Product Description
Perfectly pristine ingredients, combined sensibly and cooked properly, are the unmistakable hallmarks of the best Italian food. Chef Mario Batali, known to fans far and wide as "Molto Mario" from his appearances on television's Food Network and as chef of New York's much-loved Pó restaurant, has elevated these simple principles to fine art, creating innovative new fare that pays tribute to traditional Italian home cooking in a distinctly modern way. Now, for the first time, more than 200 of his irresistible recipes for fresh pastas, sprightly salads, grilled dishes, savory ragus, and many others are gathered in Simple Italian Food, a celebration of the flavors and spirit of Italy.
Mario draws inspiration for his distinctive dishes from the two "villages" that have left their stamps on his cuisine: Borgo Capanne, the tiny hillside village in Northern Italy where he lived and cooked for several years, and New York's Greenwich Village, where he has ready access to bountiful produce and outstanding artisan-made products; his full-flavored, smartly presented fare combines the best of both worlds. Chapters covering antipasti, pasta and risotto, fish, meat and poultry, contorni (side dishes), and cheese and sweets offer classic dishes such as Baked Lasagne with Asparagus and Pesto and pork loin cooked in caramelized onions and milk alongside Batali's own enticing improvisations--Penne with Spicy Goat Cheese and Hazelnut Pesto or Tuna Carpaccio with Cucumbers, Sweet Potatoes, and Saffron Vinaigrette. And because his recipes succeed on the strength of their ingredients rather than on virtuoso techniques, home cooks can easily duplicate the clear, clean flavors and lively presentations that are Mario's signature. Thirty-two pages of color photographs showcase Chef Batali's colorful and approachable recipes.
Traditionalists as well as those who thrill to the new will want to make dozens of these crowd-pleasing dishes a permanent part of their repertoire and embrace Mario Batali'sphilosophy of Simple Italian Food.
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Amazon.com Review
Sure to excite lovers of the best Italian cooking, Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages reenvisions classic home cucina with enticing results. Batali, known to fans as "Molto Mario" from his Television Food Network shows, and as chef-owner of Manhattan's much-loved Po and Babbo restaurants, presents nearly 250 of his favorite recipes, traditional and innovative, for delectable salads, pastas, grilled specialties, ragus, and desserts, among others. The collection, inspired by the cooking of Borgo Cappene, a hillside village in northern Italy, and Greenwich Village, where Batali culls exemplary ingredients for his restaurants, reflects Batali's commitment to simple cooking--impeccable ingredients sensibly combined and properly prepared. Cooks seeking deeply flavored, smartly presented dishes will embrace Batali's recipes for everyday meals and for entertaining. Arranged by courses, antipasti through formaggi and dolci (cheese and sweets), the uncomplicated dishes include White Bean Bruschetta with Grilled Radicchio Salad, Baked Lasagna with Asparagus and Pesto, and Roasted Porgy with Peas, Garlic, Scallions and Mint. Gorgonzola with Spiced Walnuts and Port Wine Syrup with fresh fruit would make a lovely conclusion to any dinner. Throughout, Batali provides advice on dish preparation; there are 32 pages of color photos and dozens of black-and-white shots of life in Batali's two villages. Batali's reliance on the best ingredients simply prepared, rather than on fussy restaurant techniques, places his dishes squarely in the realm of home cooks. They'll find his book a keeper. --Arthur Boehm
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 Not so simple ( wmtimm )
Before I start, I want you to know that I haven't read any of the other reviews.
That being said, I bought this book some years ago because I enjoyed watching Molto Mario on the Food Network. What he was doing on that show seemed simple enough because he used a minimum of ingredients (or so it seemed).
I've tried to get through some of the recipes in this book without having to substitute one thing or another because I can't get them in the not so far suburbs of Chicago. It isn't so much that some of the ingredients are unavailable, but there are so many that I would never keep in a "simple" home.
The stories are wonderful, but as a cookbook, it leaves much to be desired.
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 A taste of Italy
After reading ,trying and eating what Mario offered, I was certain he has mastered they way of Italy. And in Italia there is no bad food.. Grazie Mario
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If this is simple, I'd hate to see complex ( hm00 )
"Take one Yak's kidney (the left one, not the right) and toss it with yellow-blue endive, freshly picked that morning from the garden of a french hairdresser's mother's cousin's chiropodist."
I only exaggerate a little.
I'm sure the results of the recipes are fantastic, but I am tired of celebrity chefs selling their restaurant fare (which it took them years of intense labor and skill development) in cookbooks labeled "simple". If it were so simple, there would be no need to spend the money it costs to eat in their restaurants. They have the staff, the facilities, access to the ingredients, and the equipment to get done what most people can only dream of doing at home.
If you want pretty pictures of food and some nice ideas to work from, enjoy this book.
Personally, I prefer cook books that truly cater to the what the average interested home cook is likely to have at home.
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great book
excellent cook book for beginners or pros...love it and love shopping on amazon
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 Impossible Cookbook ( dattor )
Mario Batali's cookbook is most disappointing. I looked it over carefully, and I found absolutely nothing of interest to me. His recipes are incredibly complicated, with ingredients available only in restaurants and the households of professional cooks, northern Italian ones at that. There had to be standby pestos, tapenades, sauces and vinaigrettes. Impossible, really. This is a most unattractive cook book. I won't even give it away.
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