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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: A Cookbook Hardcover – January 1, 2012

by Marcella Hazan (Author)

4,951 ratings

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From award-winning, bestselling “queen of Italian cooking” (Chicago Tribune), a culinary bible for anyone looking to master the art of Italian cooking.

Essentials of Italian Cooking is a culinary bible for anyone looking to master the art of Italian cooking, bringing together Marcella Hazan’s most beloved books, The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking, in a single volume. Designed as a basic manual for cooks of all levels of expertise—from beginners to accomplished professionals—it offers both an accessible and comprehensive guide to techniques and ingredients and a collection of the most delicious recipes from the Italian repertoire. As home cooks who have used Marcella’s classic books for years (and whose copies are now splattered and worn) know, there is no one more gifted at teaching us just what we need to know about the taste and texture of a dish and how to achieve it, and there is no one more passionate and inspiring about authentic Italian food.

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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook
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The technique of insaporire requires that you add the vegetables or other principal ingredients to the soffritto base and, over very lively heat, briskly sauté them until they have become completely coated with the flavor elements of the base, particularly the chopped onion.
Highlighted by 308 Kindle readers
The most useful thing one can know about basil is that the less it cooks, the better it is, and that its fragrance is never more seductive than when it is raw.
Highlighted by 282 Kindle readers
The onion is sautéed first, when it becomes translucent the garlic is added, and when the garlic becomes colored, the rest of the battuto.
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WARNING: California’s Proposition 65

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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.

Review

“If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” —Nigella Lawson

From the Inside Flap

With more than 100 illustrations by Karin Kretschman.

About the Author

MARCELLA HAZAN was born in Cesenatico, a fishing village on the Adriatic in Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s foremost gastronomic region. After receiving her doctorates from the University of Ferrara in natural sciences and in biology, she lived and traveled throughout Italy. With the publication of The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking (brought together in a single volume, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking), her reputation as America’s premier teacher of Italian cooking spread throughout the country. Hazan died in 2013.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Risi e Bisi—Rice and Peas
On April 25, while all of Italy celebrates the day the country was liberated from Fascist and German rule, Venice celebrates its own most precious day, the birthday of St. Mark, patron saint of the republic that lasted 1,000 years. The tradition used to be that in honor of the apostle, on April 25th, one had one’s first taste of the dish that for the remainder of the spring season became the favorite of the Venetian table, risi e bisi, rice and peas.

No alternative to fresh peas is suggested in the ingredients list, because the essential quality of this dish resides in the flavor that only good, fresh peas possess. To make peas taste even sweeter, many Italian families add the pods to the pot. If you follow the instructions below that describe how to prepare the pods for cooking, you will acquire a technique that will be useful in many other recipes that call for peas. The other vital component of the flavor of risi e bisi is homemade broth, for which no satisfactory substitute can be recommended.

Risi e bisi is not risotto with peas. It is a soup, albeit a very thick one. Some cooks make it thick enough to eat with a fork, but it is at its best when it is just runny enough to require a spoon.

For 4 servings

2 pounds fresh, young peas, weighed with the pods
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons chopped onion
Salt
3 1/2 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth
1 cup Italian rice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1. Shell the peas. Keep 1 cupful of the empty pods, selecting the crispest unblemished ones, and discard the rest.
2. Separate the two halves of each pod. Take a half pod, turning the glossy, inner, concave side that held the peas toward you. That side is lined by a tough, film-like membrane that you must pull off. Hold the pod with one hand, and with the other snap one end, pulling it down gently against the pod itself. You will find the thin membrane coming away without resistance. Because it is so thin, it is likely to break off before you have detached it entirely. Don’t fuss over it: Keep the skinned portion of the pod, snap the other end of the pod and try to remove the remaining section of membrane. Cut off and discard those parts of any pod that you have been unable to skin completely. It’s not necessary to end up with perfect whole pods since they will dissolve in the cooking anyway. Any skinned piece will serve the purpose, which is that of sweetening the soup. Add all the prepared pod pieces to the shelled peas, soak in cold water, drain, and set aside.
3. Put the butter and onion in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, then add the peas and the stripped-down pods, and a good pinch of salt to keep the peas green. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring to coat the peas well.
4. Add 3 cups of the broth, cover the pot, and adjust the heat so the broth bubbles at a slow, gentle boil for 10 minutes.
5. Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 cup of broth, stir, cover the pot again, and cook at a steady moderate boil until the rice is tender, but firm to the bite, about 20 minutes or so. Stir occasionally while the soup is cooking.
6. When the rice is done, stir in the parsley, then the grated Parmesan. Taste and correct for salt, then turn off the heat.

