Product Description

• Rocco comes to the home cook's rescue with more than 130 quick-and-easy dishes, many of which are featured on his A&E TV show, Rocco Gets Real.

• Chapters focus on the center of the plate, including pasta, chicken, beef, pork, fish, and seafood.

• Special chapters include Healthy Meals (recipes seen on The Biggest Loser) and Rocco's Holiday Table.

• Rocco's recipe notes teach, inspire, and encourage home cooks through every step in the kitchen.

• Short ingredient lists, quick and easy prep, and clever shortcuts mean streamlined techniques that don't compromise flavor.

• Full-color photography throughout the book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25759 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-20
• Released on: 2008-10-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Rocco DiSpirito's road to fame began when he was 11 years old while helping his mother, Nicolina, in her own kitchen-an experience that sparked his intense interest in food and cooking. Now one of today's most exciting chefs, followed by millions, the Jamacia, Queens, native entered the Culinary Institute of America when he was 16. He graduated in 1986 and studied at Jardin de Cygne in France before earning a B.S. in Business from Boston University in 1990. After working at restaurants in New York and Boston, he joined Lepinasse's opening team, then opened Union Pacific in New York's Granmercy Park as chef and owner. Food & Wine named him its Best New Chef in 1999, and the following year, Gourmet magazine called him “America's Most Exciting Young Chef.” DiSpirito opened Rocco's 22nd Street in the summer of 2003, while cameras for NBC's The Restaurant watched and took notes. Later that summer more than 8 million viewers a week tuned in to see the ups and downs of DiSpirito's family-inspired eatery. DiSpirito is the author of four previous cookbooks, including Rocco's Real Life Recipes in 2007.

Customer Reviews

smart and simple
This is the first cook book that has ever made sense to me. im a single guy and I actually have a job and don't have 12 hours to prepare a meal, especially before a date. i don't mind spending some money getting a meal together but i DONT want to spend alot of time. and i still want it to be cool. this cook book is awesome!! really straight forward, really fast, and everything came out great. it was hard to screw up the recipes which is good since when you are getting ready for a date, you kind of want to be as close to idiot-proof as possible. this is the most practical cook book ever

Get Real With Rocco-This Time its a Masterpiece !
This book does it all. Its informative, inexpensive and entertaining. There are tons of pictures and many helpful tips. His information bar is indispensable! It gives the shopping list and pictures of the tools you need. And of course the recipes are like no one else's. His food is vibrant, just different enough to make you feel like you went on a journey but very easy to make. I love this guy.
Cooks

Rocco's Book Makes Me Cook!!!
I am a young professional who loves great food, but never cared much for cooking. My family always cooked for me (my dad is a chef), so when I started living on my own, I only ordered take-out and never bothered to start learning to cook. When I realized how much money I was spending, and how much weight I was gaining, I decided to buy Rocco's new book in an attempt to cook fast, easy, but tasty meals. To my surprise, all of the recipes actually came out great, tasted as good as they looked, and were very flavorful! The book is a great guide because it has step-by-step pictures, shopping lists, and illustrations of all the tools needed for each recipe. The recipes are simple but not unimaginative or lacking in flavor. The real test was when my dad came to visit me and I decided to cook him a recipe out of Rocco's new book. I made him the sweet and sour cherry beef on page 42. My dad could not believe his eyes (or his taste-buds!) It was soooo good, I decided to cook more often (and HE decided to get a copy of Rocco's book for himself). This book is great for people who feel hopeless in the kitchen, or for people who already know and love cooking, but want to try new recipes. I didn't know the difference between a skillet or frying pan, much less what they look like. But having this book makes me feel confident that I can become knowledgeable about what to use to achieve high quality food in an easy, effortless manner. Plus, the new sections on health and holiday make this a great, all year round go-to cookbook. Thanks Rocco, for sending me on my way to becoming healthier, wealthier, and not having to compromise the flavors I love so much!