Eat Right, Eat Well--The Italian Way [Hardcover]

Edward Giobbi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1985

"Ed Giobbi is without question the finest Italian home cook I know. This is an inspired book and the fact that it involves diet is only a bonus."
        --Craig Claiborne

Here is the celebrated cookbook that has won praise from home cooks and food critics everywhere--a superb collection of 560 healthful recipes that are, first and foremost, absolutely delicious. Every one of these marvelous dishes reflects the mouthwatering flavors and robust textures of the everyday Italian cooking that Edward Giobbi grew up on and loves. And every recipe follows the guidelines prescribed by the eminent cardiologist Dr. Richard Wolff to reduce both fat and cholesterol. The result is a wonderfully wide-ranging, imaginative array of recipes so utterly delectable and satisfying that no one will ever suspect they're "diet" dishes.
        Everything is here for delightful, healthy eating, day by day:
         ¸  soups both delicate and hardy
         ¸  more than ninety robust pasta dishes
         ¸  luscious seafood recipes
         ¸  some fifty chicken dishes alone
         ¸  lean meats of all descriptions, from scallopini to venison
         ¸  over one hundred glorious melanges of fresh vegetables, straight from the garden
         ¸  dozens of flavorful sauces that use herbs and nuts, peppers and garlic, instead of butter and cream
         ¸  country breads, pizzas, and turnovers
         ¸  delectable desserts, from fresh fruit sorbet to tarts

Because our understanding of diet, fat, and cholesterol has changed since the first edition of this book, the authors have revised and updated every recipe, as well as the breakdown of fats and cholesterol that accompanies each (for those who want to keep count). The result is an invaluable cookbook for the health-conscious--and for lovers of good food everywhere.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edward Giobbi and Richard Wolff's Eat Right, Eat Well--The Italian Way is a collection of 560 tasty Italian dishes written with health in mind. Giobbi, an Italian American artist, contributes the recipes; Wolff, a cardiologist, provides the dietary advice. Nutritional information is listed following each recipe (all counts are given for the whole dish, not for some tiny and unrealistic little serving), and appendices discuss the connection between diet and heart disease, weight loss, exercise, and the like. Hardly a wheat-grass- and brown-rice-pushing health-food treatise, this book is driven by Giobbi's passion for food. Many recipes are framed by his memories of Italy and cooking with friends or by his probing analyses of ingredients. At one point, he goes so far as to list, in order of preference, his eight favorite brands of pasta. The dishes are, for the most part, simple; Pasta Primavera with pine nuts, tomatoes, and arugula is typical fare. If that doesn't strike your fancy, Giobbi offers up more than 90 other pasta dishes--try Rigatoni with Shellfish and Brandy or Pasta with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Clams. This is food you can make, quickly and in good conscience, that hasn't forgotten that eating is fun. --David Kalil --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Great American Vegetarian is the revised edition of Atlas's American Harvest (1987). In the decade since, many more fresh fruits and vegetables and once-exotic ingredients have become available. Atlas has revised her text to reflect the expanding marketplace, and she has also added more than 50 new recipes. With the ever-increasing interest in vegetarian cooking, most libraries could use Atlas's updated collection of regional specialties. Giobbi and Wolff's first edition of Eat Right, Eat Well (1985), something of a groundbreaker at the time, was widely praised. The authors have revised their book to reflect both the fact that although a low-fat diet may be healthful, one in which fat is severely restricted is not particularly beneficial, and that, instead of being harmful, olive oil can actually be good for you (the first time around, they tried to avoid olive oil, rather difficult to do when writing an authentic Italian cookbook). With more than 500 recipes?and Giobbi's charming line drawings as illustrations?this revision is well worth acquiring. [According to the publisher, an introductory note in the original text regarding fat content?"The total fat listed in the nutritional data includes other classes, e.g. phospholipids, and there is usually more than the sum of the saturated and unsaturated fats"?was inadvertently omitted from the new edition; it will be corrected in new printings.?Ed.]
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 530 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (April 12, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394530713
• ISBN-13: 978-0394530710
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #864,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Italian fare with a healthy heart in mind., October 8, 1999

By 

John A. Flamini ([e-mail]) (Erie, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eat Right, Eat Well, The Italian Way (Paperback)