Orecchiette
Apulia, the region that extends over the entire heel and half the instep of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula, has a strong tradition of homemade pasta. Unlike the tortellini, tagliatelle, and lasagne of Emilia-Romagna, Apulian pasta is made with water instead of eggs, and the flour is mostly from their native hard-wheat variety, rather than from the soft wheat of the Emilian plain. Apulian dough is chewier, firmer, more rustic in texture. It is perfectly suited to the strongly accented sauces of the region.

The best-known shape of Apulian pasta is orecchiette, “little ears,” small disks of dough given their ear-like shape by a rotary pressure of the thumb. In the recipe that follows, hard-wheat flour is mixed with standard, unbleached flour to make a dough easier to work.

For 6 servings

1 cup semolina, the yellow flour from hard wheat, ground very fine
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Up to 1 cup lukewarm water

1. Combine the semolina, the all-purpose flour, and salt on your work counter, making a mound with a well in the center. Add a few tablespoons of water at a time, incorporating it with the flour until it has absorbed as much water as it can without becoming stiff and dry. The consistency must not be sticky, but it can be somewhat softer than egg pasta.
2. Scrape away any crumbs of flour from the work surface, wash and dry your hands, and knead the mass for about 8 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest about 15 minutes.
4. Pull off a ball about the size of a lemon from the kneaded mass, rewrapping the rest of the dough. Roll the ball into a sausage-like roll about 1/2 inch thick. Slice it into very thin disks, about 1/16 inch, if you are able. Place a disk in the cupped palm of one hand, and with a rotary pressure of the thumb of the other hand, make a hollow in the center, broadening the disk to a width of about 1 inch. The shape should resemble a shallow mushroom cap, slightly thicker at its edges than at its center. Repeat the procedure until you have used up all the dough.
5. If you are not using the orecchiette immediately, spread them out to dry on clean, dry cloth towels, turning them over from time to time. When they are fully dry, after about 24 hours, you can store them in a box in a kitchen cupboard for a month or more. They are cooked like any other pasta but will take longer than conventional fresh egg pasta.

Mantovana—Olive Oil Bread
If you follow the eastern-bound course of the Po river, Italy’s largest, as it slices much of northern Italy in two, with parts of Lombardy and the Veneto on its left bank, and Emilia-Romagna on its right, you will be traveling across some of the country’s best bread territory, once studded with flour mills powered by the river’s currents.

These handsome loaves, notable for their fine, crisp, tasty crust, and soft crumb are popular on both the Emilia and the Lombardy side, but take their name from the ancient ducal town of Mantua, in Lombardy.

2 mantovane loaves

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
About 5 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
A baking stone
A baker’s peel (paddle), 16 by 14 inches, or a cookie sheet or large piece of stiff cardboard
Cornmeal
A pastry brush

