of her subject. Many of the recipes in this book have become part of my repetoire ( Minestra Verde, Budino di Pollo in Brodo, Casoeula, Carote al Marsala & Pesche Ripiene to name a few) while others are simply informative about Italian food and culture. This book, originally published in 1954, holds it's own right now in the 21st century and is a tantalizing and wonderful adventure in cooking and eating. For anyone who enjoys Italy and Italian food this book will give years of service and pleasure.



5. I picked this book up at a remainder sale- you know- "crown books" kind of thing- about 15 or 20 years ago. It was in the bin that was being almost given away because there was water damage, so I grabbed it and searched for a clean copy. Couldnt' find one so I bought it- really for the illustrations. It's full of details of kitchens, cooking, scullery maids etc by painters from the 1500's (Pieter Aertsen), 18th centurey (Groewenbroth & Carlo Magini), 14th (Tacuinum Sanitatis), 15th (Abulcasis) and on and on including some gems like Jocapo Ligozzi "Mouse and Walnut" which also depicts a mole, Vincenzo Campi's "The Kitchen" showing a decidedly NOT cuddly cat with entrails from a bird or eel scratching a little setter who is hoping to steal the bits- one that makes the book worthwhile if there was nothing else I liked.
   
   Luckily for my overflowing shelf of cookbooks (that are underutilised due to cries of "Mom, I don't want duck wings!", etc) the book is handy too. The recipes are more like guidelines than recipes- sort of the anti-recipe to those who need full-color illustrations of each and every item in a cookbook in order to consider purchasing the book. The illustrations show what food looked like when the cooks knew what part of the animal it came from. The guidelines are designed for people who were accustomed to using what they had on hand and judging how the food was cooking by how it looked and smelled, not by the clock or timer.
   
   Yes, I love this book- as a cook who substitutes and guesses and makes things up as I go along and make pretty darned good food, despite what my children may think.

5 comments about Harry's Bar Cookbook.

1. I have been a serious student of cooking for the past 25 years. I have focused on Italian cooking for 10 of the last 25 years after my first trip to Italy.
   
   Harry's Bar in Venice is one of those places that everyone wants to visit at least once. The restaurant does not disappoint and neither does the cookbook. If I had to pair down my Italian cookbook collection (which is now well over 50 cookbooks) this book would be in my top 5. Each recipe in the book that I have tried has been perfect. Even if you normally tinker with recipes, as I usually do, try these just as they are written at least once. I don't think that you will be disappointed.
   
   I appreciate the fact that the book is authentic, as opposed to the Italian-American books that are normally available in America. This book is packed full of fabulous recipes, each one better than the last. The pictures of the recipes are beautiful as the photos of Venice.
   
   This book will be a wonderful addition to anyone's cookbook collection. This would also make a fabulous gift for a lover of either Italy or cooking.



2. I own and love the original Harry's Bar Cookbook. Is this book the same thing but with Lawson included? As I read the reviews I saw the same stories as appear in the original.



3. This book offers such wonderful recipes and a great story too! I like reading about the history of the restaurant which is absolutely wonderful. Can't wait to go back. The book is great, and the recipes are basic and easy to follow. Wonderful find for anyone who enoys cooking and loves to eat!



4. I think, also, that Amazon may have a mistake with Nigella Lawson doing the foreward? Even the book cover pictured says it's Michael Winner. I don't know if this has been updated once inside, but it appears to be the same book with a different publisher. It's also more expensive than the 1991 version from Bantam Books. Great book, by the way.



5. I own dozens of Italian cookbooks and decided to buy Harry's Bar Cookbook. I'm very glad I did. This book offers many unique recipes and is well written. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Cooking by Hand.

1. I have thoroughly loved reading this cookbook. Even if you never make any of these recipes, you will love learning how this great chef looks at the world of ingredients. Fortunately, the lion's share of his insights surround common foods which you and I enjoy all the time, such as tomatoes and artichokes. His chapters on pasta and "bottom-up" cooking are wonderful culinary reading. This book would make a great gift for someone who loves to cook but already has the big name cookbooks.



2. Fast international delivery. Book arrived in perfect condition - Thankyou.



3. another perfect example of a book that combines philosophy with cookery with the result of a flawless melding of the two. as a culinary professional, i have found this book to be incredibly inspiring. i have used the recipes and techniques in the book both at work and at home, with great success. sometimes when i am exhausted after a long days work, i just open this book for a pick me up, whether it is the story of his son's batteria (the balsamic vinegar array) or his charcuterie recipes (not found in many other cookbooks) or the spare illustrations (so rare in these days of gastro-porn) there is clearly something special about this book.



4. As one who definitely focuses on cookbooks for the pleasure of reading, there's one volume that stands so far above the rest that I am surprised that it is not more often seen or discussed. My vote goes for Paul Bertoli's wonderfully crafted book, "Cooking by Hand". It is such an incredible integration of one man's love of tradition, life, family, culture, philosophy, and ultimately dedication to cooking as almost an aesthetic, in it's full philosophical sense, pursuit
   
   It doesn't hurt that he is obviously a very gifted writer. He draws you in with his emotional attachments to food, be it through childhood memories of care packages sent by an Uncle from Italy full of homemade salumi, or hearing in the old country stories of pasta so good that all it needs is a simple dash of olive oil, or with his touching open letter to his newborn son who will one day read about and appreciate the profundity of the present he received when he was born: a set of traditional aceto basalmico barrels in diminishing size for aging vinegar. Initially full of vivid fruit and youth while in its largest barrel, the ripening vinegar will no doubt slowly diminish in volume while increasing in complexity and depth as they both grow older, until they are both of advanced age wherein the vinegar that essentially grew up with him now just occupies the smallest of the barrels. Within lies an elixir so precious as if it were made to consecrate the crowning achievement of having reached old age.
   