In Eat Right, Eat Well, -The Italian Way, Ed Giobbi and Richard N. Wolff, M.D. team up to show that excellent Italian cuisine is not incompatable with healthful eating. I have had the pleasure of using this book for several years, and continue to be delighted with the recipies, advice and memories of Mr. Giobbi. Many people who think that Italian food is heavy and laden with olive oil, butter, eggs, cream, or cheeses will have their eyes opened by this splendid book. This is not simply a "heart healthy" book, it is a first rate cookbook with little or no compromise in the recipies. We have repeatedly returned to the pasta primavera recipies. The true pasta primavera is not the cream/flour paste/overcooked vegetables mishmash usually served in most resturaunts today. This is a combination of raw peeled and crushed tomatoes (we take ours right off the vine in our back yard, but purchased from the local roadside stand will suffice) fresh basil ( as many handsful that you can manage) garlic, salt, pepper, and a splash of olive oil (1 or 2 tablespoons is more than enough for flavoring and feeds 3 to 4 people) tossed with freshly cooked pasta. We often saute whatever veggies we have at hand in the olive oil and skip the oil in the sauce. The heat of the pasta warms the sauce. This is truly the best of Italian cuisine; taking advantage of what is fresh NOW, cooked as little as possible to avoid masking the flavors, and served combined to maximize the harmony of fresh flavors, textures, and aromas. We find that the zest and juice of a lemon enhances the flavors. A bit of fine parmesean or romano cheese ( a bit is allowed, and the recommendations regarding fat and calorie counts is included in an expansive appendix, as well as nutritional breakdowns for each dish) and you have a meal that certainly doesn't taste like you're on a diet. The book was written to help those with heart disease, or those wishing to avoid heart disease, to eat a better diet without sacrificing taste or enjoyment. The collaboration works well, and the dietary information is sound. The book does not get preachy, and does not sacrifice taste for theory, as is true in too many "diet" books or "heart healthy" books. Mr. Giobbi's assertion is that true Italian cooking, as practiced in Italy, is usually consonant with good eating practices for heart health. In America, Italian cooking has been co-opted, fattened up, and generally made unrecognizable. Fresh ingredients, emphasis on not overcooking, and harmonizing flavors is the essence of this cuisine. Once you taste the real primavera, you will never go back again. I haven't found a bum recipe yet. Enjoy!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A whole new world of Italian food!, July 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Eat Right, Eat Well, The Italian Way (Paperback)

This cookbook has opened our eyes to "Real Italian"! My husband and I bought this book only a week ago and have already made at least 10 recipes all of which have been delicious! Everything is light, fresh and suprisingly fullfilling. Giobbi shares delightful stories and his knowledge about the recipes he's altered from fattier versions (southern Italy) or collected in his travels from people and places. Wolff fills us in on all the health info you need to know about being healthy, calories,fat,cholesterol and how it relates to these recipes etc. What was amazing to me is all this time I thought I knew great Italian food here in America and I come to find out that most of our "Italian" food has been Americanized....now that I know the difference (and there definitely is one!) I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat Italian food outside MY kitchen ever again!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent recipes with molto gusto, healthy, and tales to tell, May 21, 2010

By 

X42 (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eat Right, Eat Well, The Italian Way (Paperback)

I am fortunate enough to be reviewing a hardback version from 1985.

This maybe an old book now, but I'm really happy with it.

Rather than try to describe it, here is one of the stories (shortened somewhat to make it easier to tell).

P28 Sardines (Sardelle in Carpione)

Every time I have this dish of fresh sardines that are fried and then soaked in a dressing of raisins, I am reminded of the time I was living in Florence as an art student in 1953.....

In those days I was living on fifty dollars a month, so we hoped to spend as little money as possible....

...He drove us to a very pleasant pensione then to a restaurant for lunch, explaining that this restaurant was famous for a specialty he thought we should try. It was served as an appetizer, and it was called sardelle in carpione (called saor in the Genoa area). I have never tasted it since in Italy, but the dish was so good it haunted me for a long time. At that stage of my young life I didn't know enough about cooking to be able to analyze and reproduce it - it was like a miracle, because I had never tasted anything like it before. But finally in 1970, I came across this ancient recipe - really a way of preserving fish - in an Italian book. To this day I have a very warm place in my heart for the town of Bordighera - more for the recipe and the hospitality than anything else.

Offer these sardines as an antipasto or part of a luncheon dish.
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 large onion, thin sliced
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons raisins soaked in warm water
1 pound ( ~0.5 kg) fresh sardines
Flour for coating
Corn (or olive) oil for shallow frying over fairly high heat.
Salt and pepper to taste
Red chilli flakes to taste (optional)


Heat olive oil in skillet, saute onions until brown. Add vinegar and raisins and simmer gently for 5 minutes
(to reduce away the liquid).

Meanwhile dust sardines in flour, when corn oil is hot, lightly brown the sardines in a second skillet.
Only do a few fish at a time, and lay out on paper towels to soak out oil.

Place sardines in layers of a deep dish, pour some of the vinegar / sauteed onion dressing on the fish, add salt, pepper and red chilli flakes if you wish. Repeat building up fish in layers until sauce is used up. Put in cool place, but do not refrigerate.



Do not expect glossy photographs in this book - there are only hand drawn sketches of Italian life from the 1950s.
So if you are looking for glossy photos, you will be disappointed. I don't think this format detracts from the book in any way.