Italian Cooking for Dummies [Paperback]

Cesare Casella (Author), Jack Bishop (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 1998

Everybody loves Italian food, and with good reason. The cuisine extols hearty and healthy meals with the freshest ingredients, a diversity of flavors, and tried-and-true recipes (some of which date as far back as the Roman Empire) that are naturally low in saturated fats and calories. All this, and it tastes great, too!

Discover the mouthwatering joys of Italian cooking with this complete guide to the regions and recipes of Italy. Celebrated chef Cesare Casella and seasoned food writer Jack Bishop lead you step-by-step through an entire full-course Italian meal, from antipasti, salads, and soups to pastas, entrees, and delicious desserts. Discover how to make your own fresh pasta, polenta, and pizza, and how to plan simple or elaborate dinners for every occasion. You'll find all the recipes and tips you need in Italian Cooking For Dummies, along with tons of advice on selecting the right herbs, ingredients, cooking tools, and utensils, and finding more information in print or online. The book also features a complete glossary of cooking terms and ingredients to help you enjoy la dolce vita.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cesare Casella, Italian chef extraordinaire, is out to prove that this food can be both simple to prepare and surprisingly healthy. Italian mothers and grandmothers wouldn't have it any other way! In Casella's previous culinary creation, Diary of a Tuscan Chef, we joined the author on a food pilgrimage to Tuscany. Now, in Italian Cooking for Dummies, the trek explores every region and its associated dishes. Casella and coauthor Jack Bishop embrace us as close friends with whom they have eaten pasta for years. One step at a time, the authors lovingly explain how to make Italian food at home, discussing ingredients and techniques. Scattered within each of the eight chapters are recipes for 29 pasta dishes, 7 risottos, 22 heavenly desserts--in fact, 150 delicious dishes altogether. In traditional For Dummies style, life is made easier by icons alerting you to timesaving tips or potentially disastrous situations--like leaving risotto unattended, which can lead to a big sticky vat of goo!

There is something here for every taste: meats, fish, pizzas, and vegetarian dishes, as well as desserts and salads. Pasta Wheels with Walnut Sauce makes a nutty alternative to pasta dishes made with tomato-based sauces. The Spinach Gnocchi are surprisingly simple to create and will be gobbled down in no time. Calzone with Mixed Vegetables is a healthy alternative to pepperoni pizza. Desserts are very well represented--here is traditional Creme Caramel, and a delightful Pink Grapefruit Granita.

So enjoy life and eat like the Italians do; Italian Cooking for Dummies shows you how. --Naomi Gesinger

From the Back Cover

"Italian Cooking For Dummies is everything you ever wanted to know and much more about cooking delicious Italian food like a pro." — Charlie Palmer, Chef, Aureole "Cesare Casella demystifies the popular misconceptions of authentic Italian cooking and food traditions while retaining the romance that has made it the most desired food in America." — Paul Bartolotta, James Beard Award-Winning Chef of Spiaggia, Chicago

Features Mouth-Watering, Full-Color Photos!

Vini Vidi Vici Dummi If you love dining on Italian cuisine but are not sure how to go about preparing it, this cookbook is sure to help you conquer new culinary territory! Master chef Cesare Casella provides easy-to-make, delicioso recipes from all over Italy — many of which are naturally low in saturated fat and calories. Casella also teaches you the essential skills you'll need to perfect every dish and make friends, Romans, and countrymen lend you their cheers!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (September 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764550985
• ISBN-13: 978-0764550980
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #602,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome reference!, July 27, 2007

By 

M. Molen "Hoosier Girl" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Italian Cooking for Dummies (Paperback)

This is a very informative and easy to follow reference for cooking Italian foods. I love the explanations for cheese types, wines, espresso, herbs and etc. This really helps me to understand what products to buy and how to buy them. The information on reading the labels olive oil was eye opening. I have tried a couple of the recipes and they are yummy and simple. I am hooked on the Asparagus with Parmesan and egg! It sounded rather weird but I tried it and absolutely love it, especially when I am in a hurry and hungry. I am so glad I have this cook book as a resource.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transform ordinary family meals into festive dining events., April 5, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian Cooking for Dummies (Paperback)

Italian cuisine an enduringly popular cuisine for dining out and eating in. Italian Cooking For Dummies provides a compendium of easy-to-make, delicious recipes under the guidance of Master chef Cesare Casella and offers Italian fare from every region of the country. Many of these dishes are especially health being naturally low in saturated fat and calories. Casella show the family cook all the essential skills needed to perfect every dish and provides alerts for possible problems in cooking -- and their solutions. From Pasta with Tomato and Basil Sauce, Venetian Style Calif's Liver, White Pizza with Arugula, and Rigatoni with Sausage and Peas, to Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms, Prunes in Red Wine, Tuscan Bread Salad, and Halibut with Peas and Scallions, Italian Cooking For Dummies offers a total spectrum of delightful dishes that will add lustre, diversity, and mouth-watering flavor transforming any ordinary family meal into a memorable and festive dining experience.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will have you cooking like a pro., August 30, 2008

By 

Kelly Clair Krug (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Italian Cooking for Dummies (Paperback)

I have made several of the recipes in this book and had great results every time. The instructions were easy to understand and the ingredients were easy to find at the supermarket. This is definitely a great book for beginners.