   So he pulls you in with his stories, but also with his clear dedication to get to the core of what it takes to get the most out of his ingredients. The food he talks about in his book are not fanciful creations meant to impress by a self-aggrandizing originality or boldness of thought; rather they are honest tastes brought back from old traditions, created perhaps only a few generations past when people still took the care to use that most extravagant of cooking ingredients: time. In fact he opens his book with a most appropriate quote from Elizabeth David: "Good cooking is trouble".
   
   A true aesthete of taste, he takes you along on his own personal, almost zen-like journey to find, for instance, the secret to that pasta so good it only needs olive oil - this is of pasta that tastes of the grain - a pasta so good that it starts with it's ingredients in its most humble form - as grain itself, carefully selected and considered, then painstakenly hand milled and turned into flour.
   
   Reading through his words you will begin to see the world of taste through his eyes, and similarly begin to acclimate to his unique sense of timelessness that pervades his writing. In other writers hands it may seem indulgent to spend a major section of the book on nothing more than the pleasure of seeing a tomato twelve different ways. The only other comparison I can make is with Mas Masumoto's "Four Seasons in Five Senses: Things Worth Savoring", whose almost singular topic is the peach; it will forever change how one looks at a simple peach. And as in Masumoto, one may never look at their ingredients in quite the same way once having experienced reading Bertoli's book.
   
   Where before I had none, now I find my kitchen with no less than three manual grain mills, and a vinegar jar wherein I produce my own red wine vinegar. I am sure that I am not the only reader of his book that has been so influenced, and if this intrigues you in any way, perhaps you will find yourself travelling along on a very similar journey.
   
   Indeed, "good cooking is trouble"...



5. This is a great book for reading, as well as cooking. I ordered it for my farm experiences that I am having and wanted to use recipes that I knew what went into my meat. The long term use of this book will be very valuable to me. It is amazing the way it is put together and the usefullness of the information included.

No comments about The New Lasagna Cookbook: A Crowd-Pleasing Collection of Recipes from Around the World for the Perfect One-Dish Meal.

5 comments about Sweet Maria's Italian Cookie Tray: A Cookbook.

1. This is a fantastic cookbook. I am Italian and did not write down all the recipes I should have and have been looking for a simple book. I read all the reviews and the biggest objection is the lack of pictures. Well I appreciate the price of the book and believe pictures would push it up. If the cookie looks fine to you and your family then rejoice. I have other books that put extra gourmet ingredients that do not improve the taste enough to warrant their infusion. One cookie we always baked at Christmas is the Cherry x-mas cookie. We have added other ingredients to make them even more festive such as chocolate chips, pineapple chunks and cocoanut. Love this book!



2. 
   This book is excellent for Moms who love to bake cookies. I love italian cookies and i am sure you will once you try some of these recipes.



3. The cookies and biscotti that I make from this book come out perfectly and delicious because of the terrific instructions given. The lead information prior to the start of the recipes have been extremely helpful also. I am ordering more books for friends and family who have haunted me for the recipes. I know they will be pleasantly surprized.



4. SWEET MARIA'S ITALIAN COOKIE TRAY COOKBOOK IS WONDERFUL. VERY EASY RECIPES BUT QUITE A SELECTION. AMUSING LITTLE STORIES WITH THE RECIPES MAKE IT FUN TO BAKE FROM THIS BOOK. I HAVE THIS BOOK AND HAVE BOUGHT SEVERAL FOR GIFTS - RECIPIENTS VERY GLAD TO RECEIVE IT.



5. I love this book. I have always wanted to know how to make these authentic Italian cookies...and here they are all rolled up into on great book! I think its great!

5 comments about Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen.

1. Recipes to warm the heart and soul. Pino and Mark do a great job of letting you know their cooking is sincere. You just want run to the kitchen and try these recipes on your family and friends.



2. We bought "Two Meatballs..." for our daughter-in-law to be, who is of Italian heritage and quite the young cook. She loves it! The day after Christmas my sister and I went to her apartment to make pasta from scratch. We had a rollicking good time and a wonderful bonding experience. "Two Meatballs ..." was our guide to creating the most luscious pasta I have ever eaten. We are looking forward to more cooking fun together, creating the dishes showcased in this terrific cookbook.



3. I bought this book a few months ago and I have made 4 or 5 recipes out of it so far. I am very pleased. I have been a fan of Mark for years, ever since I saw him on the martha stewart show, and I have been using his tomato sauce recipe ever since.
   
   Great book, highly recommend it.



4. I've made the different pot roast recipes from this, my husband some meatloaf dishes - we both love this cookbook. I look through and find good ideas and inspiration for dinner, my husband enjoys the back and forth commentary on food preperation and tastes. The recipes are clear, all our dishes have turned out delicious - none have been difficult or terrible time consuming.



5. Two meatballs is a very delicious cookbook. I have made four or five recipes. My family loved all of them. It is also very nicely illustrated.
   I'm going to make the tuscan pot roast the next time I have friends over.