Scott Conant's New Italian Cooking

by Scott Conant, Joanne McAllister Smart

The award-winning chef of two of New York’s most celebrated restaurants presents his fresh, vibrant approach to Italian cooking with recipes that reveal the secrets behind his most acclaimed dishes.

Scott Conant, chef-owner of L’Impero and Alto restaurants in Manhattan, has been thrilling diners and impressing critics since L’Impero opened in 2003. Now he translates his inspired combination of the best of New American cooking with the best of Italian cuisine into more than 130 sophisticated but easy-to-follow recipes. Here are the dishes that have garnered national attention and unanimous praise, including melt-in-your-mouth beef short ribs, the creamiest polenta, intoxicatingly fragrant roast chicken, and a deceptively simple Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce that transforms an everyday meal into something sublime.

Because Scott understands that home cooks don’t often have as much time to spend in the kitchen as they’d like, his New Italian Cooking includes many dishes that suit hectic weekday schedules—meaning they can easily be made in 45 minutes or less—such as Seared and Slow-Roasted Sirloin of Beef or Grilled Shrimp with Mint, Orange, and Fennel Couscous. When he slows things down for the weekend, it’s with luxurious braises and roasts that require more time but not necessarily more effort, including Oven-Braised Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Vinegar and a sumptuous, long-simmering Bolognese Sauce.

Featuring 30 captivating color photos, new insights on Italian ingredients, and friendly yet meticulous instructions, Scott Conant’s New Italian Cooking is a book to turn to again and again for the best of contemporary Italian cuisine.

Genres: Cookbooks

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2005

About the author

In 2008, SCOTT CONANT opened Scarpetta restaurant in New York City and received three-star reviews from the New York Times. Conant often appears as a judge on the popular Food Network show Chopped as well as Today and Bravo's Top Chef.

Reviews

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Scott’s cooking for years at his restaurant, and now you have the opportunity to do it right in your home. Scott Conant’s New Italian Cooking is a wonderful book where you can see Scott’s true passion for Italian flavors.
Marcus Samuelsson

A handsome book of sophisticated, relaxed, and inspired recipes. This book is a must for professionals and home cooks alike.
Alfred Portale

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott Conant put out this new italian cookbook which is to fuse new cooking with Italian soul. He apologizes for this description several times and knows that you will get it if you cook from the book. I mean, given that this is an older book, it is more obvious to talk about good, fresh ingredients treated well and mostly simply while making or remaking older recipes.

The recipes that caught my eye and that I will probably try at some time are:
- ginger oil (p. 19)
- peperoncino oil (p. 19)
- baked polenta margarita (basically polenta pizza)
- spaghetti with spicy garlic shrimp, baby tomatoes and bread crumbs (p. 101-102) (for the technique with the shrimp
- spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce and basil (p. 104-106) (To test against Marcella's that I use all the time)
- Basic risotto (p.145-6) (For the make ahead technique on p. 149)

That's really about it.