1. Dissolve the yeast completely in a large bowl by stirring it into 1/4 cup lukewarm water with the 1/4 teaspoon sugar added. When dissolved, in 10 minutes or less, add 2 cups flour and 3/4 cup water, and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
2. If kneading by hand: Pour the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead steadily for about 10 minutes. Push forward against the dough, using the heel of your palm and keeping your fingers bent. Fold the mass in half, give it a quarter turn, press hard against it with the heel of your palm again, and repeat the operation. Make sure that you keep turning the ball of dough always in the same direction, either clockwise or counterclockwise as you prefer. Add a little more flour, if you find it necessary to make the dough workable, and dust your hands with flour if they stick to the dough. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky, but smooth and elastic. It should spring back when poked with a finger. Shape it into a ball.
If using the food processor: Pour 2 cups flour into the processor bowl, with the steel blade running add the dissolved yeast gradually, together with 3/4 cup water. When the dough comes together forming a lump on the blades, take it out and finish kneading it by hand for 1 or 2 minutes.
3. Choose an ample bowl, dust the inside lightly with flour, and put in the dough. Wring out a wet cloth towel, fold it in two, and cover the bowl with it. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place, and let it rest for about 3 hours, until it has doubled in bulk.
4. If kneading by hand: Pour the remaining 3 cups flour onto the work surface. Place the risen ball of dough over the flour, punching it down and opening it with your hands. Pour the remaining 1 cup lukewarm water over it, and add the salt and the olive oil. Knead steadily as described above.
If using the food processor: Pour the remaining flour into the processor’s bowl. Put in the risen dough, and the salt, and gradually add first the 1 cup lukewarm water, then the salt and the olive oil, while running the steel blades. Take out the dough when it forms a lump on the blades, and finish kneading it by hand for 1 or 2 minutes.
5. Return the kneaded dough to the floured bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rest until it has doubled in bulk again, about 3 more hours.
6. Thirty or more minutes before you are ready to bake, put the baking stone in the oven and preheat oven to 450°.
7. When the dough has again risen to double its bulk, take the dough out of the bowl, and slap it down very hard several times, until it is stretched out lengthwise. Reach for the far end of the dough, fold it a short distance toward you, push it away with the heel of your palm, flexing your wrist, fold it, and push it away again, gradually rolling it up and bringing it close to you. It will have a tapered, roll-like shape. Pick up the dough, holding it by one of the tapered ends, lift it high above the counter, and slap it down hard again several times, stretching it out in a lengthwise direction. Reach for the far end, and repeat the kneading motion with the heel of your palm and your wrist, bringing it close to you once more. Work the dough in this manner for 8 minutes.
8. Divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a thick, cigar-shaped roll, quite plump at the middle and tapered at the ends. Sprinkle the peel (or the suggested alternatives) thinly with cornmeal, making sure the meal is well distributed over the surface. Place both shaped loaves on the peel, cover with a damp towel, and let them rest 30 to 40 minutes.
9. With a sharp knife or a razor blade, make a single lengthwise slash 1 inch deep along the top of each loaf. Brush the upper surface of the dough with a pastry brush dipped in water. Slide the loaves from the peel onto the preheated baking stone. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375° and bake for 45 minutes more. When done, transfer the loaves to a cooling rack, and let the bread cool completely before cutting and serving it.

Ricotta and Coffee Cream
This intriguingly good combination of ricotta, rum, and coffee may be the easiest dessert I have ever learned to make. It can all be done in less than 3 seconds in the food processor or, for a firmer consistency, by beating the mixture with 2 forks held in one hand. Please note that the cream needs to set in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

For 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds fresh ricotta
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons very strong espresso coffee
Garnish: 36 espresso coffee beans

1. Put the ricotta, sugar, rum, and coffee into the food processor and process to a creamy consistency.
2. Pour the mixture into 6 individual glass dessert coupes, and store in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Just before serving, arrange 6 fresh, crisp coffee beans in a circular or other pleasing pattern over the cream. Serve cold.
Note Do not refrigerate with the beans or they will become soggy.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alfred A. Knopf; First Edition (January 1, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 704 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 039458404X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394584041
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.7 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.1 x 1.8 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #24,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17 in Pasta & Noodle Cooking
- #40 in Italian Cooking, Food & Wine
- #200 in Celebrity & TV Show Cookbooks

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Marcella Hazan

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Marcella Hazan, the acknowledged godmother of Italian cooking in America, is the author of The Classic Italian Cookbook, More Classic Italian Cooking, Marcella's Italian kitchen, and Essentials of Italian Cooking .She lives in Venice, Italy, and Longboat Key, Florida.

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Customers find this cookbook to be an excellent source of true Italian recipes that are easy to follow with careful instructions. The book provides terrific information about technique and is considered a must-have for cookbook collections, with one customer noting it's a staple resource in their kitchen. Customers appreciate the beautiful design with great illustrations and find it enjoyable to read, with ingredients that are readily available and the author emphasizing the importance of good ingredients. The book lacks color photos, which some customers find disappointing.

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435 customers mention "Recipes"410 positive25 negative

Customers appreciate the recipes in this cookbook, describing them as excellent and true to Italian cuisine, with one customer noting that the Bolognese Meat Sauce turned out wonderful.

