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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
The most important, consulted, and enjoyed Italian cookbook of all time, from the woman who introduced Americans to a whole new world of Italian food.
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, updated and expanded with new entries and 50 new recipes. 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.
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, updated and expanded with new entries and 50 new recipes. 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.
704 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
February 26, 2024
My favorite when it comes to Italian food. I love Marcella, though my Italian friend Christiana says Marcella and her adorable husband are "trailer court Italian."
We actually own TWO copies of this book, the nice newer copy you pick up to leaf through, and a tattered older copy that I learned Italian cooking from. It has a permanent rip for the risotto recipe, the polenta recipe, the braised carrot with parmesean recipe and something else. Oh yeah, the braised leeks. Ah-MAHZ-ing.
Marcella can be a bit preachy when it comes to ingredients. This grated on me at first, but I grew to love her persnickity attitude. I also love that she cooks with 1)a big glass of wine and 2)a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. I am not a smoker, but she makes it look endearing somehow. I actually thought about stalking Marcella when I was in Venice last summer, but I was afraid she'd beat me up.
We actually own TWO copies of this book, the nice newer copy you pick up to leaf through, and a tattered older copy that I learned Italian cooking from. It has a permanent rip for the risotto recipe, the polenta recipe, the braised carrot with parmesean recipe and something else. Oh yeah, the braised leeks. Ah-MAHZ-ing.
Marcella can be a bit preachy when it comes to ingredients. This grated on me at first, but I grew to love her persnickity attitude. I also love that she cooks with 1)a big glass of wine and 2)a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. I am not a smoker, but she makes it look endearing somehow. I actually thought about stalking Marcella when I was in Venice last summer, but I was afraid she'd beat me up.
March 6, 2015
Time to tackle one of those eternal verities: to choose good, or to choose evil; is it nature, or nurture; hang to the left, or to the right? Can a cookbook be treated as read based on completion of a statistically significant sample of the recipes or do I have to go over every page of the damn thing?
Having majored in chemistry, I long fancied myself as a talented cook. My family did not agree, with my wife often bitterly complaining about the state of the laboratory after the experiment was complete. So my white coat was hung up for a decade or more.
But, after realizing that the food industry cares as much about my health as the finance industry cares about my savings, I decided to start cooking again. This time I changed my approach, sticking to two rules: keep it simple – no glossy pictures or overly fussy recipes that always go wrong; choose a country and specialize in its cuisine. This second rule has enhanced the whole experience. I get to appreciate food in a cultural context, understand regional variation and be better able to master techniques and approaches common to multiple dishes. I choose two cuisines, Turkish and Italian.
And it worked! In fact this approach worked so well I am now expected to cook every Saturday, which is not quite the outcome I wanted but at least I get to eat what I like.
My Italian cooking was only a success because, with the help of goodreads.com, I could select a cookbook as excellent as this. I cannot praise this book too highly. Every recipe has come out decently and some brilliantly. Most of the recipes are simple but there are enough more challenging ones to add variety.
Another great help was a blog written by a group of people who have cooked every recipe in the book and posted the results. Marcella Hazan often added comments to the blog.
I won’t be cooking every recipe, but that’s mainly because it is impossible to get some of the ingredients in Japan (kidneys for example - where do they all go?) But I have done enough to know that this book deserves its five stars.
Marcella Hazan passed away in 2013 at the age of eighty-nine. Thanks you Ms. Hazan. I now look forward to eating my own dinners. What more can I say than that.
Having majored in chemistry, I long fancied myself as a talented cook. My family did not agree, with my wife often bitterly complaining about the state of the laboratory after the experiment was complete. So my white coat was hung up for a decade or more.
But, after realizing that the food industry cares as much about my health as the finance industry cares about my savings, I decided to start cooking again. This time I changed my approach, sticking to two rules: keep it simple – no glossy pictures or overly fussy recipes that always go wrong; choose a country and specialize in its cuisine. This second rule has enhanced the whole experience. I get to appreciate food in a cultural context, understand regional variation and be better able to master techniques and approaches common to multiple dishes. I choose two cuisines, Turkish and Italian.
And it worked! In fact this approach worked so well I am now expected to cook every Saturday, which is not quite the outcome I wanted but at least I get to eat what I like.
My Italian cooking was only a success because, with the help of goodreads.com, I could select a cookbook as excellent as this. I cannot praise this book too highly. Every recipe has come out decently and some brilliantly. Most of the recipes are simple but there are enough more challenging ones to add variety.
Another great help was a blog written by a group of people who have cooked every recipe in the book and posted the results. Marcella Hazan often added comments to the blog.
I won’t be cooking every recipe, but that’s mainly because it is impossible to get some of the ingredients in Japan (kidneys for example - where do they all go?) But I have done enough to know that this book deserves its five stars.
Marcella Hazan passed away in 2013 at the age of eighty-nine. Thanks you Ms. Hazan. I now look forward to eating my own dinners. What more can I say than that.
April 9, 2014
I've never used this reviewer's cliche before, but if I could give it ten stars, I would.
If you think your pasta sauces are good, make hers and stand astounded.
If you think you have a handle on making pasta, pizza, gnocchi, soups et cetera, let her school you.
If you want to eat really, really well every night, then work your way through this cookbook.
