Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen [Hardcover]

Mary Ann Esposito (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 2007

What could be welcoming in your kitchen than a big warm pan full of lasagna, a pot of braised short ribs or a casserole dish holding fragrant mussels, tomatoes and herbs?  When you think of comfort food, the first cuisines that comes to mind is Italian.and nobody knows that better than Mary Ann Esposito, host of the longest-running television cooking show in the U.S., Ciao Italia.  In Ciao Italia Slow and Easy, Mary Ann tells us how to slow down, take it easy and fill the kitchen with Italian slow-cooked goodness.  By braising, baking, roasting and simmering, she gives readers a treasure trove of wonderful dishes like

 

-stove top lasagna with artichokes

-prosciutto-wrapped chicken baked in parchment

-tomato braised short ribs with rigatoni

-pasta shells stuffed with a ragu of pork and cream

-one-skillet chicken supper with tomatoes and green beans

-layered polenta pie with mushrooms and sausage

-mussel, potato and tomato casserole

 

Ciao Italia Slow and Easy is filled with Mary Ann's sensible advice, knowledgeable asides about the history of Italian cuisine and, most of all, a sure sense of what tastes good. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Esposito (Ciao Italia Pronto!), public TV's reassuring face of Italian cooking, is an ideal guide to the appealing world of Italian comfort foods. This slim volume provides main-dish recipes that can be fixed in an unhurried afternoon. Each chapter takes a primary ingredient (fish, meat, pasta, vegetables or fruit) as the base for a stew or casserole, usually adding liberal amounts of eggs, butter and cheese. Without Esposito's confident voice and knack for careful visual demonstration, the written instructions may occasionally seem vague, but other than a few surprises, such as lamb and dandelion casserole, most of the dishes are familiar entries from the Italian canon: Lasagne con Carciofi e Ricotta, Chicken Tetrazzini, Pepperoni Rossi alla Napoletano (stuffed red bell peppers). Some, like chicken pot pie or ham and broccoli casserole, seem positively Middle America. The hearty selection is nourishing if not exciting and will be welcomed by Esposito's fans as well as busy cooks who appreciate the fix it-and-forget it model. Color photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"I learned to trust Mary Ann Esposito implicitly when I saw her prepare timballo di maccarun in person. I'd watched Stanley Tucci make it in "Big Night" - it was the super-duper macaroni casserole at the center of the big night's big meal - and I was duly entranced and at least a little intimidated. Mary Ann did it slowly and easily. It looked great and tasted even better. Amazingly, all of the recipes in "Ciao Italia" deliver the big flavor and satisfaction of Mary Ann's timballo. With "Ciao Italia Slow and Easy" there's no reason why every night can't be a big night." -- Sara Moulton

"Mary Ann Esposito's new tome of slow cooked classics hits America right in the appetite with exactly what we are longing for and what we are missing. These spectacular, yet simple, recipes are easy to shop for, simple to prepare and give me a window of readiness that means everyone can always eat together, sharing a comforting kind of Italian cooking that says "grandma" in every language known to mankind's love of the absolutely delicious... Brava, Mary Ann!!!!!!!"-- Mario Batali

"For years I've wondered why somebody hasn't produced a much-needed cookbook exploring Italy's many regional casseroles and stews. Now, finally, Mary Ann Esposito has more than filled the bill with this amazing collection of sumptuous but easy recipes that--at least for me--define the very heart of authentic Italian cooking. From a layered cornmeal pie with sausage and wild mushrooms, to a Sardinian mixed seafood cassola, to an utterly fascinating array of unusual pasta and fruit casseroles, the book is an exciting tour of no-nonsense Italian kitchens bursting with enticing aromas, succulent flavors, and, to be sure, lots of soul-warming cheer."--James Villas, author of Crazy for Casseroles

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312362927
• ISBN-13: 978-0312362928
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of public television's Ciao italia, a cooking show devoted to Italian food and culture. The show has been on the air for 20 years giving it the distinction of being the longest running cooking show ever. Ciao Italia is seen in all major markets across the U.S.

Mary Ann has written 11 cookbooks. Learn more about her at www.ciaoitalia.com and sample the more than 1000 recipes on her site.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Recipes Using Simple Ingredients, December 4, 2007

By 

Food Lover (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen (Hardcover)

I just returned from a vacation in Italy. This book so reminds me of my trip! I really like that Mary Ann uses simple, fresh, every day meats, vegetables, spices, and other ingredients in her recipes, just like most Italians I remember doing. I really wanted to replicate some of the recipes I tasted in Italy, but didn't want a cookbook that called for items that I can't find in my local grocery store. This book is perfect for me.

Most of the recipes are suited perfectly to family style dining, but are tasty enough to serve company. The "do ahead" features of the recipes make the dishes suited perfectly for today's life style. I know this cookbook is going to be one of my favorites.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Ann Esposito = Simple, Authentic, Italian Comfort Food, November 19, 2007

By 

Mark (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen (Hardcover)

This is not the first Mary Ann Esposito cookbook I've owned, so I might be a little biased, but this is a great collection for the holiday season. All kinds of slow cooked, authentic Italian classics. You can put these things together and then set it/forget it. Come back hours later and you got yourself a casserole or a lasagne. No fuss, no muss. And the best part is, at no point is there any suggestion to use Ritz crackers in any recipe, if you know what I mean.

Go get this book. Seriously. Go get it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Few pictures, pages discolored, print hard to read., February 20, 2009

By 

kiwanissandy "Go Bucks!" (Heart of Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen (Hardcover)

The premise of this cookbook is slow and easy. The one recipe that I was really looking forward to was true home-made Italian lasagna and the only recipe in this cookbook was for an artichoke lasagna (no meat) made with no-boil lasagne sheets either baked in the oven for 50 minutes or on the stovetop in a skillet for 25 minutes.

There was quite an unusual Timballo recipe that used thin-sliced wheat bread and no eggs. I always thought Timballo was a dish made of pasta or rice bound with eggs and cheese with seasonings. This was not that type of dish. This version was not that bad but just not what you'd expect from a cookbook claiming to be from an Italian kitchen.

There are 4-5 pictures, none particularly appetizing, the pages are an off-yellow color and the print seems like a dark red so some people might have trouble with reading it clearly. If you want a casserole cookbook take a look at Bake until Bubbly: The Ultimate Casserole Cookbook instead.