Learn Italian Cooking from the Best Cookbooks Available
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The Best Cookbooks for Learning to Make Italian Food at Home
I have been cooking Italian food at home since I was a young child and gone through more Italian cookbooks than I can count! Yet there are certain titles I reach for again and again for my family favorite recipes or elegant dinners celebrating the regional food of Italy. The books presented below are my top picks for the best Italian cookbooks available today. Some may be out of print but are readily available from used sellers on Amazon, and at prices too good to pass up. Not only are the recipes outstanding but these books help you learn about Italian culture and how to get the maximum flavor from even the simplest pasta, meat and seafood dishes. Enjoy - and mangia!
(Photo: by chamomile, morguefile.)
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #1
"Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Amazon Price: $17.00 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $13.00
Marcella Hazan is simply the "goddess" of my Italian kitchen. Her books "The Classic Italian Cookbook" and "More Classic Italian Cooking" were my first introduction to true Italian food and how to prepare it at home. With her careful, thoughtful directions, she advises on every last detail of how to prepare everything from cleaning a whole fish to trimming an artichoke. "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" combines the recipes of those two original volumes into one great resource with an additional 50 great recipes to try. Just a few of my favorites include the Sauteed Veal Chops with Garlic, Anchovies and Parsley; Braised Pork Chops with Two Wines; Fried Tidbits of Swordfish; Pan-Roasted Porgies with Marjoram and Lemon. These are classics of true Italian cooking presented in an outstanding manner for the novice as well as experienced Italian chef.
Marcella Hazan Cookbooks on eBay
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #2
"Perfect Italian" by Parragon Publishing
Perfect Italian
Amazon Price: $2.03 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.01
Looking for a simple yet attractive collection of basic Italian recipes? This book is a surprising delight. I would recommend it to anyone looking to get started with Italian cooking at home as the recipes are simple, ingredients easy to find, and many classics are here that you'll want to prepare on a regular basis. I know I make at least one dish a week from this cookbook and some of my standards include the Tuna with Garlic, Lemon, Capers & Olives; Pappardelle with Chicken & Porcini; Fillets of Sole in Tomato & Olive Sauce and Tuscan Chicken. Hunger-inducing photographs accompany each recipe.
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #3
"Pasta" by Eric Treuille & Anna Del Conte
Pasta
Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $3.99
Want to learn how to really make great pasta dishes? Then look no further than this book. With a long introductory section dedicated to choosing the right pasta noodle, cooking pasta, draining, tossing and saucing, you'll become an expert at preparing knockout pasta in no time at all. Recipes are divided into logical categories: with Tomatoes; with Butter and Cheese; with Mushrooms; with Seafood; with Meat; Fresh and Filled Pasta and more. They are also all labeled as quick, slow or "no" cook and with simple variations to keep the recipes fresh and exciting. Some of my favorites include the Chickpeas with Rosemary, Chili and Garlic Pasta and the Four Cheeses al Forno. If I could have just one pasta cookbook, this would be the one.
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #4
"The Romagnolis' Italian Fish Cookbook" by Margaret Romagnoli and G. Franco Romagnoli
The Romagnolis' Italian Fish Cookbook: A Large Embrace and a Light Touch
Amazon Price: $7.84 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.32
If you love seafood prepared in an Italian style then look no further. This comprehensive volume will be a delight with its well-organized, straightforward recipes for preparing fish in the various regional styles of Italian cooking. Each variety of fish is presented along with a collection of recipes to best accentuate its flavors. For tuna lovers, there is a wonderful Fresh Tuna Sardinian Style or Tuna Steaks in Onion Sauce. Antipasti, salads, pasta and rice dishes, main courses and special luncheons are all discussed in an easy-to-follow style.
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #5
"The Best of Northern Italian Cooking" by Hedy Giusti-Lanham and Andrea Doti
The Best of Northern Italian Cooking
Amazon Price: $3.90 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.01
My mother bought me this cookbook when I first went to college - and I've since then had to fight to keep my copy of it as she's always "borrowing" it for the recipes. This book may be simple in appearance and minimal in flair, but the recipes are solid and easy to learn to prepare. Nearly 300 recipes are presented, all classics of the Northern Italian table from Florence to Milan to Venice. Learn how to make a perfect Scaloppine of Veal with Mozzarella; traditional Ossibuchi; Venetian Fish Soup; Risotto alla Milanese and wonderful salads such as Green Beans with Oil and Lemon and Marinated Eggplant. Preparation notes help give special warnings and instructions, as well as wine pairings.
Find This Book on eBay
The Best of Northern Italian Cooking
How Do You Search For New Italian Recipes and Cookbooks?
What are your criteria when looking for new Italian cookbooks to try? Or do you simply download recipes as you need them on-line?
(Photo: by sockii, homemade arugula pizza.)
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #6
"Leaves From Our Tuscan Kitchen" by Janet Ross and Michael Waterfield
Leaves from our Tuscan Kitchen: or, How to Cook Vegetables (Cookery Library)
Amazon Price: $30.78 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.01
This collection of Italian vegetable cookery was first published in 1899, and has since been updated and revised by the author's great-great-nephew. Learn how to make many traditional Italian vegetable (but not always vegetarian) dishes such as Asparagus with Prawns and Lemon Mayonnaise; Beets Baked Whole with Cream and Parmesan Cheese; Grilled Tomatoes with a Mustard Dressing and much more from the simple to the complex. Instructions are concise but will help you expand your vegetable cookery in exciting and new ways.