This is widely considered to be the definitive Italian cookbook, by a woman considered to be the Julia Child of Italian cooking. You will learn, you will laugh, you will have "a-ha!" moments galore, you will immediately seek out her other cookbooks. Above all, you will cook and eat. And it will be glorious.
She is opinionated, but her opinions happen to be right. For example, it is widely known that she believes "salad dressing" to be an act--a ritual, even--rather than an object: using coarse salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and nothing else. Using her method, our family craves salads like never before, and we're absolutely and for all times done with buying any salad sauce from a bottle.
Not that she's mean about it--not at all. Her "tellin'-it-like-it-should-be"-ness reminds me a lot of my Granny. It's truth-telling in a loving, knowing, grandmotherly way.
Oh, please--get this book and cook.
If you think your pasta sauces are good, make hers and stand astounded.
If you think you have a handle on making pasta, pizza, gnocchi, soups et cetera, let her school you.
If you want to eat really, really well every night, then work your way through this cookbook.
This is widely considered to be the definitive Italian cookbook, by a woman considered to be the Julia Child of Italian cooking. You will learn, you will laugh, you will have "a-ha!" moments galore, you will immediately seek out her other cookbooks. Above all, you will cook and eat. And it will be glorious.
She is opinionated, but her opinions happen to be right. For example, it is widely known that she believes "salad dressing" to be an act--a ritual, even--rather than an object: using coarse salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and nothing else. Using her method, our family craves salads like never before, and we're absolutely and for all times done with buying any salad sauce from a bottle.
Not that she's mean about it--not at all. Her "tellin'-it-like-it-should-be"-ness reminds me a lot of my Granny. It's truth-telling in a loving, knowing, grandmotherly way.
Oh, please--get this book and cook.
May 3, 2022
I have cooked through several cookbooks at this point but this one wins in terms of consistently incredible recipes. Cooking from this book is like dining out every night at a gourmet Italian restaurant— it’s absolutely the cookbook to use if you want to impress.
This teaches you key principles and techniques of Italian cooking while also giving you classic Italian recipes that you will want to make on repeat. My top-faves were: tomato bruschetta, minestrone alla romagnola, pasta e fagioli, tomato pasta sauce with onion and butter, zucchini pasta sauce with basil and beaten egg, clam pasta sauce with tomatoes, butter and sage pasta sauce, gorgonzola pasta sauce, bell pepper and sausage pasta, cappellacci, cannelloni, parmesan cheese risotto, potato gnocchi, spare-ribs with sage and wine sauce over polenta, pan-roasted chicken with rosemary, garlic, and white wine, artichoke torta, asparagus and prosciutto bundles, eggplant parmesan, potato croquettes, cannellini bean salad, olive bread, focaccette, margherita and marinara pizza, and EVERY deep fried vegetable recipe… this is a huge list of favorites but the depth of flavors in every one of these dishes was amazing, I couldn’t believe that I had made them myself!
The only section that didn’t wow me was the desserts chapter. Maybe I’m just not that into these types of desserts, but I made most of them and didn’t find any that stood out. Also, a lot of people don’t like Marcella Hazan because she’s so adamant that we have to buy imported-Italian-everything rather than use local products. I agree that she overdoes the import-everything message, but it’s pretty easy to just ignore it and buy local. I did so and still had incredible results.
Highly recommend checking out the blog Pomodori E Vino, in which 9 cooks cooked through this cookbook in a year and posted their results for every recipe. Marcella Hazan herself commented on their posts with encouragement, extra tips, and occasional deeply affronted criticism… it’s a very entertaining accompaniment to the cookbook itself!

This teaches you key principles and techniques of Italian cooking while also giving you classic Italian recipes that you will want to make on repeat. My top-faves were: tomato bruschetta, minestrone alla romagnola, pasta e fagioli, tomato pasta sauce with onion and butter, zucchini pasta sauce with basil and beaten egg, clam pasta sauce with tomatoes, butter and sage pasta sauce, gorgonzola pasta sauce, bell pepper and sausage pasta, cappellacci, cannelloni, parmesan cheese risotto, potato gnocchi, spare-ribs with sage and wine sauce over polenta, pan-roasted chicken with rosemary, garlic, and white wine, artichoke torta, asparagus and prosciutto bundles, eggplant parmesan, potato croquettes, cannellini bean salad, olive bread, focaccette, margherita and marinara pizza, and EVERY deep fried vegetable recipe… this is a huge list of favorites but the depth of flavors in every one of these dishes was amazing, I couldn’t believe that I had made them myself!
The only section that didn’t wow me was the desserts chapter. Maybe I’m just not that into these types of desserts, but I made most of them and didn’t find any that stood out. Also, a lot of people don’t like Marcella Hazan because she’s so adamant that we have to buy imported-Italian-everything rather than use local products. I agree that she overdoes the import-everything message, but it’s pretty easy to just ignore it and buy local. I did so and still had incredible results.
Highly recommend checking out the blog Pomodori E Vino, in which 9 cooks cooked through this cookbook in a year and posted their results for every recipe. Marcella Hazan herself commented on their posts with encouragement, extra tips, and occasional deeply affronted criticism… it’s a very entertaining accompaniment to the cookbook itself!

April 3, 2023
What can I say that hasn’t already been said a thousand times over? Self-taught Marcella Hazan remains the godmother of Italian cooking in America. This cookbook, which combines two volumes previously released separately, is a must-have.
