'Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes From My Two Villages' By Mario Batali Photographs by Mark Ferri Clarkson Potter -- 1998 Buy it on Amazon
More than a decade ago -- long before Del Posto, Otto and road trips through Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow -- Mario Batali had two restaurants, Pó and Babbo, and was just beginning to grow his rock-'n'-roll, orange-Croc-wearing legend through the Food Network.
It's there that we find him with "Mario Batali Simple Italian Food," his first cookbook, which takes readers through the tastes of Borgo Capanne, where Batali worked in Trattoria La Volta on the border of the Italian regions Emilia-Romagna and Toscana, as well as his other "village," New York.
Batali divides the recipes of these villages by color: The orange-titled ones are those he invented in New York; the brown titles are those he learned in Italy.
See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.
'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.
'Italian Food' Recipes by Elizabeth David Foreword by Julia Child Alfred A. Knopf -- 1958; Penguin edition -- 1999 Buy it at Amazon
When Julia Child calls another cook "the doyenne of English food authorities" and her veal recipes "lovely," it's time to pay attention. Elizabeth David, not Child, is credited with breaking the English out of their stodgy meat-and-potatoes routines way back in the 1950s. Having sojourned in both France and Italy as a young woman, translating the recipes of local Italian and Frenchwomen from "by the handful" into so-called "proper" measurements, David was the first English cook to really bring Italian and French food to her native country.
Takeaway tips: David's prose is very unlike that of, say, M.F.K. Fisher, being quite straightforward, but is accurate and worth reading for its sheer Englishness: "Zuppa pavese" (a soup) is "a capital invention, admirable when one is tired, and also for solitary meals." She can't help but dropping details about her travels into the writing, but does so in such an accessible way that one doesn't come away from the book loathing her.
Frank Sinatra was a man who loved to dine. Indeed, he was many a restaurants' favorite patron, from the neighborhood pizzeria to more upscale spots. Additionally, his picture hangs in hundreds, probably thousands of places he never even set foot in because Sinatra means Italian food.
The ultimate in Frank-revering restaurants has opened in the new Encore casino in Las Vegas, where Sinatra (Well, what would you call it?) is the first restaurant fully sanctioned by Ol' Blue Eyes' family. So sanctioned that it's bursting with enough memorabilia to stock a museum; not only photos, but gold records, Grammys and Frank's Best Supporting Actor award for From Here to Eternity grace the dining room, which puts a glossy, post-modern spin on Sinatra's signature Palm Beach style.
Heading up the kitchen is executive chef Theo Schoenegger (formerly of LA's Patina) whose Italian cuisine eschews red sauce and Mama Dolly's pasta for dishes possessed of a more minimalist elegance with a few simple, fresh ingredients applied to maximum effect. Order up a chairman-approved cocktail and toast the good life.
Preserved meat counter at an Ipercoop supermarket in Italy. From Flickr user cary b's Flickr.
I'm posting images of sausage counters the world over each weeknight (and occasionally weekend) witching hour until I run out. Please use the comments section to post links to your Flickr or personal site faves, and perhaps you'll see 'em posted here late some evening.
Many cookbooks shine with crisp newness. The pages have a smooth sheen; the pictures are perfect. But that's not the case with Biba Caggiano's Biba's Italy, and it's all the better for it.
Printed on yellowed pages with ragged edges, Biba's Italy is a collection of recipes gathered from some of the country's big cities -- Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan, and Venice. The book discusses the typical Italian menu, an espresso glossary, and then digs into the culinary treats -- each city broken down into its own menu of Appetizers, Pasta/First Courses, Entrees, Vegetables/Salads, and Desserts, plus further information about wines, restaurants, and other food fare for the city. You can dip into the Bologna's Stuffed Pork Chops that feature parmigiano and prosciutto, taste some Milanese Saffron Risotto, or even some Venitian Whipped Creamy Salt Cod with Soft Polenta.
It's like a book that's been handed down over the years -- ready to use and full of history. It has the feel of age, presented in a way that you want to throw it on your counter and dig into the varied and delectable recipes. Most of the ingredients are easy to find and procure, and the meals are free from any gourmet fastidiousness. If you love Italian food, or want to expand your knowledge of Italian flavor, this book is definitely worth a look.
The Classic Italian Cookbook was Marcella Hazan's very first cookbook, first published in 1973. Hazan was born in Italy and moved with to New York with her husband in the mid-fifties. She had never cooked when she lived in Italy, but quickly started preparing meals in order to create the flavors and dishes she knew and loved back home. That turned into a cooking school and a gig writing about food for the New York Times. Food historians credit her with bringing authentic Italian food to the United States.
I picked up my copy at a thrift store (I seem to get a lot of cookbooks that way) recently. It's just a small trade paperback, but there are variety of editions available. It is a fantastic book to have a reference if you want to explore Italian cooking (although she says straight out in the book that really there is no such think as a single Italian cuisine, instead there are a variety of regional cuisines).
Being that I have something of an obsession with eggs (an increasingly well documented one, at that) it is no wonder that my copy seems to open automatically to the Frittata section. I am now planning one with artichokes for a brunch this weekend. I can't wait!
