Customer Reviews

The Silver Spoon Pasta (Silver Spoon Book)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Devastated by the demise of "Gourmet" magazine (my source of gastronomical inspiration), I've been trying to find solace in cookbooks, new and old. The release of Phaidon's Silver Spoon Pasta could not have come at a better time. Looking at the spare, elegant layout and plentiful pictures, I felt that old kitchen fever that "Gourmet" always gave me. But even "Gourmet" never inspired me to make my own pasta. From scratch. Without a machine, the way I picture old Italian ladies doing it. It takes some muscle, but Silver Spoon Pasta, with its no-nonsense, plain and simple directions, made me believe I could do it.

And... I could. Within the course of a weekend, I made the maltagliati with bell peppers, the orecchiette with oven-roasted tomatoes, and the spaghetti with olives and lemon. Maybe I'm on a carbohydrate high, but I'm a big fan of this cookbook. It is somehow both minimalistic and sensuous, with color photos of the pasta dishes on almost every other page. Many of the recipes call for less than 10 ingredients, and the simplicity and specificity of the ingredients and methods is a beautiful thing. Every recipe I've tried has been delicious.

The book is organized in two sections, dried pasta (both long and short) and fresh pasta (cut and filled). Each section is then organized by pasta type, with an overview and recipes appropriate for that type of pasta. There are classics, like Spaghetti Carbonara, as well as less common dishes: fettuccine with orange blossom, mezze maniche with creamy garbanzo bean sauce, pumpkin lasagna. Never heard of them, but I am now committed to making them, as soon as possible.

This book is a very good book for the novice in the kitchen and it encourages moving into more difficult hand-made pasta recipes. Many of the recipes are "do-able" in 20 to 30 minutes so it would be handy for the working woman as well as the stay-at-home mother who has to prepare meals with time and energy limits in mind. I have tried several recipes already and been very pleased with the results. I originally bought the book because I felt that I had gotten into a rut with my cooking and needed to try some new recipes. I love pasta of all kinds and these recipes have really been fun to try. Many will become staples in my repertoire.

This cookbook is a great addition for any pasta lover. Recipes range from simple to fairly complex.

The Silver Spoon: Pasta packs in a fine survey of the most popular pasta dishes from The Silver Spoon Restaurant, along with hundreds of new dishes from all corners of Italy, collected by the same team and published in English for the first time. The result is a gorgeous presentation packed with color photos throughout and presenting dishes easy for home cooks to duplicate. Very highly recommended as a library 'staple'.

Simple, direct, utterly comprehensive, simply the BEST pasta cookbook, and the best cookbook over all outside of original The Silver Spoon, and of course everything by Marcella

I bought this for my husband because he loved the original Silver Spoon cookbook. This book probably has every recipe for every shape of pasta you could ever want!

It's not bad, I'm wondering if it would have been better in Italian. However, I am enjoying it. I would like to suggest for those lovers of Italian food..A SPLENDID TABLE...

Great book where you can learn how to match certain type of pasta with some sauce, and recipes for fresh pasta are awesome. Even though some recipes appear rather "minimalistic" - the outcome is unexpectedly rich in flavor!

This is a good book (and I love a good cookbook, including the Silver Spoon) which I bought after reading all these 5 star reviews. I must say, however, that the reality does not match the hype. There are many recipes here and, if you like (mostly) traditional styles of pasta, they will probably be quite satisfying. I have used it several times and have no complaints, it's just that there is really no "wow factor" here to justify the unanimous 5 star reviews.

this book not only gives new and creative ways of making pasta but it's pictures are beautiful to look at when you're not making pasta.