June 24, 2018
You won't find a better cookbook about classic Italian cooking than this one.
It covers everything you need to know---pasta, pizzas, soups, risotto---and Marcella Hazan exuberantly shares not only her recipes but also her thoughts and opinions about the ways others do Italian cooking.
It covers everything you need to know---pasta, pizzas, soups, risotto---and Marcella Hazan exuberantly shares not only her recipes but also her thoughts and opinions about the ways others do Italian cooking.
February 27, 2008
O mia cara Marcella! Thanks to her I will never eat bottled tomato sauce again!
I have used this cookbook on a near daily basis since I received it as a gift two months ago. I have made and frozen almost all of her tomato-based sauces and I cannot imagine ever opening another jar of Prego in my life. Chicken cacciatora, pan-broiled steaks with tomatoes and olives, spaghetti alla carbonara... So many favorite dishes, so few days of the week.
I have used this cookbook on a near daily basis since I received it as a gift two months ago. I have made and frozen almost all of her tomato-based sauces and I cannot imagine ever opening another jar of Prego in my life. Chicken cacciatora, pan-broiled steaks with tomatoes and olives, spaghetti alla carbonara... So many favorite dishes, so few days of the week.
October 3, 2010
We have cooked many recipes from this cookbook, and they have all turned out well. I almost think you could pick a recipe at random, and it would be good. I think we eat from this book at least once or twice a week.
December 14, 2023
Good comprehensive reference but no pictures. So far, I've tried the minestrone and lentil soups, which were both very good.
April 19, 2021
I'll be honest: I didn't read the entire 700 pages. But as the library due date loomed, I went ahead and bought it. That's the highest compliment I can give a book.
This is the kind of food my husband adores. My brother and his wife made Marcella's Bolognese Meat Sauce in 2003 for our son's rehearsal dinner (for 110 people! - don't you love large families?!! ♥♥♥) It was a revelation.
I have a dream of designating one night a week Italian Night and cooking a new recipe from this book. Risotto, White Clam Sauce, Cabonara, Pesto and pasta. I love cooking with Curt. We could take the book on road trips and flag recipes to make. #goals
Choice quotes:
:: Flavor, in Italian dishes, builds up from the bottom. It is not a cover, it is a base. In a pasta sauce, a risotto, a soup, a fricassee, a stew, or a dish of vegetables, a foundation of flavor supports, lifts, points up the principal ingredients.
:: True balsamic vinegar is used sparingly. In a salad it never replaces regular vinegar; it is sufficient to add a few drops of it to the basic dressing of olive oil and pure wine vinegar.
And my current favorite:
:: A sauce must be sufficiently savory to season pasta adequately. Blandness is not a virtue, tastelessness is not a joy.
This is the kind of food my husband adores. My brother and his wife made Marcella's Bolognese Meat Sauce in 2003 for our son's rehearsal dinner (for 110 people! - don't you love large families?!! ♥♥♥) It was a revelation.
I have a dream of designating one night a week Italian Night and cooking a new recipe from this book. Risotto, White Clam Sauce, Cabonara, Pesto and pasta. I love cooking with Curt. We could take the book on road trips and flag recipes to make. #goals
Choice quotes:
:: Flavor, in Italian dishes, builds up from the bottom. It is not a cover, it is a base. In a pasta sauce, a risotto, a soup, a fricassee, a stew, or a dish of vegetables, a foundation of flavor supports, lifts, points up the principal ingredients.
:: True balsamic vinegar is used sparingly. In a salad it never replaces regular vinegar; it is sufficient to add a few drops of it to the basic dressing of olive oil and pure wine vinegar.
And my current favorite:
:: A sauce must be sufficiently savory to season pasta adequately. Blandness is not a virtue, tastelessness is not a joy.
April 4, 2007
This book is what I consider one of the three essential reference texts for anyone who is serious about the culinary arts. I have learned almost everything I know about Italian food from this book...and I'm still learning from it after ten years! I brought this book with me the year I lived in Milan and tried to cook my way through it...it was impossible since it is such a tome. Fabulous recipes which are easy to execute thanks to brilliantly clear instructions. A prodigy of James Beard, you can't go wrong with Marcella.
September 30, 2009
Marcella is the cranky Julia Child, but she does know her Italian cooking and with her husband who writes/translates into english her books teaches you the basics of Italian cooking. Her pesto and Bolognese recipes are amazing and staples in our house. You have to put up with her snottiness (which just cracks me up), but it's worth it.
October 7, 2020
Haven't made every recipe yet, but I am planning to do so. The recipes simply haven't failed me yet (and probably will not). It also includes some in-depth knowledge on cooking skills specifically used for traditional Italian recipes as well as more general used skills and knowledge about ingredients. For inexperienced cooks it might pose a bit of challenge as it doesn't save you from gaining years of cooking experience.
Though, to me this is the Bible of Italian cooking.
Though, to me this is the Bible of Italian cooking.
January 1, 2013
01/01/2013
Tahun baru, harapan baru, genre buku baru..dan ini dia..jreng..jreng..culinary books..tebel benget lagi..buku bantal..untung maya bentuknya ;p dan bacanya aja sampe setahun..
Ahh..harus ngomong dari mana ya..Italia, bicara tentang tentang Italia..apa hal pertama yang terlintas dibenak anda? Sepakbola; milanisti..ayo siapa fansnya milanisti?? Atau mungkin anda fansnya the old lady alias La Vecchia Signora ? oke lanjut lagi..apa lagi yang terlintas dibenak anda, bicara tentang Italia? Fashion..sepatu..mantel bulu mungkin ;p.. dan satu yang pasti tidak akan hilang dari benak kita bicara tentang Italia..adalah seni kulinernya..kuliner Italia tidak terbatas hanya Pizza, Spageti, saja..yaah paling tidak baca buku ini, akhirnya tau perbedaan mana oregano dan mana basil..dan juga buku ini secara langsung membuka mataku tentang alat ini, si pasta maker:
ohh ternyata fungsinya seperti ini ya..selama ini aku pake buat bikin keripik bawang dan cheese stiick doang..dengan ilustrasi gambar..kita tau ada banyak..banyak sekali macam dan ragam pasta..bentuk dan cara membuatnya..bayangkan saja ada jenis pasta yang bisa dibuat dengan menggunakan alat berupa; sisir dan stick yang bentuknya seperti pensil..nahh dengan bantuan alat tersebut dapat diciptakan bentuk pasta unik, cuman masalahnya aku lupa namanya apa dan ada dihalaman berapa ;p
Bukan cuma pasta aja sih isinya, komplet kalau boleh kubilang..dari protein; veil(daging sapi muda), bayi domba..kalau yang ini mah gillla!! Tegaa banget :”(.. seafood..ayam..burung..puyuh kali tadi..udah banyak lupa..karbo; pasta, dan nasi alias Riso bahasa Italianya inget Risotto kan! Kentang..jadi Gnocchi..terus sayur-sayurannya..n herbnya juga..kalau oregano n basil mah udah biasa, ada yang cukup asing di telingaku seperti; marjoram, sage, rosemary..ini sering denger..terus apa lagi yah!! Lupa.. :”( kena pengaruh Arab nih si kuliner Italia..oh iya Safron..duh itu bumbu mahal amat ya.. tambahkan sejumput safron di Risotto-mu dan .. yummmy..yummy.. :)
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So.. bon appetite
*ups salah ya..Prancis itu mah ;p
buon appetito.. :)
Tahun baru, harapan baru, genre buku baru..dan ini dia..jreng..jreng..culinary books..tebel benget lagi..buku bantal..untung maya bentuknya ;p dan bacanya aja sampe setahun..
Ahh..harus ngomong dari mana ya..Italia, bicara tentang tentang Italia..apa hal pertama yang terlintas dibenak anda? Sepakbola; milanisti..ayo siapa fansnya milanisti?? Atau mungkin anda fansnya the old lady alias La Vecchia Signora ? oke lanjut lagi..apa lagi yang terlintas dibenak anda, bicara tentang Italia? Fashion..sepatu..mantel bulu mungkin ;p.. dan satu yang pasti tidak akan hilang dari benak kita bicara tentang Italia..adalah seni kulinernya..kuliner Italia tidak terbatas hanya Pizza, Spageti, saja..yaah paling tidak baca buku ini, akhirnya tau perbedaan mana oregano dan mana basil..dan juga buku ini secara langsung membuka mataku tentang alat ini, si pasta maker:
ohh ternyata fungsinya seperti ini ya..selama ini aku pake buat bikin keripik bawang dan cheese stiick doang..dengan ilustrasi gambar..kita tau ada banyak..banyak sekali macam dan ragam pasta..bentuk dan cara membuatnya..bayangkan saja ada jenis pasta yang bisa dibuat dengan menggunakan alat berupa; sisir dan stick yang bentuknya seperti pensil..nahh dengan bantuan alat tersebut dapat diciptakan bentuk pasta unik, cuman masalahnya aku lupa namanya apa dan ada dihalaman berapa ;p
Bukan cuma pasta aja sih isinya, komplet kalau boleh kubilang..dari protein; veil(daging sapi muda), bayi domba..kalau yang ini mah gillla!! Tegaa banget :”(.. seafood..ayam..burung..puyuh kali tadi..udah banyak lupa..karbo; pasta, dan nasi alias Riso bahasa Italianya inget Risotto kan! Kentang..jadi Gnocchi..terus sayur-sayurannya..n herbnya juga..kalau oregano n basil mah udah biasa, ada yang cukup asing di telingaku seperti; marjoram, sage, rosemary..ini sering denger..terus apa lagi yah!! Lupa.. :”( kena pengaruh Arab nih si kuliner Italia..oh iya Safron..duh itu bumbu mahal amat ya.. tambahkan sejumput safron di Risotto-mu dan .. yummmy..yummy.. :)
So.. bon appetite
*ups salah ya..Prancis itu mah ;p
buon appetito.. :)
February 7, 2014
I love this cookbook!
At the time I bought it, I was living in London with an italian man who was homesick and dreaming of mama's cooking back in Venice. I felt like the author, Signora Hazan, was my own private teacher and my live-in guinea pig definitely approved of the risotto (one of my first endeavors). And don't think it's all just pasta and starches! There are lots of recipes for soups that are easy and satisfying as meals, as well as frittate (like quiche), more than 150 pages on meats, then vegetable dishes, breads, salads and desserts.
This is not tasteless, non-fat italian food that you can have on the table in 20 minutes or less. If that's what you're after, forget Marcella and go buy a jar of Prego. If however, you want to learn how to make the real deal, are willing to buy good quality ingredients and take the time to do it right, this is the cookbook for you. Unlike most cookbooks I own, almost every recipe I've tried has turned out heavenly, and she really teaches you how to cook, and how to vary the recipes. I have a reputation as being a good cook of italian food and most of my friends think it's because I know a lot of italians, but really it's because of this book (though I have to credit my Aunt Milena for teaching me how to cook lasagna the real way :^).
I also have another of her cookbooks "Marcella Cucina" which is more about different recipes and less about fundamentals of italian cooking. Stick to this book for a great starting place for basics of sauces, meats, equipment and how to shop for the various ingredients. My recommendation is to begin here and move onto Marcella Cucina after you've learned some of the techniques.
Buon Appetito!
At the time I bought it, I was living in London with an italian man who was homesick and dreaming of mama's cooking back in Venice. I felt like the author, Signora Hazan, was my own private teacher and my live-in guinea pig definitely approved of the risotto (one of my first endeavors). And don't think it's all just pasta and starches! There are lots of recipes for soups that are easy and satisfying as meals, as well as frittate (like quiche), more than 150 pages on meats, then vegetable dishes, breads, salads and desserts.
This is not tasteless, non-fat italian food that you can have on the table in 20 minutes or less. If that's what you're after, forget Marcella and go buy a jar of Prego. If however, you want to learn how to make the real deal, are willing to buy good quality ingredients and take the time to do it right, this is the cookbook for you. Unlike most cookbooks I own, almost every recipe I've tried has turned out heavenly, and she really teaches you how to cook, and how to vary the recipes. I have a reputation as being a good cook of italian food and most of my friends think it's because I know a lot of italians, but really it's because of this book (though I have to credit my Aunt Milena for teaching me how to cook lasagna the real way :^).
I also have another of her cookbooks "Marcella Cucina" which is more about different recipes and less about fundamentals of italian cooking. Stick to this book for a great starting place for basics of sauces, meats, equipment and how to shop for the various ingredients. My recommendation is to begin here and move onto Marcella Cucina after you've learned some of the techniques.
Buon Appetito!
April 18, 2012
I'm a not-very-good cook who would love to be a great chef. Hazan's cookbook was recommended by a friend who is a fantastic cook, and it was absolutely illuminating. About 30 pages in, I thought "man, I'm doing everything wrong!" And you will feel like that as you read this book. She has very exacting standards, and she is very peculiar about ingredients - only fresh, whole cloves of garlic that you chop yourself, never the stuff in a jar, etc. But by faithfully following her recipes to the letter I have managed to make some really tasty stuff, and learn a lot about flavor, food, and kitchen techniques in the process. This will be one cookbook that I definitely buy!
February 16, 2013
This book combines Hazan's first two books, the Classic Italian Cookbook and More Classic Italian Cooking. While the combined volume is convenient, something is lost. Specifically, in the original works, Hazan gave suggest accompaniments for each recipe. You pick a Primi course, for instance, and she suggests Secondis, and vice versa. This helps you to come up with a truly Italian meal, as two courses are characteristic there. I have found this to be very valuable, and it has been omitted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Although her first two books are out of print, it's worth looking for them at used book stores and online, as they are more useful than the newer tome.
December 11, 2008
This is a wonderful and classic cookbook. My mother has used it for years and gave me a copy some years ago and I go to it often. For pasta dishes, meat dishes, salads. There are some extraordinary dishes in this book that you have most likely not had before and will cherish for all your years as a cook and food lover. A great book for a beginner or an expert cook or anyone in between. One for the ages of your kitchen.
March 17, 2013
As a novice cook, this book has a wealth of knowledge for the uninitiated. Some parts I felt were rather hard to follow. I assume these are for the more advance cooking talents. Still a great and useful book to add to the shelves.
October 31, 2014
Excellent! Can't go wrong with Marcella even after 30 years.
June 29, 2013
If you only have room for one Italian cookbook on your shelves, this is it! Beautifully written, wonderfully opinionated, as the title says: essential.
March 13, 2020
I returned to this book today to look up a recipe, but I have read and reread this classic for about two years. We need a button here for "always reading."
May 3, 2020
A masterpiece. Marcella lays out the philosophy and reasons behind Italian cooking. The recipes are good of course but it's not the point, it's really about the soul of Italian cooking that you can keep for a lifetime.
April 30, 2021
"Never cook a sauce in a covered pan, or it will emerge with a bland, steamed, weakly formulated taste." - Marcella Hazan
What I really like about this book is how very opinionated Marcella Hazan is. She knows what she likes - not just the final dishes, but the thoughtful time spent to prepare them.
The alphabetical "Components" section at the beginning of the book (several pages) is particularly wonderful, with detailed descriptions: tips on when to buy, what to look for, what to use (or not to use) in the case of unavailability, storage tips (her method for restoring dried out cheese sounds great), and method(s) for using the many and various essential ingredients (as well as Karin Kretschmann's lovely line drawings of many of them) for Italian cooking.
There were a couple of things that gave pause in the section on "Salsa Verde and Other Savory Sauces". While Marcella Hazan does make a point of giving the method to make salsa by hand-cutting, she begins by saying to put "all the ingredients into the food processor and blend to a uniform consistency, but do not overprocess". The hand-cut method is appears to be just as easy and quick; it also does not require washing so many dishes. For her Salsa Rossa recipe, she suggests skinning the red peppers with a peeler! Is this even possible? If the peppers are going to be cooked anyway, surely it would be simpler to blanch them with boiling water, plunge them into ice water, and pull the skins off.
One of the really refreshing - and practical - things is her view on what equipment is necessary to have.
I particularly like that neither a stand mixer or a food processor is included in the essential tools, but that a good quality food mill is. She suggests splashing out to get the kind with three interchangeable disks, even though "the one you will need most often is the one with the largest holes". (We only got a food mill about five years ago and cannot imagine how did we managed without it!)
I also like that she cautions against using non-stick sauté pans because the surface will "inhibit the full development of flavor a true sauté is designed to accomplish". However, it is quite surprising that she neglects to mention the importance of having at least two good sharp knives (paring and large).
But there is a misstep in the instructions for roasting red peppers, saying: "When done, put them in a plastic bag, twisting it tightly shut. As soon as they are cool enough to handle comfortably, remove the peppers from the bag and pull off the charred peel with your fingers.
" A plastic bag? Just put a bowl over the peppers! (We've got to stop the indiscriminate - and needless - use of plastic.)
Of course, there are recipes galore, and pointers on how to make them better. The "Risi e bisi" recipe alone makes reading through the whole book cover to cover worthwhile. Who knew that peas would taste sweeter if the pods (after shucking the peas) were added to the cooking pot?
Of course, Italian food is not just pizza and pasta dishes. There are wonderful looking seafood, chicken, rabbit, pork, lamb recipes galore.
And then there are the vegetable dishes!
There are zillions of them: artichokes, asparagus, beets - with the note "one of the bonuses of buying raw beeets is getting the tops", cauliflower, etc. etc. I particularly like the look of the "Green beans and potato pie", and "Swiss Chard Stalks Gratinéed with Parmesan Cheese"
There are also recipes for pizza and foccacia, as well as bread. Of course there are: "Among the savory riches of regional Italian cooking, nothing can excite our wonder more than the toothsome diversity of its country breads.". The recipes are on the old-fashioned mid 20th century side, calling for what seems now to be an excessive amount of yeast.
++++++++++++++++++
A note about the rating: 4 stars for "cookbook", but just 3 stars for "bread cookbook". For really good Italian bread recipes, see "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field.
What I really like about this book is how very opinionated Marcella Hazan is. She knows what she likes - not just the final dishes, but the thoughtful time spent to prepare them.
[T]he microwave does not produce for me the satisfying textures, the vigorous, well-integrated flavors that I look for in Italian cooking. This is aside from the fact that the oven's principal advantage, that of speed, declines precipitously when cooking for more than one. I believe with my whole heart in the act of cooking, in its smells, in its sounds, in its observable progress on the fire. The microwave separates the cook from cooking, cutting off the emotional and physical pleasure deeply rooted in the act, and not even with its swiftest and neatest performance can the push-button wizardry of the device compensate for such a loss. [Preface]
The alphabetical "Components" section at the beginning of the book (several pages) is particularly wonderful, with detailed descriptions: tips on when to buy, what to look for, what to use (or not to use) in the case of unavailability, storage tips (her method for restoring dried out cheese sounds great), and method(s) for using the many and various essential ingredients (as well as Karin Kretschmann's lovely line drawings of many of them) for Italian cooking.
The bread crumbs used in Italian cooking are made from good stale bread with the addition of no flavoring of any kind whatever. They must be very dry, or they will become gummy, particularly in those dishes where they are tossed with pasta. [Bread Crumbs Pan Grattato]
~ ~ ~ ~
The basic dough for homemade pasta in the Bolognese style consists of eggs and soft-wheat flour. The only other ingredient used is spinach or Swiss chard, required for making green pasta. No salt, no olive oil, no water are added. Salt does nothing for the dough, since it will be present in the sauce; olive oil imparts slickness, flawing its texture; water makes it gummy. [Homemade pasta]
There were a couple of things that gave pause in the section on "Salsa Verde and Other Savory Sauces". While Marcella Hazan does make a point of giving the method to make salsa by hand-cutting, she begins by saying to put "all the ingredients into the food processor and blend to a uniform consistency, but do not overprocess". The hand-cut method is appears to be just as easy and quick; it also does not require washing so many dishes. For her Salsa Rossa recipe, she suggests skinning the red peppers with a peeler! Is this even possible? If the peppers are going to be cooked anyway, surely it would be simpler to blanch them with boiling water, plunge them into ice water, and pull the skins off.
One of the really refreshing - and practical - things is her view on what equipment is necessary to have.
The thing most cooks probably need least these days is another shopping list of cooking ware. Nearly all the kitchens I have seen, mine included, have more tools and pots and gadgets than are strictly needed. Nevertheless, there are certain pots and tools that, more efficiently than others, meet the fundamental requirements of the Italian way of cooking. [Equipment]
I particularly like that neither a stand mixer or a food processor is included in the essential tools, but that a good quality food mill is. She suggests splashing out to get the kind with three interchangeable disks, even though "the one you will need most often is the one with the largest holes". (We only got a food mill about five years ago and cannot imagine how did we managed without it!)
I also like that she cautions against using non-stick sauté pans because the surface will "inhibit the full development of flavor a true sauté is designed to accomplish". However, it is quite surprising that she neglects to mention the importance of having at least two good sharp knives (paring and large).
But there is a misstep in the instructions for roasting red peppers, saying: "When done, put them in a plastic bag, twisting it tightly shut. As soon as they are cool enough to handle comfortably, remove the peppers from the bag and pull off the charred peel with your fingers.
" A plastic bag? Just put a bowl over the peppers! (We've got to stop the indiscriminate - and needless - use of plastic.)
Of course, there are recipes galore, and pointers on how to make them better. The "Risi e bisi" recipe alone makes reading through the whole book cover to cover worthwhile. Who knew that peas would taste sweeter if the pods (after shucking the peas) were added to the cooking pot?
Outside of spinach, no other coloring can be recommended as an alternative to basic yellow pasta. Other substances have no flavor, and therefore have no gastronomic interest. Or, if they do contribute flavor, such as that of the deplorable black pasta whose dough is tinted with squid ink, its taste is not fresh. Pasta does not need to be dressed up, except in the colors and aromas of its sauce.
[...]
[A]ll the artificial methods by which fresh pasta is kept soft—sprinkling it with cornmeal, wrapping in plastic, refrigerating it—are not merely unnecessary, they actually undermine the quality of the pasta and ought to be shunned. When cooked, properly dried fresh pasta delivers all the texture and flavor it had originally. The limp product marketed as "fresh" pasta does not. [Pasta]
Of course, Italian food is not just pizza and pasta dishes. There are wonderful looking seafood, chicken, rabbit, pork, lamb recipes galore.
And then there are the vegetable dishes!
In planning an Italian menu, choosing the vegetables is often the most critical decision you will have to make. It will probably determine what kind of a pasta sauce or risotto you are going to make, which in turn affects plans for the second course, the vegetable contorno, and the all-important salad. [At Table]
There are zillions of them: artichokes, asparagus, beets - with the note "one of the bonuses of buying raw beeets is getting the tops", cauliflower, etc. etc. I particularly like the look of the "Green beans and potato pie", and "Swiss Chard Stalks Gratinéed with Parmesan Cheese"
There are also recipes for pizza and foccacia, as well as bread. Of course there are: "Among the savory riches of regional Italian cooking, nothing can excite our wonder more than the toothsome diversity of its country breads.". The recipes are on the old-fashioned mid 20th century side, calling for what seems now to be an excessive amount of yeast.
The role of bread One of the Italian words for a meal is companatico—that which you eat with bread. At an Italian table, food and bread are inseparable. In Italy, you will notice people begin to nibble on bread the moment they sit down to eat, just bread alone, without butter. No bread is eaten with pasta, but it will be used to wipe the dish clean of any sauce that might be left over. Morsels of bread punctuate the consumption of the second course, sop up the juices of a stew, or of a vegetable gratin. The bread is removed from the table only after you have finished the salad, whose most delectable part many claim are the tiny puddles of lightly salted and vinegary olive oil that, at the end, you soak up with bread. [Composing an Italian Meal Principles and examples]
++++++++++++++++++
A note about the rating: 4 stars for "cookbook", but just 3 stars for "bread cookbook". For really good Italian bread recipes, see "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field.
December 3, 2013
Probably one of the most comprehensive Italian cookbooks I've come across to date. While I did borrow this from my local library, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking seems an indispensable cookbook for just plain good, beautiful, delicious Italian food. The book is filled with countless authentic recipes from Italy's many diverse regions, ranging in difficulty, but none that seem undoable for most home chefs.
The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow. The recipes generally do not require unusual, hard to find or overly expensive ingredients (which I always find a plus). Each recipe I made--and it was only a handful--were delicious and not too time consuming.
While there are no photographs of the dishes, which I am willing to forgive and forget in this case, there are probably over 600 amazing recipes, folks! 600+ glorious delicious-ness-es (dishes so good I made up an adjective for them) ready to be made and delivered to your stomach. If you're looking for an Italian cookbook, just one, a bible of sorts, to last you probably for-ev-er, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is it.
The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow. The recipes generally do not require unusual, hard to find or overly expensive ingredients (which I always find a plus). Each recipe I made--and it was only a handful--were delicious and not too time consuming.
While there are no photographs of the dishes, which I am willing to forgive and forget in this case, there are probably over 600 amazing recipes, folks! 600+ glorious delicious-ness-es (dishes so good I made up an adjective for them) ready to be made and delivered to your stomach. If you're looking for an Italian cookbook, just one, a bible of sorts, to last you probably for-ev-er, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is it.
July 6, 2015
ho visto questo libro negli USA ed ero molto tentata ad acquistarlo...... mi sono frenata per via del peso eccessivo che mi avrebbe creato nella valigia.....
trovato qui su Amazon e preso al volo direttamente in italia..... viene un pò da ridere che un'italiana vada a comprare un libro di cucina Italiana dedicato al mercato USA..... nulla di piu' sbagliato!!!!
ne ho provate tante di ricette e tutte mi sono riuscite benissimo..... ricette delle varie tradizioni regionali ,raccolte e rivisitate dalla grandissima Marcella Hazan.... non vi e' nulla di americanizzato, tutto assolutamente e tradizionalmente italiano...... non sono solo ricette e morta lì.... per per ognuna trovate suggerimenti diretti per la preparazione, come e quando prepara lei la ricetta.... quali teglie e tegami e' meglio utilizzare..raccontando e ricordando eventi piacevoli della sua giovinezza in Italia.
insomma non e' un libro di cucina tipico, ma un vero racconto di vita...
l'unità di misura adottata prevalente sono in cups e questo rende le preparazioni piu' facili e dirette..... se non avete difficoltà con l'inglese ve lo consiglio!!!
trovato qui su Amazon e preso al volo direttamente in italia..... viene un pò da ridere che un'italiana vada a comprare un libro di cucina Italiana dedicato al mercato USA..... nulla di piu' sbagliato!!!!
ne ho provate tante di ricette e tutte mi sono riuscite benissimo..... ricette delle varie tradizioni regionali ,raccolte e rivisitate dalla grandissima Marcella Hazan.... non vi e' nulla di americanizzato, tutto assolutamente e tradizionalmente italiano...... non sono solo ricette e morta lì.... per per ognuna trovate suggerimenti diretti per la preparazione, come e quando prepara lei la ricetta.... quali teglie e tegami e' meglio utilizzare..raccontando e ricordando eventi piacevoli della sua giovinezza in Italia.
insomma non e' un libro di cucina tipico, ma un vero racconto di vita...
l'unità di misura adottata prevalente sono in cups e questo rende le preparazioni piu' facili e dirette..... se non avete difficoltà con l'inglese ve lo consiglio!!!
July 28, 2008
A brilliant work of comedy! That would be anytime Marcella waxes authoritarian about the exact timing for adding dried pasta to rapidly boiling water. ;)
Well, this is your book if you want authentic, well-organized, and delicious instructions to prepare meals featuring lasagne, sauteed spinach, pesto, homemade pasta, or a shockingly simple sauce for spaghetti (recipe: heat olive oil. Add garlic - optionally, add as much hot red pepper as you can hack - cook for two minutes. Toss with spaghetti and enjoy).
From this book I prepared outstanding meals for guests: dishes that I hadn't tested beforehand; I made truly exceptional minestrone for 20; I tossed together fresh produce for yummy thrown-together tomato sauces, and produced Italian cuisine to try out for myself and my friends. It's one of those cookbooks where the recipes will turn out properly if you follow the steps, time after time (but you might spend all day stuffing cannelloni).
Well, this is your book if you want authentic, well-organized, and delicious instructions to prepare meals featuring lasagne, sauteed spinach, pesto, homemade pasta, or a shockingly simple sauce for spaghetti (recipe: heat olive oil. Add garlic - optionally, add as much hot red pepper as you can hack - cook for two minutes. Toss with spaghetti and enjoy).
From this book I prepared outstanding meals for guests: dishes that I hadn't tested beforehand; I made truly exceptional minestrone for 20; I tossed together fresh produce for yummy thrown-together tomato sauces, and produced Italian cuisine to try out for myself and my friends. It's one of those cookbooks where the recipes will turn out properly if you follow the steps, time after time (but you might spend all day stuffing cannelloni).
September 15, 2009
"Cooking" in the United States has often become an exercise in precisely following instructions in glossy magazines that are more travelogues and guidebooks for the upper middle class than actually learning anything. I have been extremely pleased to find brief but high quality cultural explanations, multiple variations of dishes, and a focus on simplicity and authenticity in this compendium of Hazan's earlier cookbooks. It's broken down intuitively into various types of dishes and ingredients, and the patterns in her recipes become quickly apparent, providing an excellent guide to the cuisine. I'm only part way through -- that is, I've skimmed the entire book and am literally reading each page now as though it were a novel -- but it has become crystal clear to me that this book is beyond compare, especially in the realm of Italian cooking. Everything I'm making this week is from this tome, and what little I've already toyed with has been excellent. Highly recommended!
June 4, 2007
This is the cookbook I probably use most often. Marcella's recipes, for as intimidating as they may sound (risotti, stuffed squid, spinach and ricotta gnocchi, carciofi alla romana, etc.) are all authentic, easy to follow, and turn out properly every single time. Furthermore, there's lots of great information about ingredients (and how to select the best and freshest), history and culture as relates to ingredients and dishes, and overall good, sound cooking common-sense. She is occasionally more of a purist than I am, but isn't that the kind of teacher you'd like to rebel against from time to time? I've made this chicken marsala recipe a thousand times, so that I've got it memorized, and people go bonkers for it every single time.
October 31, 2012
This book was recommended to me by a Chef when he was teaching me the art of making fresh pasta. It is easy to use with the recipes being very clear and basically spot on. I love that Marcella has also included additional notes at the end of the recipes giving clarification and "Do ahead" pointers. I started with the pasta recipes and now have moved into the main entrees.
If you want a good starting point to produce results that will match a Chef, I suggest Drunk Roast Pork or make the Bolognese Meat Sauce to use in lasagna. Warning: these 2 recipes will take a good portion of the day to produce, but with the season changing to winter, it is the perfect time of year to heat up the kitchen.
If you want a good starting point to produce results that will match a Chef, I suggest Drunk Roast Pork or make the Bolognese Meat Sauce to use in lasagna. Warning: these 2 recipes will take a good portion of the day to produce, but with the season changing to winter, it is the perfect time of year to heat up the kitchen.
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