Every Night Italian: 120 Simple, Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 45 Minutes or Less (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Marcella Hazan (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Italy there are no mothers who are bad cooks. Can this be possible? In the case of Giuliano Hazan, whose mother is Marcella Hazan, yes. Marcella is the doyenne of Italian cookbook authors published in the United States. And Giuliano is no slouch, either. Though his first cookbook, The Classic Pasta Cookbook, is lamentably out of print, it is a laurel upon which he could have rested. Fortunately, Giuliano Hazan appears to be a restless man. "I learned to cook because I like to eat well," he writes in Every Night Italian. "Satisfying food does not have to be complex or take a long time to prepare. Often the simpler it is the better it tastes, and simplicity is what Italian cooking is all about." To this end, Hazan has compiled a collection of Italian recipes any cook can serve to any family every night of the week.

He wisely opens his book with two sections: "The Italian Pantry," a list of all the basic ingredients to have on hand, and "Some Essential Techniques," such as chopping an onion, cutting a pepper, trimming an artichoke, and boning and filleting a chicken breast. The book is then divided by appetizers, soups, pasta and rice, fish and shellfish, meats, vegetables, salads, desserts, and menus--120 recipes total, all flavor-heightened and with an eye cocked at the clock. Chicken Braised with Porcini Mushrooms has a substantial sound, and yet you are only looking at 20 minutes of prep time and 60 minutes from start to finish, leaving plenty of time for a Insalata Caprese with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Hazan's version of Ribollita, the classic Tuscan soup, takes two-and-a-half hours from start to finish, but only 30 minutes to prep. The Bucatini with sausage and onions is a straight shot at 30 minutes, start to finish. Spend a little time with this book, master the recipes, and you will no doubt find yourself agreeing with Giuliano Hazan that Every Night Italian is a perfectly plausible idea. --Schuyler Ingle

From Publishers Weekly

Hazan (Classic Pasta Cookbook, etc.) attempts to make Italian cooking play in fast-paced American homes with such basic dishes as Orecchiette with Fresh Tomato, Basil, and Ricotta Salata and Poached Fish with a Savory Green Sauce. The recipes live up to their billing as simple preparations, but a book the subtitle is misleading when Stuffed Squid with Chick Pea Sauce requires 70 minutes of cooking (45 minutes or less apparently refers to preparation time, not total cooking time). And even though Italian ingredients are more available than in the past, many will struggle to obtain fresh sheep's milk cheese and other delicacies. Despite these inconsistencies, there is plenty of appeal in a collection that includes Fusilli with Cauliflower and Black Olives, Soup in a Bag (with a large dumpling cooked in cheesecloth then diced and added to the soup) and Mrs. Torti's Zucchini with anchovies. Home cooks may wish this collection hadn't been presented as something it is not; however, Hazan adeptly marries flavors in lively recipes. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (January 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684800284
• ISBN-13: 978-0684800288
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,009 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FANTASTIC BOOK!, January 28, 2000

By A Customer

I've received EVERY NIGHT ITALIAN from an American friend of mine who wanted to persuade me that in America you can learn excellent Italian cooking. You can bet I was very skeptical about that, and at first I didn't even take a single look at the book. But a few days later, just out of curiosity, I took it in my hands...and I tried. Well, how can I say, it struck me. Altho I'm fairly young, I believe myself to be a first rate cook (at least that's what people say), but this book prooves that I'm nothing more than an ordinary laywoman. I don't know how this American guy (even if his mother and his first name are Italian) can have such a deep and brilliant knowledge of Italian cooking, but he has! Believe me, he's an absolute master, and his book is an absolute must.

90 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, relatively quick dishes, June 25, 2000

By	Eric Antonow (Palo Alto, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These dishes are tremendous. We've made some very successful meals of them and 1) they are relatively quick, 2) easy in that they require only a handful of ingredients, 3) taste better than most decent restaurants. The cover dish -- linguine with shrimp and cream -- is something I'll make over and over; the salmon with capers and anchovies had me pounding the table; and the squash risotto will probably replace potatos forever. I know these sound a bit extravagant -- they are -- but the recipies are not intimidating. If you're comfortable with a skillet you should be fine. Great addition to a shelf of Italian cookbooks and the one that finally took me beyond pasta dishes. Oh but, I also highly recommend the author's Pasta Cookbook.

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delectable, quick and simple recipes, April 3, 2000

By	Carol S. (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

I received this book as a gift and have already made several recipes, to rave reviews. The instructions are refreshingly clear, with plenty of explanation and cross-references. The recipes tend to be the simple, mouth-watering, almost rustic type, with fresh ingredients and fairly fast cooking times. I especially like the fact that many of the recipes have a different twist; the artichoke/potato gratin-ish casserole is a good example of a simple yet unusual and incredibly delicious dish. Most of the recipes are quick and simple enough to make on a weeknight after dinner, although some require a lengthier cooking time (in a Clintonesque example of verbiage, the title refers to preparation time, as opposed to preparation and cooking time together. But this is spelled out at the beginning of each recipe). A terrific addition to the library of any cook.