Pasta classica : the art of Italian pasta cooking

by Julia della Croce

The definitive cookbook for authentic pasta cookery, a lively manual that treats pasta as the Italians do--as an art form, something to be praised as well as savored. Color illustrations.

Genres: Cookbooks, Italian Literature, Cooking

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1987

About the author

http://www.juliadellacroce.com/biogra...

Reviews

[reveurdart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kind of Italian cookbooks I live for: illustrated throughout (advertisements, watercolours, paintings, and some photographs), plenty of historical background and, of course, a good selection of recipes. My only gripe is the lack of photographs of the actual dishes, which is a personal preference. Other than that, this was brilliant!

[Fritz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I swear, Italo-Americans write the worst cookbooks.

They haven't got a real connection to Italy (Italo-American culture was established even before Italy was born as a nation, and they have been doing their own thing ever since) but they rabbit on and on. On top of the usual USA fare (Alfredo sauce, carbonara with onions and cream, something she insists on calling "salt pork") this is also very repetitive - the same fresh tomato sauce is presented with minimal variation about 20 times throughout the book.

[Starre Vartan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of shocked how much I didn't know about pasta; loved the chapters on the history of pasta, so fascinating.

[DJ Yossarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been making pasta from this book for about 20 years. There's a great selection of recipes, but what sets this book apart is the writing and research behind it. Julia della Croce provides historical and cultural background for the different types of pastas, their sauces, and the ingredients. All this is accompanied by illustrations--photos, luscious watercolors, details from paintings, old advertisements. It's a visual feast as well as a culinary one. If you love pasta, treat yourself to this book.