Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages Book

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 several New York restaurants, 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. 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 flavours 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-flavoured, 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 flavours and lively presentations that are Mario's signature. Thirty-two pages of color photographs showcase Chef Batali's colourful and approachable recipes. 288 pages, hardcover.
Mario Batali is chef/owner of several restaurants in New York's Greenwich Village. He has been a mainstay of television's Food Network for several years.