Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites (Hardcover)

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Book Description
She's taught us every facet of Italian cooking--from traditional and regional to seasonal and contemporary. She even made us fall in love with pasta again by opening us up to lighter, healthier versions that don’t weigh us down. Now the Food Network star and bestselling author of Everyday Pasta, Giada De Laurentiis, takes us down a new path, sharing her love of food with clean, vibrant, simple flavors and bursts of bright colors that look as beautiful on the plate as they are delicious.

Yes, you will still find those fabulous recipes she remembers so fondly from family meals, but you'll also find updated twists on classic trattoria favorites--California-inflected, hearty but not overwhelming, and with the perfect balance of healthfulness and terrific flavor. Wouldn’t you love a faster, lighter take on osso buco (here made with turkey instead of veal), a salad with real substance (like one of cantaloupe, red onion, and walnuts), and fish that gets an Italian makeover by way of lots of fresh veggies and accents such as fennel and grapefruit salsa? And let’s not forget dessert. After all, what’s not to adore about little doughnuts dipped in chocolate sauce?

Ranging from soups and snacks to easy entres and elegant dinner-party fare, Giada's recipes are perfect for any day of the week. And for the first time, she includes a full section of dishes that the little ones will love making as much as they love eating (like mini chicken meatballs). With something to please everyone at your table, Giada’s Kitchen deliciously demonstrates why Giada De Laurentiis has become America's best-loved Italian cook.

Italy meets California in Giada De Laurentiis’s collection of 100 new recipes. She focuses on fresh ingredients, simple preparation, and bright flavors. Anyone who wants to indulge in the pleasures of Italian food without feeling weighed down will find inspiration for delicious, hearty yet healthy weekday meals. Giada’s recipes satisfy both our desire to eat with gusto and to feel good about what we eat.

Giada De Laurentiis's Whole-Wheat Linguine with Green Beans, Ricotta, and Lemon

Not all cream sauces are super-rich. This pasta gets its creamy sauce from a combination of part-skim ricotta and pasta water, which come together to make a really easy, lighter cream sauce. Don't leave out the lemon zest; it brightens the flavor and adds a wonderful lemony aroma as well. --Giada De Laurentiis

Whole-Wheat Linguine with Green Beans, Ricotta, and Lemon
(4-6 servings)

1 pound whole-wheat linguine
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound French green beans (haricots verts), trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
Zest of 1 lemon

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large heat-proof bowl and add the ricotta. Toss to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until the beans are tender, about 4 more minutes. Add the ricotta-coated pasta to the pan with the green beans and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes and toss gently. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the lemon zest. Serve.

Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian, Giada's Weekend Getaways, and Giada in Paradise. She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and worked at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant in Los Angeles. This is her fourth book.

From Publishers Weekly

In her usual bright and cheery manner, De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian) offers her newest collection of accessible Italian-accented recipes. The host of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Giada's Weekend Getaways brings to the table recipes with basic, readily available ingredients like ricotta and canned beans, with which she whips up a surprisingly diverse array of dishes, like Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary, and Asparagus Lasagna. Now and again she goes out on a limb with a contemporary twist—Tomato, Watermelon and Basil Skewers or Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto, while an entire chapter devoted to kids' food brings out her sense of whimsy with dishes like Pizza Pot Pies. Throughout, Giada celebrates food that's refreshingly simple. (Sept.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; First Edition edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307346595
• ISBN-13: 978-0307346599
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,230 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look Closer..., October 3, 2008

By	j.s. "mr z" (Bloomington, IN United States) - See all my reviews

I must admit that I, like other reviewers, was at first disappointed by the offerings in Giada's latest publication. When I looked at the recipes closer, however, I realized how much I appreciated the book.

Fans are used to an array of savory, Italian dishes...understandably because this is what Giada has turned out before. This new book puts more of an emphasis on fresh, light flavors. Many recipes call for butternut squash, melons, and other vegetables.

The recipes are no longer strictly "Italian," which I think opens Giada's creativity. Although many recipes call for fresh herbs, I found the ingredient list to be, in general, significantly less intimidating and pricey. It's really about fewer groceries with fresher, bigger flavors. I particularly enjoy the "(Not) Just For Kids" section. Here we find fun recipes for things like pizza pot pies, polenta-fried shrimp, and mascarpone mini cupcakes with strawberry frosting.

I think Giada's new direction, away from specifically "Italian" cuisine and into an Italian-inspired Californian cuisine, will prove successful. After three cookbooks of mostly traditional Italian food, she needed to expand somewhere anyway. Staying loyal to strictly Italian food may have become boring and listless for both the chef and her following. I can't wait to see where she goes next!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bland, bleck, January 31, 2009

By	H. Montague (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I made a couple of the recipes and they were bland, bland, bland. I actually threw out the green beans and lemony one (which is highlighted in the description on Amazon's page). The strata was okay, but super bland in flavor. Just like one other reviewer said, the reader/cook should not have to figure out what seasoning to put in to make it better. I really like Giada and she seems like a great person, but her food is just too boring. It sure does look pretty though! Don't waste your bucks on this book. I want my money back.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars High Quality Cookbook Consistent with Other Giada Cookbooks, October 14, 2008

By	S. D. Fischer (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

I was pleased to see inventive recipes in this book that I have not seen elsewhere (such as butternut squash and vanilla risotto; fresh tomatoes and goat cheese strata with herb oil; prosciutto andmelon soup; linguine and prosciutto frittata; baked artichokes with gorgonzola and herbs; and orange and chocolate zeppole). I was also pleased that with the exception of the chapter on meat, many of the recipes are either vegetarian or could be adapted for vegetarians. The recipes in the chapter for children also have universal appeal.

Chapters include Appetizers and First Courses; Soups, Paninis and Snacks; Salads and Vegetables; Pasta; Meat, Poultry and Fish; Desserts; and Not Just for Kids. Drink recipes are offered in several chapters and include apple and thyme martini; pomegranate and cranberry bellini; amaretto sour with prosecco; amaretto and raspberry smoothie; and spiced Americano with cinnamon whipped cream.

My only complaint is minor - I would have preferred more photos of finished dishes rather than photo after photo of Giada (there are 5 sets of double page spreads of photos of Giada). I know what she looks like. I don't know what all the finished dishes look like there. Having said that, there are more than 50 beautiful, vivid color photos of the dishes.

I am pleased with my purchase and look forward to trying many of the recipes in this cookbook.