krisglomb's review
4.0
Like a taste of home! This had a bunch of recipes I grew up eating and was super nostalgic. I wasn’t blown away by any one recipe, but have a few I’ll return to and a couple sections I would want to cook more from.
queenie_nyc's review
5.0
This book is to Italian food what Mastering the Art of French Cooking is to French cuisine - a fabulous, accessible guide to cooking from all regions of Italy.
brucehoward's review
5.0
This is my Italian cuisine equivalent of Julia Child's "Art of French Cooking" or the Kennedy books for Mexican cuisine.
I think it should be one of the basic reference books on any cooks shelves.
I think it should be one of the basic reference books on any cooks shelves.
ninareadingbooks's review
5.0
Now this is a woman who writes with conviction. It is about 700 pages of descriptions, history, geography, and recipes. It is much more than a cookbook. This is a woman whose voice and strength could break down an entire regime, the regime in this case being those incompetent in a kitchen.
The way I read this book was more focused on the story telling and information blurbs than on the recipes themselves - which much to the discredit of the publishing and bookstore industry, I took many pictures of the recipes. The introduction was very informative, with a focus on the regional and geographical characteristics of Italian cuisine. Hazan also includes a lengthy section on ingredients used in Italian food and even wine pairings. I love Italian food and trusted that this book could guide me to becoming an expert.
Reading this book felt like a journey back in time, a very different time for cookbooks. There are no glossy pictures of the food and the instructions were sometimes accompanied with illustrations, but other than that you are left with only the written directions. There is simplicity in the ingredients and the recipes, but more importantly there is tradition and purity. The book is matter of fact - this is what you do, this is what’s correct. I trusted Marcella and felt she would not lead me astray, especially not in the ways I often flinch at modern, “creative” recipes.
The book is quite practical too. Hazan explains how to find the best ingredients, noting seasonal information for produce, but also what to look for on a bottle of balsamic vinegar or how to prepare capers if you must buy them in a jar. There are many notes on what to do if you can only get canned anchovies or how to adapt a recipe to accommodate canned tomatoes. It really is the bible of Italian cooking. I feel so much more equipped to grocery shop and to prepare great dishes with the ingredients available to me.
A few years ago I took it upon myself to read Julia Child’s, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, which is an iconic cookbook for French cooking. I would make the argument that Marcella’s book does for Italian cooking exactly what Julia Child did for French cooking. It is written in quite the same vein. Marcella has such a strength to the advice she gives, whether it is picking up correct ingredients or the proper order of making preparations. She also has a sense of humor, she writes about the impossibility of ruining a dish unless one has the intention of sabotage or telling your guests to stop talking, get to the table, and eat their pasta. Once cooked, pasta should be served and eaten immediately! Marcella Hazan really delivers on teaching the reader to understand Italian cooking.
I hope to purchase a copy of this for myself one day, but in the meantime I will use my phone pictures to continue making recipes. This past week, I have already made excellent tomato sauce and the Farmer’s Wife Pear Tart, which was devoured for breakfast. Easy to follow recipes, simplicity of ingredients, tradition, lovable author - perfetto!
The way I read this book was more focused on the story telling and information blurbs than on the recipes themselves - which much to the discredit of the publishing and bookstore industry, I took many pictures of the recipes. The introduction was very informative, with a focus on the regional and geographical characteristics of Italian cuisine. Hazan also includes a lengthy section on ingredients used in Italian food and even wine pairings. I love Italian food and trusted that this book could guide me to becoming an expert.
Reading this book felt like a journey back in time, a very different time for cookbooks. There are no glossy pictures of the food and the instructions were sometimes accompanied with illustrations, but other than that you are left with only the written directions. There is simplicity in the ingredients and the recipes, but more importantly there is tradition and purity. The book is matter of fact - this is what you do, this is what’s correct. I trusted Marcella and felt she would not lead me astray, especially not in the ways I often flinch at modern, “creative” recipes.
The book is quite practical too. Hazan explains how to find the best ingredients, noting seasonal information for produce, but also what to look for on a bottle of balsamic vinegar or how to prepare capers if you must buy them in a jar. There are many notes on what to do if you can only get canned anchovies or how to adapt a recipe to accommodate canned tomatoes. It really is the bible of Italian cooking. I feel so much more equipped to grocery shop and to prepare great dishes with the ingredients available to me.
A few years ago I took it upon myself to read Julia Child’s, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, which is an iconic cookbook for French cooking. I would make the argument that Marcella’s book does for Italian cooking exactly what Julia Child did for French cooking. It is written in quite the same vein. Marcella has such a strength to the advice she gives, whether it is picking up correct ingredients or the proper order of making preparations. She also has a sense of humor, she writes about the impossibility of ruining a dish unless one has the intention of sabotage or telling your guests to stop talking, get to the table, and eat their pasta. Once cooked, pasta should be served and eaten immediately! Marcella Hazan really delivers on teaching the reader to understand Italian cooking.
I hope to purchase a copy of this for myself one day, but in the meantime I will use my phone pictures to continue making recipes. This past week, I have already made excellent tomato sauce and the Farmer’s Wife Pear Tart, which was devoured for breakfast. Easy to follow recipes, simplicity of ingredients, tradition, lovable author - perfetto!
eling's review
4.0
I didn't read every single page of this but from recipes I've used in the past I am certain this would be an excellent addition to our cookbook library; I'm just not sure how often I would pick it up. And as always: though it is not common with this style of cookbook, I always want more photos! Or in this case, more drawings...
jrosehale's review
4.0
Not the most practical cookbook--I imagine a lot of the niche ingredients were hard to find in 1992 and in many cases still not available near me. But there are worse ways to spend an afternoon than reading through amazing Italian recipes.
rmardel's review
5.0
Purchased this a replacement and update to my tattered copy of Hazan's first cookbook. This includes the first and second cookbooks and fortunately also contains most of the informative and evocative text and descriptions from the first book as well. I read the entire volume through this past weekend, comparing old to knew before becoming confident that this could replace the original on the active shelf while my old favorite was archived to a safe and protected space.
adrianasturalvarez's review
4.0
One of the best cookbooks I've read. I imagine I'll keep revisiting this one. It is the only book I have that deserves it's spot next to Mastering the Art of French Cooking.