"...(because that dish isn't authentically Italian) there are recipes for meatballs, spaghetti carbonara, eggplant parmesan, chicken marsala, fettucini..." Read more

"...The thing that separates most good cookbook authors (witness Jamie Oliver) from their readers is their passion for the importance of good ingredients..." Read more

"...love her son's Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 Quick and Easy Recipes. I highly recommend both!" Read more

"...As for the recipes themselves, they were excellent. The author gave careful instructions and even explained why one should or shouldn’t do something...." Read more

151 customers mention "Ease of follow"140 positive11 negative

Customers find the cookbook easy to follow, praising the author's careful instructions and concise explanations.

"...There are also separate chapters for appetizers, soups, vegetables, salads, desserts, and specialized breads and doughs...." Read more

"...so much more than the usual 6 chapters in that it has large, separate chapters on Soups, Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi, Crespelle (Italian for crepes),..." Read more

"Nicely written and noted vocabulary for ingredients to use. You’ll like this book." Read more

"...As for the recipes themselves, they were excellent. The author gave careful instructions and even explained why one should or shouldn’t do something...." Read more

149 customers mention "Information content"146 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the cookbook's information content, particularly its comprehensive coverage of techniques and helpful hints, with one customer noting its detailed guidance on handling food items.

"...the great good humor of the writing, and the comprehensive treatment of virtually every aspect of French kitchen equipment and the `cuisine..." Read more

"Nicely written and noted vocabulary for ingredients to use. You’ll like this book." Read more

"...It is food that reassures, and comforts and employs traditional folk knowledge gleaned over generations to simply transform healthy and natural..." Read more

"I purchased this because it was recommended by a colleague. Lots of good info!" Read more

33 customers mention "Design"30 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's design, noting its nice appearance and great illustrations, with one customer highlighting its lively style.

"...Both are illustrated by line drawings and both benefit from Knopf's traditional skill in designing the typeface and layout of books in general for..." Read more

"...over and over again for years ... and as a result, her book has a polished and reliable feel to it...." Read more

"...this one and updated it to be easier to understand and with illustrations to guide us...." Read more

"...This cookbook is so well laid out, with plenty of hints and tricks to help someone master the finer aspects of Italian cooking...." Read more

32 customers mention "Book value"32 positive0 negative

Customers find this cookbook valuable, describing it as a must-have for cookbook collections and a go-to resource that makes a great gift for chefs.

"...This is a go to cookbook, and I already have it out with little sticky notes on it for the holidays that are fast approaching...." Read more

"...This has quickly become a staple resource in my kitchen, so I would definitely recommend it for anyone interested in the art if Italian cuisine...." Read more

"...It's a great gift for the chef in your life!" Read more

"...All 3 books make a great addition to my cookbook collections." Read more

27 customers mention "Readability"27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, describing it as a pure delight that is pleasant to carry out.

"...The book is a pleasure to read. It is truly entertaining." Read more

"...The "Fundamentals" section which begins the book is also a great read...." Read more

"This is one of those classics among cookbooks that actually makes enjoyable reading...." Read more

"Love reading this book. Discovered this book by accident watching David Changs Ugly Delicious, the book was recommended by his friend Peter Meehan...." Read more

18 customers mention "Ingredients"18 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the cookbook's focus on readily available ingredients and the author's passion for using good ones, with one customer highlighting a three-ingredient tomato sauce recipe and another noting the absence of refined sugar.

"...Not a bit of refined sugar is added, all sweetness occurs naturally from carmelized onions...." Read more

"...(witness Jamie Oliver) from their readers is their passion for the importance of good ingredients, careful observation of technique, and love of..." Read more

"...Almost all of the ingredients are easily accessible in an ordinary grocery store...." Read more

"...gleaned over generations to simply transform healthy and natural ingredients into something that you and your family will like to eat, often...." Read more

17 customers mention "Photos"4 positive13 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the photos in the cookbook, with several noting the lack of pictures, while one customer mentions the absence of color photos.

