Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages

by Mario Batali

Perfectly pristine ingredients, combined sensibly and cooked properly, are the unmistakable hallmarks of the best Italian food. Chef Mario Batali, known to fans far and wide as "Molto Mario" from his appearances on television's Food Network and as chef of New York's much-loved Pó restaurant, has elevated these simple principles to fine art, creating innovative new fare that pays tribute to traditional Italian home cooking in a distinctly modern way. Now, for the first time, more than 200 of his irresistible recipes for fresh pastas, sprightly salads, grilled dishes, savory ragus, and many others are gathered in Simple Italian Food, a celebration of the flavors and spirit of Italy.
        
Mario draws inspiration for his distinctive dishes from the two "villages" that have left their stamps on his cuisine: Borgo Capanne, the tiny hillside village in Northern Italy where he lived and cooked for several years, and New York's Greenwich Village, where he has ready access to bountiful produce and outstanding artisan-made products; his full-flavored, smartly presented fare combines the best of both worlds. Chapters covering antipasti, pasta and risotto, fish, meat and poultry, contorni (side dishes), and cheese and sweets offer classic dishes such as Baked Lasagne with Asparagus and Pesto and pork loin cooked in caramelized onions and milk alongside Batali's own enticing improvisations--Penne with Spicy Goat Cheese and Hazelnut Pesto or Tuna Carpaccio with Cucumbers, Sweet Potatoes, and Saffron Vinaigrette. And because his recipes succeed on the strength of their ingredients rather than on virtuoso techniques, home cooks can easily duplicate the clear, clean flavors and lively presentations that are Mario's signature. Thirty-two pages of color photographs showcase Chef Batali's colorful and approachable recipes.
        
Traditionalists as well as those who thrill to the new will want to make dozens of these crowd-pleasing dishes a permanent part of their repertoire and embrace Mario Batali'sphilosophy of Simple Italian Food.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Italian Literature

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 1998

About the author

Mario Batali is known to most people as both the star of the Food Network's Molto Mario and one of the Iron Chefs on Iron Chef America. Winner of numerous awards for his restaurants, Mario himself is the recipient of the 2005 James Beard All-Clad Outstanding Chef Award, the most prestigious cooking honor there is. Mario is also a huge NASCAR fan. Like many guys his age, Mario first discovered the thrill of stock car racing watching the ebullient Chris Economaki, in his Martian-style headphones, reporting live from the pit area at Daytona. Mario has been a more active racing fan these last few years, hosting prerace dinners at the track for the drivers. His restaurant Otto has become something of an unofficial hangout whenever NASCAR visits New York. He also enjoys prowling the infield to check out what die-hard racing fans like to cook on their grills, looking to pick up some down-home grilling tips. His next book, ITALIAN GRILLING, will be available from Ecco/HarperCollins in May 2008.

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

I've gotten into the (probably good) habit of checking cookbooks out from the library to preview them before buying and/or adding to the wish list. My cookbook collection already exceeds the space available to it, so I'm thinking this is a prudent habit - and one I should've picked up some time ago.

This book had to go back to the library before we had a chance to cook from it - which is really too bad, as the recipes seemed even more approachable than many in Molto Italiano, which we already own and have enjoyed. I think my hang up with Italian cooking is that most of the recipes we've found rely heavily on pasta (in all shapes and forms), polenta, or other grains that are delicious but also blow the calories through the roof. I'm going to have to give this cookbook another try to see if Mario can prove me wrong.

[ColumbusReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple Italian Food is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. Batali uses a lot of ingredients you may need to pick up at a farmers market rather than your local grocer, but the recipes are relatively simple yet sophisticated. Try the barbecued baby Octopus with lima beans in red wine or the roasted Porgy with peas, garlic, scallions and mint. If that doesn't suit your fancy, try the braised stuffed rabbit legs with walnuts, prosecco, dried cherries and apricots (I delete the apricots). But, my all-time favorite is an even simpler recipe, the Linguine with Manila Clams, Pancetta, and Chiles. This recipe is divine and I typically make this before a distance race to get my carbs in, but I'll be making it once again tonight. Reminds me, I need to pick up a bottle of dry white wine - a cup and a half for the meal and the rest in my glass.

bon appetit!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this cookbook, there are recipes I look forward to making.

[Reading For Funs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love pasta, and because of this, I have a terrible habit of picking up any Italian cookbook I see. When I saw Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages I was thrilled, and my mind immediately raced with what delicious pasta recipes could be hidden within its pages.

Mario Batali failed me. Instead of introducing me to delicious pasta, he showed me the world of fantastic Italian dishes that I had never once thought of making before, but now I can't live without. The Stuffed Olives, Black Olive Polenta with Shiitakes, Garlic and Rosemary, and Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper (sounds weird but is delicious) all won my heart. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to try out some of the more delicious recipes in the cookbook since rabbit is relatively difficult to find in my area.

I highly recommend this cookbook to any Italian food lover, this is a keeper and will certainly change your world.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book. Mind you simple cooking to Mario Batali and simple cooking to me aren't exactly the same thing. However everything I've made from this book has been wonderful. It's probably his least complicated book as I find his other cookbooks are good, and pretty thorough but generally not things that I would make myself.

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a number of great traditional italian recipes along with new ideas to add interesting flavors/options to your menu. Recipes appears to be easy to follow and there's quite a bit of culinary background information on tools and ingredients as well.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original Batali and still one of the better books in his repertoire.

[Emiloooo · Rating 5 out of 5]

the mushroom risotto recipe is off da hook. making fresh pasta is sooooo yum and it came out great. my gnocchi could use some work. i need a ricer.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mario: Love his cooking, love his show, love his history of food, love his passion for food and it's history. If you are a fan, be sure to read HEAT by Bill Buford.

[Wg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Few recipes my family would be willing to eat or I would be interested in cooking.

[Heather Key · Rating 2 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13206054