Photo: Amazon.

'Simple Italian Snacks'
Recipes by Jason Denton and Kathryn Kellinger
Photos by Michael Piazza
William Morrow -- 2008
Buy it on Amazon

Italian food: Unless you grew up noshing on Italian-American fare -- pastas, sauces, meatballs -- this particular Old World cuisine can seem fairly intimidating to newbies, especially in the era of sea urchin and lardo and beef cheek ravioli with squab liver and truffles. (Not that we'd complain if either dish arrived on our doorstep).

So we're grateful to see another book keeping things simple in the home kitchen from Jason Denton, partner in the very popular New York City restaurant Lupa and the man behind panini pioneer 'ino.

Most of his recipes are mercifully simple, relying on a few super-fresh ingredients to comprise menus that still look darn decadent when they hit the table. Look for a seasonal pizza of peach, mascarpone and honey or a gorgeous veal involtini wrapped around arugula and sweet roasted garlic.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Takeaway tips: Chapters are cutely titled after Italian traditions: "Backyard Bocce Tournament" features tuna paninis, whereas "World Cup Final" comes with a mandate -- that "food be plentiful, the television gargantuan and the volume way too loud." This is also a book sure to please panini-lovers, with 10 variations on that popular pressed sandwich.

Quality of photographs: Gorgeous, though somewhat sparse. We'd have loved to see photos every other page.

We tested: Sweet Pea Bruschetta with Mint and Pecorino, Bruschetta alla Romana.

Mint is an ideal summer ingredient and, given the heat outside, the brief baking times for each of these appealed to us. Sweet Pea Bruschetta was exactly as it sounds -- that classic mingling of peas and mint that never seems to go out of style -- whereas Bruschetta Alla Romana was an optical illusion. Egg yolks, olive oil, red pepper flakes, anchovies, butter and lemon juice all get tossed into the food processor and puréed. Baguette slices topped with mozzarella rounds are briefly broiled and topped with the golden sauce. The result looks like a soft-boiled egg, with a savory element via the unctuous egg yolk and salty anchovies that's unlike any other treats that we've sampled this summer.

Worth the investment: Yep. Denton's recipes might not impress the well-seasoned home toque specializing in Italian fare, but for those of us who are crunched for time, these recipes make for a fine addition to the home cookbook stack.