"...The book is full of recipes but does not have all those good porn photos of today’s coffee table cookbooks...." Read more

"...Old school perfection. There are no photographs of dishes in here, just a sprinkling of drawings, but I’d not let that be a deterrent...." Read more

"...It was exactly what I was looking for, minus pictures...." Read more

"...soups, pasta, sauces, meats, salads, desserts, & breads.. drawings instead of photographs. Recipes are simple with plenty of good cooking techniques." Read more

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NorthernBelle
The Bible of Classic Italian Cooking
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2009
Verified Purchase

I have many years of experience in the kitchen cooking all different types of food--French, Greek, Mexican, American, Italian. But every time I make something from this book, I remain convinced that Italian is my absolute favorite food on earth. It is the cuisine I would choose if I had to forego all others, and this is the Italian cookbook in my collection I would choose to keep if I could keep only one.

In this Bible of Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan painstakingly pours out her love and knowledge of authentic Italian food. Hazan reveals the secrets and imparts the wisdom of centuries, not just generations. She is a brilliant woman who does an exceptional job showing you how to cook one of the world's finest cuisines. If you are new to Italian cooking, this is where you should begin. And possibly end.

Ingredient lists for the recipes are often short and at first glance may seem unimpressive. You may say to yourself, "what can be so special about that?" But special it is! It is Hazan's expertise, the precise way that she tells you to put the ingredients together, that turns out a fabulous dish that you will want to make again and again.

I was happy to learn that good Italian cooking doesn't necessarily require that you make a huge mess of your kitchen and spend hours slaving over a hot stove. Many of the recipes in this book take no longer than half an hour to prepare. And some, while needing several hours on the stove or in the oven to finish, allow you to leave the kitchen while they do.

I have made about 50 of the recipes in this book. Sausage with Red Cabbage, Sausages and Cream Sauce, and Lamb Stew with Vinegar and Green Beans are among my favorites. The Chicken Cacciatore New Version is ridiculously good and Marcella is too modest about it. Not a bit of refined sugar is added, all sweetness occurs naturally from carmelized onions.

I love to make Hazan's sauces and stews. I used to sauté onions only one way: Quickly over high heat. I now know to cook them very slowly in oil over low heat for a long time until they are sweet and golden and have released every ounce of flavor they have. Had it not been for Marcella, I think I never would have done anything with a clove of garlic but to push it through a press. I now chop, slice, and poach garlic as well as sauté the clove whole to release its subtle perfume. And if you were like me, your idea of a stew may be something made in a crock pot or something that comes out of a can. Forget those ideas. Hazan takes stew to places it's never been before. Get out your saucepan, not your slow cooker, and follow Hazan's instructions. You will soon have the most wonderful fragrances and aromas wafting from your kitchen that you have probably never even smelled before or thought possible. And that is to say nothing of the meal you sit down at the table later to savor. And if you have never rubbed a split clove of raw garlic on toast, drizzled it with a little olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper, you are in for a real treat. But be forewarned: Bruschetta is addictive!

I admit to never having made homemade pasta. Regrettably, I have never had either the time or the kitchen equipment necessary to do it. But I suspect Hazan's method is the Holy Grail of pasta-making, and if ever I have the opportunity in my life to take on this challenge, it will be Marcella who teaches me how. On the issue of pasta, however, this book will easily serve as your definitive guide to it. Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about pasta is here. The pasta chapter contains an extensive section devoted to matching all types of pasta, both dry and fresh, to sauces. And for each pasta sauce recipe, Marcella gives you at least two pasta choices, in order of her preference, to go with it.

But this book won't just make you an expert on pasta. Soups, risotto, gnocchi, crespelle, polenta, and fritatte all have their own chapters and all receive Marcella's dedicated and thorough treatment. There are also separate chapters for appetizers, soups, vegetables, salads, desserts, and specialized breads and doughs. The final chapter of the book helps you to put menus together.

Other reviewers who have said that the recipes are repetitive or uninteresting either don't have a real love of Italian food to begin with or they haven't spent much time looking through the book. I went searching for every favorite dish of mine thinking, oh, I bet I won't find it--I found it! While it is true there is no recipe for spaghetti and meatballs (because that dish isn't authentically Italian) there are recipes for meatballs, spaghetti carbonara, eggplant parmesan, chicken marsala, fettucini all'fredo, pasta e fagiole, minestrone, lasagna, clam sauce, steak florentine and all manner of filled pasta. And, yes, even pizza! I was pleasantly surprised to find that nearly every standard on the Olive Garden menu is here, the only difference being that in this book one can count on the dish to be correct.