A lot of our food traditions and habits we learn from our parents at an early age. Take pasta sauce. I come from a large Italian family, so we had spaghetti every single week when I was growing up. My mom made her sauce (my dad's recipe, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was award-winning) and when we put it on the pasta, we put a lot. Not enough so it gets all watery and the pasta is swimming, but certainly enough to cover the pasta out to the edge (more than the photo above).
Now here comes Mark Bittman at The New York Times who agrees with this approach. While most cookbooks will tell you to make a lot of pasta and just add a couple of ladels of sauce in the middle of the plate, Bittman suggests you turn the amounts around and make twice as much sauce as pasta. Mario Batali, in a video from Serious Eats after the jump, disagrees.
Seems like every food mag is doing a travel issue these days, and Bon Appetit is no exception. Their "Where To Eat Now" cover story focuses on France, Italy, Australia, and Spain.
However, if you're looking for authentic pesto, the kind made from basil grown under the Genoa sun, then you're facing increased prices or even shortages of the stuff. The area of northern Italy was destroyed by unseasonable hailstorms, leaving 35 producers affected and about $6.5 million of damages in its wake. I guess you'd expect that from hailstones "the size of tennis balls."
Mario Batali will cook for you and 11 of your closest friends, if you are the highest bidder at a charity auction in Michigan next month. The "Sunday afternoon lunch in the true style of Rome", to be held on August 27th, includes a cooking lesson with as much participation as you want to have in preparing the food, wine tasting and (of course) a 10-course lunch. He auctioned a similar lunch for the group, The Conservancy, last year, which sold for $25,000. Batali says that he offers 6 to 10 such functions for charitable events every year and that most of them sell for around $50,000.
The silent auction closes on August 1st and bids can be placed online. The bidding starts at $5,000.
Local produce is used nearly exclusivly across the range - there are Pears in Prosecco (Perine al Prosecco), mixed berries in Prosecco (Frutti di Bosco in Sciroppo di Vins Prosecco), radicchio in extra virgin olive oil, tagliatelle also made with radicchio and various meat products such as Soppressa and Lardo and a couple of cheeses.
Continuing the wine theme they also produce a Panettone made with, yep you guessed it, Prosecco that contains Prosecco grapes from the 'cru' vineyards of Cartizze. One product that I have personally sampled - several times ;-) - during my recent visit is Cartizzini. These are small, two-bite biscuits, not too sweet, containing a semi-dried Prosecco grape from the Cartizzi vineyard. As I said, not that sweet, and superb with a chilled glass of the bubbly!
No details as yet of stockists or prices. Hopefully I can report back when the details are finalised and they let me know.
What they don't rave over-- but should -- is Il Valore Primitivo, a wine from the Puglia region of Italy (the "heel "of the "boot," geographically speaking). It's made from red Zinfandel grapes, and it's perfect with Italian food (naturally) but would work well with any grilled red meats. And quite frankly, it has a depth and complexity that one expects from Zinfandels in the $10 to $15 range.
The price? That's the best part. At the TJ's in Northern Virginia where I make pilgrimages once every six weeks, it's selling for $4.99.
So why spend money on Charles Shaw when you could have a real wine for five dollars? I'll admit, Il Valore Primitivo doesn't have a catchy nickname ("Five Bill Il" was the best I could come up with), but dollar-for-dollar, it's more bang for the buck than Chuck.
I have no idea why I'm reading Men's Health. Regardless, the magazine has an article that encourages men to cook these seven dishes from around the world at home, to keep them lighter than the restaurant versions that are always loaded with too much pasta, rice and potatoes. Men's Health says that the "secret isn't tiny, Frenchman-like portions; it's a redistribution of nutrients." Hey, if it makes you look like Mr. Cooking Guy in the photo, I'm all for it!
The recipes are for:
Curried Shrimp Kebabs with Basmati Rice (Indian)
Sausage and Pepper Pasta (Italian)
Steak and Bean Burrito (Mexican)
Pork Fried Rice (Chinese)
Teriyaki Salmon Bowl with Broccoli (Japanese)
Cajun Chicken Fingers with Sweet Potato Fries
Broiled Lamb Chop over Cucumber Tomato Salad (Greek)
The recipes are for one portion though. I'd double it, and make dinner for yourself and your date!
'Italian Food' 
Many cookbooks shine with crisp newness. The pages have a smooth sheen; the pictures are perfect. But that's not the case with Biba Caggiano's Biba's Italy, and it's all the better for it.
The Classic Italian Cookbook
A lot of our food traditions and habits we learn from our parents at an early age. Take pasta sauce. I come from a large Italian family, so we had spaghetti every single week when I was growing up. My mom made her sauce (my dad's recipe, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was award-winning) and when we put it on the pasta, we put a lot. Not enough so it gets all watery and the pasta is swimming, but certainly enough to cover the pasta out to the edge (more than the photo above).
Think you know a lot about Italian food? 
Seems like every food mag is doing a travel issue these days, and Bon Appetit is no exception. Their "Where To Eat Now" 
Don't worry, you can still get fresh basil here in the US and 
Mario Batali 
Everybody raves over 
I have no idea why I'm reading 
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