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #7
"Zuppa!" by Margaret and G. Franco Romagnoli
Zuppa!: A Tour of the Many Regions of Italy and Their Soups
Amazon Price: $9.36 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.77
This is another great cookbook from the Romagnolis. Italians adore their soups and every region has specialties, many to celebrate the changing seasons. This elegant book will introduce you to the importance of soup in the Italian diet and how to make classic soups from Tuscany, Pedmonte, Venice, Lazio, Sardegna, Puglia and more. Prepare a hearty Chickpea, Bean and Barley Soup from Liguria, or perhaps a unique Omelet Soup with Anchovies from Umbria. If you love soups, you definitely need to pick up a copy of this book and begin to explore the wonderful Italian soups within its pages.
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #8
"Italian Regional Cooking" by Ada Boni
Italian Regional Cooking
Amazon Price: (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price:
This out-of-print but still incredible title is virtually an encyclopedia of classic Italian recipes. Going region by region, the author presents a luscious picture of Italy and how every area celebrates food in a variety of ways. Then you will find nearly every classic dish you may need to prepare at home, with interesting historical detail as well. Did you know the story of Spaghetti all'Amatriciana in Rome, and how its name is taken from the small town of Amatrice in the Sabine Hills? Or that Risotto with Eel is a traditional Venetian Christmas Eve dish? While some of the ingredients and meats here may be exotic to most home chefs, there are plenty of simple chicken, pasta, fish and meat dishes that anyone can prepare. Instructions are brief but this is still an important volume to keep on hand to learn basic dishes of all regions of Italy.
Looking for Ada Boni's "Italian Regional Cooking"?
eBay Often Has Copies
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #9
"The Wine Lover Cooks Italian" by Brian St. Pierre
The Wine Lover Cooks Italian: Pairing Great Recipes with the Perfect Glass of WIne
Amazon Price: $9.89 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.01
For those interested in learning more about the art of pairing wine with Italian food, this book is a wonderful guide. The author goes region by region through Italy, introducing the traditional wines of the area as well as outstanding recipes to go with them. The recipes are elegant and will definitely "wow" your guests. This book is perhaps not for the beginning Italian cook, but the recipes are not impossible to prepare at home and are a mixture of simple to complex. I especially enjoy his recipes from Sicily, including Grilled Tuna with Moroccan Spices and Orange Salad with Fennel, Olive and Mint. From the Northeast and the Veneto there is a wonderful Sea Bass Roasted in Red Wine Sauce and Baked Red Peppers Stuffed with Spinach, Shallots and Sage. Check this book out for some very sophisticated Italian recipes - and then delight others with your expert wine selections to go with the meal.
Best Cookbook for Italian Food #10
"Marcella's Italian Kitchen" by Marcella Hazan
Marcella's Italian Kitchen
Amazon Price: $10.23 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.40
I can't help but include another book by my favorite Italian chef, Marcella Hazan, to round out this list. "Marcella's Italian Kitchen" presents more great recipes presented in her typical detailed, personable style. Many of these are recipes perhaps for a more accomplished cook ready to put time and great care into her Italian cooking, such as for Grilled Veal Chops Stuffed With Vegetables and Cheese or Baked Crepes with Veal and Ham Stuffing. But her delightful stories and introductions with each recipe will make you want to put the effort into specialtis such as Fried Sole Fillets Marinated in Onions, Vinegar, Raisins and Pine Nuts, a delight of the Venice region Hazan calls home.
"Eat Your Books" - The Cookbook Search Engine Site
Have a lot of Italian Cookbooks as I Do? Then Check out "Eat Your Books"
The photo above is just a small section of my cookbook library. Yes, I seem to collect a lot of titles, Italian cooking and otherwise. If you're a bit of a cookbook addict as I am, sometimes it can be hard to find the exact recipe you want or one that uses the ingredients you have on hand at the moment. That's where Eat Your Books can come in handy - it's a search engine for cookbooks with an ever-growing library of cookbooks indexed for easy searching. You still need the books yourself to make the recipes, but it can make finding them so much easier. Eat Your Books has a very low monthly membership fee which in my opinion is well worth it. You can read my review of the Eat Your Books website for more information on the service.
What is Your Favorite Italian Cookbook?
Which Book Do You Like the Best for Great Italian Recipes?
Please let me know if you have a favorite Italian cookbook I haven't listed, and what makes it so special to you. I always enjoy hearing about new books to try out for myself. Thanks for reading!
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blackspanielgallery
Feb 2, 2012 @ 7:23 am | delete
- Nice lens.
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APackageAtTheDoor
Oct 28, 2011 @ 5:31 pm | delete
- Ditto miaponzo's comment!
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miaponzo
Jul 23, 2011 @ 12:07 pm | delete
- Honestly my favorite Italian cookbook was my grandmother :) ... I just don't love any other book as much :)
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About Me
by sockii
I'm a self-proclaimed Jane of All Trades who has written for numerous sites on-line including the Yahoo!Contributor Network, Demand Studios and Suite101.... more »
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Fetching RSS feed... please stand byAuthentic San Marzano Plum Tomatoes
Accept No Substitute for Italian Cooking
Strianese Whole Peeled D.O.P. San Marzano Tomatoes 14 Oz. Can
Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 02/23/2012)
Many canned tomatoes will use the "San Marzano" name, but unless they are "D.O.P." labeled, they are not the real thing. Cook with genuine plum tomatoes from San Marzano, Italy and you will never buy domestic canned tomatoes again. I always order mine by the case to keep on hand for regular use in my kitchen.
Perfect Pasta Cookware
A classic set from Cuisinart
Cuisinart 77-412 Chef's Classic Stainless Steel 4-Piece 12-Quart Pasta/Steamer Set
Amazon Price: $69.61 (as of 02/23/2012)
Pasta is an essential part of Italian cooking, and you need the right equipment to cook it properly. This stainless steel pasta set will definitely do the job right!
