Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook
One of the most beloved cookbooks of all time, from “the Queen of Italian Cooking” (Chicago Tribune). A timeless collection of classic Italian recipes—from Basil Bruschetta to the only tomato sauce you’ll ever need (the secret ingredient: butter)—beautifully illustrated and featuring new forewords by Lidia Bastianich and Victor Hazan
“If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” —Nigella Lawson
Marcella Hazan introduced Americans to a whole new world of Italian food. In this, her magnum opus, she gives us a manual for cooks of every level of expertise—from beginners to accomplished professionals.
In these pages, home cooks will discover:
• Minestrone alla Romagnola
• Tortelli Stuffed with Parsley and Ricotta
• Risotto with Clams
• Squid and Potatoes, Genoa Style
• Chicken Cacciatora
• Ossobuco in Bianco
• Meatballs and Tomatoes
• Artichoke Torta
• Crisp-Fried Zucchini blossoms
• Sunchoke and Spinach Salad
• Chestnuts Boiled in Red Wine, Romagna Style
• Polenta Shortcake with Raisins, Dried Figs, and Pine Nuts
• Zabaglione
• And much more
This is the go-to Italian cookbook for students, newlyweds, and master chefs, alike. Beautifully illustrated with line drawings throughout, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking brings together nearly five hundred of the most delicious recipes from the Italian repertoire in one indispensable volume.
As the generations of readers who have turned to it over the years know (and as their spattered and worn copies can attest), there is no more passionate and inspiring guide to the cuisine of Italy.
Review
A BON APPETIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
“Hazan’s recipes, both specific and sensual, became the foun- dation for my own style of cooking, which I sometimes call ‘Obsessive-Impulsive.’ I also credit her with starting my obses- sion with bay leaves.” —SAMIN NOSRAT, The New York Times Magazine
“The cookbook author who changed the way Americans cook Italian food.” —The New York Times
“If you know nothing about Italian cooking, this is the book you want. (It’s also the book you want if you know something about Italian cooking and want to know more.) Written with fluidity, personality, charm, and grace, it is filled with recipes both fundamental and special, recipes you will use, as I have since beginning to cook with its predecessors in the ’80s, for decades to come. As a bonus, the new forewords are beautiful.” —MARK BITTMAN, author of How to Cook Everything
“The Italian cookbook you’d take to a desert island. The presentation is a model of clarity. The descriptions of technique and the recipes are impeccable, interesting, and appealing.” —The Washington Post
“If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” —NIGELLA LAWSON, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat
"It should be a staple of every kitchen." —Vogue
“You can’t go wrong with a Marcella Hazan recipe.” —Food52
“Marcella Hazan is way more than just another cookbook author to me. So many of the recipes in this iconic collection—the pork in milk, the Bolognese, the famous tomato, onion, and butter sauce—have graced my table for huge celebratory occasions and also just regular old Sunday dinners, and I don’t see that ever changing. She’s like family, the Italian grandmother I never had, standing next to me while I brown my meat and stir my sauces, telling me what to do and how to do it with her trademark precision, loving authority, and warmth. I can’t wait to give this edition to my own children . . . and everyone else I know.” —JENNY ROSENSTRACH, New York Times best-selling author of Dinner: A Love Story
“Part encyclopedia, part regional cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking . . . is an indispensable introduction to the principles of Italian cooking.” —Saveur
“Marcella changed my life . . . All I had to do was follow her instructions to the letter, and success was pretty much guaranteed . . . The fact that her recipes are consistently clear and straightforward enabled me to overcome a lifetime of insecurity in the kitchen. She just made it all seem so easy . . . Grazie, Marcella.” —DAVID SIPRESS, The New Yorker
“If you could credit one person with introducing classic Italian food to the American public, it would have to be Marcella Hazan.” —Serious EatsAuthor
Marcella Hazan (1924–2013) was born in Cesenatico, a fishing village on the northern Adriatic shore of Italy. She studied for a career in the sciences and received two doctoral degrees from the University of Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna. In 1955 she married Victor Hazan, an Italian-born American, and moved with him to New York, where she began teaching Italian cooking classes in her apartment. In 1973 she published her first cookbook, The Classic Italian Cook Book, which introduced Americans to authentic Italian food. Her cooking schools in Italy draw students from around the world. Hazan was the recipient of two Lifetime Achievement Awards (from the James Beard Foundation in 2000, and the IACP in 2004) and a knighthood from her own country. She was the author of five additional classic cookbooks and a memoir.