Italian cuisine evolved over centuries, from the early Greek and Roman banquets to today's pizzerias.
The Italian slow cooker
Michele Scicolone ; photographs by Alan Richardson.
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
The fresh, exuberant flavors of great Italian food are combined with the easeand comfort of a slow cooker in this mouth-watering, meal-inspiring cookbook.240 pp.
Italian farmer's table : authentic recipes and local lore from northern Italy
Matthew Scialabba and Melissa Pellegrino.
Guilford, Conn. : Three Forks, c2010.
The Italian Farmer’s Tableis a sumptuously illustrated cookbook featuring authentic recipes from over thirtyagriturismi(working family farms that provide room & board to travelers) in northern Italy, where the cuisine served epitomizes the farm-fresh movement underway in the United States, the UK, and beyond. Visitors toagriturismi, who come from all over Europe and North America, indulge in such delights as fresh ricotta cheese made the same morning, prosciutto from free-range pigs, and organic vegetables picked minutes before serving. nbsp; Professional chefs who are fluent in Italian, Matteo and Melissa have transcribed more than 150 authentic northern Italian recipes from these family farms—few of which are found in cookbooks available outside of Italy. Full-color photographs and anecdotes about the farms and their residents bring Italy’s glorious countryside to life and complement such recipes as Onion Tarts, Fried Butternut Squash Ravioli, Piemontese Beef Stew, and Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Almond Butter. All recipe ingredients are given in both U.S. and metric measurements. nbsp;
Giuliano Hazan's thirty minute pasta : 100 quick and easy recipes
Giuliano Hazan ; photographs by Joseph De Leo.
New York : Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009.
Now that America’s low-carb obsession is over, home cooks are once again looking to prepare well-balanced meals that include everyone’s favorite food—pasta. Few of us, though, have the leisure to create a classic Bolognese meat sauce from scratch. For those who are as pressed for time as they arestarvedfor a toothsome bowl of beautifully sauced pasta, Giuliano Hazan has created 100 scrumptious pasta dishes that can be put together in half an hour or less.nbsp; Hazan’s repertoire—hearty pasta soups, fresh-from-the-greenmarket vegetarian dishes, and meat and seafood sauces that take their cue from the classics of Italian cuisine—will let you bring healthful, hunger-satisfying pasta back to your family’s weeknight-supper table. Included are recipes for last-minute dishes, as well as useful advice on stocking your pasta pantry, choosing cooking equipment, and figuring out which pasta shape goes with which kind of sauce.
Italian breads : from focaccia to grissini : with recipes
by Maxine Clark.
London ; New York : Ryland Peters & Small, 2009.
Enjoy baking the rustic homemade breads of Italy in your own kitchen. Here you'll find authentic recipes for everything from large loaves and flatbreads for sharing to little savory snacks and fruited breakfast breads. Perfect with soup or for mopping up sauces, simple recipes for Loaves and Rolls include Parmesan Soda Bread and Tuscan Fresh Sage and Olive Oil Bread. A chapter devoted to delicious Focaccia and Flatbreads features fool-proof recipes for one of the easiest-to-prepare breads. Bake a batch of Deep-pan Facaccia, Potato and Olive Facaccia, or Chickpea and Rosemary Flatbread. Bread is the perfect vehicle for stronger flavors such as Italian cheeses and cured meats. Try delicious Small Bites such as Little Fired Neapolitan Pizzas or Pancetta and Fennel Puffs. The perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine and a dish of olives. Grissini and Crisp Breads incude Peppered Breadsticks, Anchovy Twists, and Crispy Pizza Sheets. Finally, try a slice of one of the moreish Sweet Breads. Mouth-watering recipes include Black Grape Schiacciata and Fig and Hazelnut Breakfast Bread.
Clara's kitchen : wisdom, memories, and recipes from the Great Depression
Clara Cannucciari with Christopher Cannucciari.
New York : St. Martin's Press, c2009.
YouTube] cooking sensation Cannucciari shares her treasured recipes and commonsense wisdom in a heartwarming remembrance of the lessons she learned during the Great Depression.
The Renaissance, a time characterized by availability of a greater variety of foods and richness in the preparation of those foods, introduced the world to Italian cooking. Classic recipes which were passed down from generation-to-generation are now established as today's Italian cooking style.
Salamis and sausage links bring mouth-watering thoughts to mind. Prosciutto, or Parma ham, pancetta, mortadello, bocconcino, bresaola, and ferrara are all different types of meats that Italians love to eat. Through curing and adding spices, salt, and pepper, delicious salamis are both familiar and distinct.
Just as there are many varieties of salamis, so are there many types of Italian cheeses. There are hard grating cheeses such as Romano and Parmesian. There are also stretched, or kneaded, cheeses. Mozzarella, made from either buffalo or cow's milk, is a kneaded cheese. These cheeses are commonly used in baked dishes, such as lasagna, because while they can melt, these cheeses also retain their texture.
|
Pasta Types to Sauces
Flat shaped noodles such as tagliolini, fettuccine and linguine can be served with butter and cream sauce.
Thin, long pastas like linguine, thin spaghetti or vermicelli are best suited with seafood sauces.
Tube shaped such as rigatoni, macaroni and penne need a robust sauce with large pieces of vegetables or meat.
Semolina pasta, like cavatelli and orechiette, are very good with vegetable and seafood sauces. |
A wealth of different regional dishes, cheeses, and wines are found throughout Italy. However, to most people in the world Italian food means pasta. Each region has its own type of pasta in Italy. There are literally hundreds of shapes and sizes. All are made with a simple mix of flour, water, and often, egg.
Pasta should be cooked until the center of each piece remains slightly hard and retains some bite. Italians refer to pasta being cooked "al dente," which means it has a feeling "on the tooth" when you bite into it.
A popular sauce is the meatless tomato sauce, called "marinara" sauce. Marina is Italian for the work "seaside" or "mariner." This classic Neopolitan sauce was named for those Neopolitan fishermen who often came back from their fishing hungry. At home, they would throw together quickly tomatoes and herbs, to create a sauce.
Both taste and technique make Italian cooking unique. Toasted peppers, aged provolone, plum tomatoes, or salty anchovies, all make up part of this uniqueness. Lots of garlic and fresh herbs also are used frequently in Italian cooking.
From simple to gourmet; from Italian trattorias to restaurants around the world; from Italian kitchens to your kitchen--Italian cooking means to all of us--Buon appetito!
More about Cooking the Italian way
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff
