Customer Reviews

Carlo Middione's Traditional Pasta

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After dining at one of Mr. Middione's restaurants while on vacation in San Francisco, I had to try to replicate his excellent cuisine at home. The recipes in this cookbook are easy to prepare, simple, and always delicious. There are very good descriptions of different types of cheeses, pastas, and other ingredients used. If you enjoy cooking and Italian food, this cookbook is a must have.

Mr. Middione has a writing style and enthusiasm for Italian food and history which definitely appeal to my Italian-American roots. I bought this book while on vacation one summer and read it instead of the novel that I had planned on reading at my leisure. Then, of course, I was compelled to go into the kitchen and cook. I tried many of his remarkably simple recipes, finding many that reminded me of my own grandmother's dishes from my childhood. His love for the cuisine of Italy is apparent in every sentence. You can almost smell the basil in every page! A real keeper as well as being a wonderful value. Every recipe is worth trying.

This book transformed my approach to pasta making and sauces. It's a compact powerhouse with the author's charm and humor in abundant evidence. His exceptional knowledge and generous approach to teaching and explaining the process is outstanding. I now regularly make pasta instead of my machine gathering dust. Carlo makes the process approachable, and his friendly encouragement will have you enjoying pasta and exceptional sauces. His mantra is quality ingredients and classic techniques, not complicated or inaccessible recipes. Worth it for the sauce chapter alone if you want to purchase pasta.