Product Description

With more than 100 illustrations by Karin Kretschman.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3855 in Books
• Published on: 1992-10-27
• Released on: 1992-10-27
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 704 pages

Amazon.com
Perhaps more than any other person, Marcella Hazan is responsible for bringing Italian cuisine into the homes of American cooks. We're not talking spaghetti and meatballs here--Hazan's cuisine consists of polenta, risotto, squid braised with tomatoes and white wine, sautéed swiss chard with olive oil and garlic.... Twenty years ago, when Hazan first exploded into the American consciousness with The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking, such recipes were revolutionary. With time, however, these classic dishes have become much-beloved family favorites.

Now a new generation is ready to be introduced to Marcella Hazan's way with food, and in Essentials of Italian Cooking Hazan combines her two earlier works into one update and expanded volume. In addition to the delicious collection of recipes, this book serves as a basic manual for cooks of every skill level. Recipes have been revised to reduce fat content, and a whole new chapter full of fundamental information about herbs, spices, and cheeses used in Italian kitchens--as well as details on how to select specific ingredients--has been added. New chapters, new recipes--who could ask for more than Essentials of Italian Cooking?

From Publishers Weekly
In the language of cookbooks, the word "classic" is bandied about nearly as frequently as the terms "low-fat" and "no-cholesterol." In this case, however, the estimable Hazan ( More Classic Italian Cooking ) does indeed contribute a classic to the ever-increasing literature of Italian cuisine. A revision and update of her two previous "classic" Italian cookbooks (with more than 35 completely new recipes), this one includes recipes not "in pursuit of novelty, but of taste." As Hazan puts it, the book "is meant to be used as a kitchen handbook . . . for cooks of every level . . . who want an accessible and comprehensive guide to the products, the techniques, and the dishes that constitute imperishable Italian cooking." From marinated carrot sticks to sweet-and-sour tuna steaks, Trapani style, to tortellini with fish stuffing and polenta shortcake with raisins, dried figs and pine nuts, the outstanding recipes--many of them poetically simple--are too numerous to do justice to in few words. Included is a spirited discussion of squid and the essentials of preparing fresh pasta, gnocchi (potato dumplings), authentic risotto, frittate and polenta dishes. While writing from Venice, her home for much of the year, Hazan never fails to consider the availability of ingredients in the U.S., and never assumes that all readers understand complex methods or exotic terminology. This volume is the perfect gift for a new homemaker, a seasoned chef and all lovers of good food. Illustrated. 40,000 first printing; Home Style Book Club main selection, BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook (1976) and More Italian Cooking (1978) are the standards in the field, and now, almost 20 years after the publication of the first title, they are available in a single volume, completely revised and updated. A few recipes have been cut, about 50 new ones added, and just about every recipe from the originals has been rewritten and, where deemed necessary, revised. Italian cooking, as opposed to the Italian American fare passed off in so many restaurants, has become all the rage here in the last several years; with the reappearance of Hazan's classics, it's strikingly apparent how far ahead of their time they were the first time around. The only disappointment is that the lengthy, thoughtful menu suggestions with each recipe have been dropped. An essential purchase. HomeStyle main selection; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

So far so good
I only received this book a couple weeks ago.
The 3 recipes I cooked were okay.
I had reservations about the two chicken breast filet recipes:
cooking times requested are very short and your filets can come out raw.
-She should've been more specific on to tell when its done by detailing the weight of the breast filets to use.

However, other recipes, especially the pasta ones, look really good!
Looking foward to using this book more.

Good basic Italian cooking!
This is a good book for technique and ingredients; belongs on every Italian cook's shelf. I agree it's a little limited re recipes. But, her recipe for Minestrone is the BEST I've ever tried! Excellent technique for prepping and cooking all the veggies. I've been making this soup for years and it's a true winner!

I love a lot of the recipes but...
I do love a lot of these recipes, but not all of them. I don't think I would've tried to make sauce with San Marzano tomatoes if it hadn't been for this cookbook. I am so glad I did. The recipe for the tomato sauce with butter is to die for. I put some in a small container to let my sister try, gave it to my niece to bring to her, and as soon as she tasted it, she called me on the phone to ask for the recipe. I also tried the Minestrone alla Romagnola soup recipe and was pleasantly surprised again. My brother happened to have a chest cold at the time that I made it, and I sent some home to him when his wife stopped by. Again, he called as soon as he ate it and asked how I made it. Needless to say I have bought several of this cookbook and sent one to my brother and one to my sister. Now we all cook some of the recipes that we each like.
Now my father was from Italy, and he came to the United States when he was a child. He opened several restaurants and was very successful. He passed away when I was very young, so I never had the chance to talk to him much about cooking. However, I do remember how good many of his recipes were, and he always insisted on making everything from scratch, even his chicken and meat stock. After trying the recipes in this cookbook for meat stock, I have to say that it is VERY similar to my dads.

The lemon Chicken recipe in this book is not only tasty, but it's easy as well. Everyone that has tried it agrees. The recipe for the pork braised in milk was just okay for me. I actually prefer making pork roast my way with garlic, rosemary, thyme and extra virgin olive oil processed in a mini chopper and smeared all over the pork roast and slow roasted in a 325 degree oven to an internal temperature of 170.
Eggplant parmesan seems like a good recipe, but again, I prefer my way of salting and draining it and dipping it in egg and milk mixture then flouring it and frying it. After letting it drain on paper bags, then layering it with sauce fried eggplant, parmesan cheese, sauce, eggplant, sauce, mozzarella cheese, eggplant sauce and then more parmesan, and baking it at a 375 degree oven for an hour. It comes out great every time. Now I haven't tried all the deserts, but I have to say that some of them don't look or sound very good, so I tend to look else where for those recipes.
As for the way the book is written and illustrated, I find it very good. I never had a problem reading or figuring out anything that was written, there are plenty of notes and illustration pictures for you to see so nothing is very hard. All in all I do like this book, just not all the recipes, and I do use it often.

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