One of the greatest things about reading Hazan is not just the meal you end up preparing; it is the knowledge and the perspective that you take away with you, even when the meal you are making is not an Italian one and even if you didn't make it. Yes, Marcella can be fussy. But she can also be charitable. She has no problem offering acceptable substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients and she happily gives credit where it is due to that which is found outside of her native Italy. She seems to always anticipate every problem you could run into making a dish, as well as every opportunity to make the most of it. And she is always well worth listening to, even if you end up at times disagreeing with her. Because the chances are she will offer you much more advice that you wish to retain and use than you wish to reject. If all you want is a recipe, you don't need to buy this book. There are endless websites on the internet where you can find free recipes. But if you want to learn to cook well--and especially to cook Italian food the way it was meant to be cooked--then you can do no better than Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

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B. Marold
Essential First Book on Italian Cooking. Highly Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2004
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`Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking' is Marcella Hazan's fourth book, composed of an edited and updated amalgam of her first two books, both of which were on `classic Italian cooking'. As with all of Ms. Hazan's books except for her latest, `Marcella Says', my main regret is that I have not read them sooner. All, especially this volume, are every bit as good as the blurbs may lead you to believe.

Some reviewers have compared this book to `The Joy of Cooking'. It is much more accurate to compare it to Julia Child's seminal `Mastering the Art of French Cooking' on several counts. First, like Child's book, Hazan's book is devoted exclusively to the techniques, ingredients, and recipes of a single major national cuisine. Second, unlike `The Joy of Cooking', it does not cover absolutely every kitchen technique and issue such as hygiene, nutrition, preserving, and obscure game meats. Third, the book is published and edited by the same people, Knopf and senior editor Judith Jones. This common publishing team means the two books have a very similar look. Both are illustrated by line drawings and both benefit from Knopf's traditional skill in designing the typeface and layout of books in general for easy reading. Fourth, Ms. Hazan arrived at cooking in almost exactly the same manner as Julia Child, in that they found themselves married to men who likes to eat well, and they did not know how to cook at the time.

The 64-dollar question of course is whether this book is equal in quality to Child's book. I think there is little shame in saying that while Hazan's book stands head and shoulders over virtually every other book I have read and reviewed on Italian cuisine, it does not quite match Child et al on the latters' innovations in recipe writing, the great good humor of the writing, and the comprehensive treatment of virtually every aspect of French kitchen equipment and the `cuisine bourgeois' techniques.

This book by Dr. Hazan (she has a Ph.D. in natural sciences and biology) is the exception which proves Tony Bourdain's observation in his excellent new cookbook which claims that cooking professionals are mostly just ordinary blokes who happen to have learned a skill which you the reader do not yet have. This applies as much to most cookbook authors as it does to most chefs. The thing that separates most good cookbook authors (witness Jamie Oliver) from their readers is their passion for the importance of good ingredients, careful observation of technique, and love of achieving a desirable result. Ms. Hazan is one of the very, very few writers who approach their subject as much with the rigor of an academic as with the passion of a good cook. Ms. Hazan's academic voice is much more anthropological and phenomenological than it is scientific a la Shirley Corriher.

Ms. Hazan succeeds in distilling for us the essence of Italian savory cuisine based on the notions of battuto (an Italian trinity of lard, parsley, and onion, chopped fine), soffritto (battuto sautéed until onion is translucent and garlic is pale gold), and insaporire (the technique of preparing ingredient such as the battuto and additions to extract flavor from the primary ingredients and impart that flavor to other ingredients, as when the flavors of the soffritto are imparted to the rice in making a risotto). After introducing these essential concepts, she gives us a very detailed tour of the most important ingredients in Italian cooking. To the casual American reader who may not have been schooled by `Molto Mario', there are some surprises, such as the fact that garlic is not as important an ingredient as you may believe. Another culture shock is the difference between the French stock and the Italian broth, and Ms. Hazan's insistence that using the former is simply not Italian cooking, thank you. That is not to say that there are not at least some things in common between French and Italian cooking. The most prominent is Bechamel sauce (Salsa Balsamella), made in exactly the same manner in Rome as it is in Paris. I am reluctant to steal any thunder from Ms. Hazan, but I must pass on to you her excellent suggestion for cutting your own scallopine from the top round, so that you can be sure of getting it cut against the grain.

