Customer Reviews

Make It Italian : The Taste and Technique of Italian Home Cooking

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Why is it THE book to have? The important aspects of Italian cooking -- which can be applied to all cooking -- are explained here, in conciseness and clarity. Why you should purchase certain items; how you should cook them and why; when to use one ingredient over another and why. Why should you cook the soffrito for pasta & bean soup slowly, over medium-low heat, for 20 minutes? Why should you remove tomato seeds from your whole tomatoes if you're cooking them for more than 30 minutes? Why should you try to find genuine Italian import stores that stock the "good" stuff? The answers are in there.

I prefer to bake more than cook (my sweet tooth in action), but I like -- and can do -- both. I'm just slow in the kitchen; my husband's a better sous chef than I am. But, having an Italian grandmother and living in an area with pronounced Italian-American heritage, when I saw this book I had to get it. And after making a batch of the marinara sauce with generic crushed tomatoes, I knew I had a winner! Now I'm dying to try it out with a can of San Marzano tomatoes!

As the other reviews have stated, she explains what you need, and why you need it. Even if you doubt or don't understand either, have faith! It will work out well. I can't emphasize enough the value of quality ingredients when you cook simply, as she does in this book! Throw out your grated-cheese-in-a-can and get some *real* parmesan and a grater!

The pasta & bean soup in the "soups" section is a little lighter than some of you may be used to, but you can always add the fresh cheese of your choice. And definitely take the time to make your own stock for recipes. She may say she'll used canned stock, but after making and using my own, I'll be less likely to use canned ever again.

So far, the cooking has been simple, however, there is preparation to be done (such as making stock beforehand, or soaking & cooking beans for the soup above). But if you plan ahead, it becomes so much easier.

I am by no means an accomplished cook in the kitchen, but this book -- and the results I've got from it so far -- have given me courage to keep trying!

Did I mention the biscotti at the very end of the book? Yum yum yum - I had to make the chocolate almond variation on the anise biscotti. Incredibly enough, I got (as she said) exactly 60 biscotti from the recipe. :-)

I grew up a third generation Italian male who was fortunate to enjoy the cooking of an Italian mother and two Italian grandmothers. Upon leaving home to begin college, I soon realized that I had also left behind all of that wonderful food. Not willing to endure this deprivation, I also soon realized that the only practical solution was to start cooking - a completely foreign thought that had never entered my mind until now. Since I had not had the wisdom as a youngster to tap the knowledge of mother and grandmothers, I was left with the alternative of relying on Italian cookbooks to guide my efforts. And so began my journey into Italian cooking which over the ensuing years has become an enjoyable passion for the cooking and the enjoyment of the food, as well as the books themselves. I have become an avid reader of Italian cookbooks and have accumulated an extensive collection. The "glowing" praises offered by the other reviewers of this book are accurate and well-deserved. A few of the attributes that make this book a standout;

It is printed on a high quality glossy paper stock.

The recipes included are all ones that you will want to cook. Many Italian cookbooks are encyclopedic in their approach, offering many recipes that are esoteric and interesting if you are a "student" of Italian cooking, but you will probably only be interested in actually cooking a few of them.

Each recipe is presented with a brief introduction offering historical and personal comments that add great,interest and appeal, and avoids the feeling of reading a "textbook."

Without a doubt the greatest attribute of the book is that the author takes the extra care and effort to EXPLAIN clearly the various tecniques being used, and the purpose behind each procedure. This is invaluable to the beginner as well as the experienced cook. I have never seen such thorough explanation of each recipe in any other cookbook - truly oustanding.

This is an incredible cookbook. I have been using it for the past 3 years and have yet to make anything out of it that wasn't fantastic. If you study this book, you will be able to make your own meals like an Italian chef. This book is just not a collection of recipes, but teaches you how to become a great cook. Nancy Barr is an awesome teacher and has written the only Italian cookbook you will need.

This book is just fantastic - from start to finish! It takes you through the building of a recipe from buying the ingredients to the techniques involved to prepare. Each section, Soup, Pasta, Meat, etc. gives you recipes that build on each other and then ends with suggestions on how to swing out on your own. When reading the book you feel as though Nancy is standing in your kitchen - her voice is clear and eloquent.

A few weeks ago, my father asked me how to make Bolognese sauce. I gave him Nancy's book and told him to read her recipe (that is wildly easy and delicious). I explained the arrangement of the book and he went to work reading the chapter on pasta. After that he was hooked! He made a shopping list to stock his pantry and couldn't wait to get started. He said it was as though he'd been to an Italian cooking class.

Make It Italian has become my standard wedding shower, birthday - anything present.

Not to be forgotten is Nancy's "We Called It Macaroni." I have used it a thousand times. Her sundried tomatoes and mascarpone appetizer is requested by dinner guests and when it's my turn to bring an hors d'oeuvre.

More than a cookbook, no chef should be without it! A thorough exploration of Italian cooking. Highly readable format makes this cookbook a must.

Sausage and Peppers. Smother Green Beans. Rigatoni with Eggplant Sauce. Great Italian food has never been Greek to us --- or to Nancy Verde Barr, whose culinary skills and talents have been put down on paper. Her cookbook, with easy-to-follow recipes and insightful asides, is a must-have addition to any kitchen, alongside the garlic, anchovies and prosciutto and pancetta.. Pizzerias will never be numero uno on your menu again!

Want me to get to the nitty gritty?

Cons: It lacks photos of the dishes and techniques. I wish they would reprint this book with that input and it would be a six star on a five star scale.

Pros: I have read so many Italian cookbooks over the last few years and this is the one I always return to for accurate help. Nancy goes through the flavors that say Italian in chapter one. This is an essential chapter for anybody who was not born and raised in Italy. She explains all the types of cooking fats and how to use them. Then she teaches you about the aromatics. And on she goes through the list teaching you about key ingredients and the techniques to make them speak Italian! :)

In recipes, Nancy teaches us the main themes and then gives us variations. She encourages one to develop their own alterations of her recipes to make them their very own. She teaches one about flexibility, when one plans to make something and is missing an ingredient...her Nonna and mine never gave up, they found a substitute ingredient. Maybe it was because my Grandmas/Nonnas lived through the Great Depression that they understand how to make do with what you have on hand. It is a skill to desire and acquire.

I have went from following Italian recipes to creating my own and sharing them on my Italiano Connection blog, in great part thanks to this book. Her warmth spills through on every page and I feel like Nancy is with me in the kitchen, guiding me through my Italian amateur chef endeavors. I owe more to this Italian cookbook than all others combined. :)