Batali (Molto Gusto, 2010, etc.) offers a collection of recipes focusing on simple, delicious, seasonal food.
The author presents 12 exquisite meals in traditional Italian style: a soup, two pasta dishes, a main, four vegetable dishes and a dessert, with each meal intended to feed 8-12 people. “This represents the way I think we should eat with less reliance on proteins at the center of the plate and much more emphasis on a bigger variety of vegetable and grain courses at the table in our daily diet,” writes the author. Despite his best intentions, however, Batali readily admits that readers will unlikely prepare all the components of the meals he outlines; however, the possibilities for mixing and matching individual dishes are endless. His pleasantly conversational prefaces to each set of dishes, paired with the gorgeous full-color photography of Quentin Bacon, highlight the purity of his ingredients and the simplicity of Italian cuisine. Standout recipes include: Green Garlic Soup; Bucatini with Crayfish, Jalapenos and Basil; Porcini-Rubbed Prime Rib Eye; Wilted Arugula with Pine Nuts and Lemon; and Brown Sugar, Almond and Sour Cherry Torta di Uova. A quarter of the profits from the sale of the book will benefit the Mario Batali Foundation, whose mission is to provide hunger relief and nutrition education to children.
Exciting recipes and meal-planning advice from an institution of classic Italian fare.