If there is any dissonance in Ms. Hazan's presentation, it is in her paean to the regionality of Italian cooking, where, for example, the cuisines of Bologna and Florence, just 60 miles apart, is almost as different from one another as the cuisines of Venice and Naples, which are over 400 miles apart. The geographical origin of most (but not all) recipes is given in the headnotes, yet the general discussion of Italian technique makes no notice of this great geographical variety.

Like Child's book (taking volumes I and II together) and unlike virtually every other book on Italian cooking, this volume deals with so much more than the usual 6 chapters in that it has large, separate chapters on Soups, Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi, Crespelle (Italian for crepes), Polenta, Frittate, Fish and Shellfish, Fowl and Rabbit, Veal, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Variety Meats, Vegetables (very large chapter), Salads, Desserts, Breads, and typical Italian menus. Also like Child's books and unlike her later books, this volume does deal almost exclusively with traditional dishes. I cannot guarantee that the book is complete, as it is missing any reference to Puttanesca or saltimbocca, two certifiable classics of regional Italian cuisine. But, completeness is not the objective here. The main objective is to teach you how to cook like an Italian.

This book does not replace the dozens of good books on Italian regional cooking and it does not replace good books on Italian specialities, such as Carol Field's book on Italian baking. But, it should be the very first book you buy on Italian cooking to better understand what it is these other books are saying.

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amina
A staple in italian cooling
Reviewed in France on October 14, 2015
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Great book. Very different from the contemporary kookbooks with The illustrated steps and mouthwatering pictures. But if you have a little bit of imagination and a blind faith in Hazan then this should not stop you

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Cliente Amazon
Un vero tesoro!
Reviewed in Italy on January 30, 2025
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Bellissimo libro con tantissime ricette di cucina italiana, inoltre c'è la conversione del peso in grammi il che non guasta!

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Yman
Doskonałe źródło wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni
Reviewed in Poland on September 7, 2023
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Nic dodać, nic ująć, bardzo fajnie opisana i napisana książka, z masą inspiracji i wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni.

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Kindle Customer
Fabulous
Reviewed in Sweden on November 13, 2024
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Fabulous book with wonderful food. Really informative and educational.

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Leser
Die Julia Childs der italienischen Kücke
Reviewed in Germany on September 6, 2024
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Marcella Hazan wird gerne mit Julia Childs verglichen und das nicht ganz zu unrecht.

Die Rezepte sind authentisch, detailliert und gut beschrieben und decken die verschiedenen Regionen Italiens ab. Es sind ca 500 Rezepte enthalten (dabei ist es zugegenermaßen recht Pasta-lastig). Die Rezepte gehen weit über die üblichen Anweisungen hinaus. Jeder Schritt im Kochprozess wird detailliert erklärt, einschließlich der richtigen Temperaturen und Zeitpunkte für verschiedene Handgriffe. Dadurch erhält man nicht nur ein Rezept, sondern auch wertvolle Kenntnisse über Zutaten und Kochtechniken, die selbst in vielen Lehrbüchern selten so ausführlich behandelt werden. Besonders für Anfänger ist das sehr hilfreich, aber auch arriviertere Köche können hier noch was lernen. Auf Schnickschnack und aufwändige Foodfotos wird hier verzichtet, was ich als befreiend ansehe.

Die Kindle-Ausgabe für ca 5 Euro macht das Buch eigentlich zu einem "Must-buy".

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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: A Cookbook Hardcover – January 1, 2012

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Probaby THE most essential book on Italian cuisine in the English language

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of Classic Italian Cooking

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential First Book on Italian Cooking. Highly Recommended

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5.0 out of 5 stars A staple in italian cooling

5.0 out of 5 stars Un vero tesoro!

5.0 out of 5 stars Doskonałe źródło wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous

5.0 out of 5 stars Die Julia Childs der italienischen Kücke

The Bible of Classic Italian Cooking

Essential First Book on Italian Cooking. Highly Recommended

A staple in italian cooling

Un vero tesoro!

Doskonałe źródło wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni

Fabulous

Die Julia Childs der italienischen Kücke