Collects recipes outlining accessible culinary tips that channel instructive elements from the author's television show while sharing preparation guidelines for such fare as citrus roasted veal, rustic ricotta tart, and raw garden salad. - (Baker & Taylor)

A lavishly photographed volume of comprehensive recipes by the author of Lidia's Italy in America outlines accessible culinary tips that channel instructive elements from her television show of the same name while sharing preparation guidelines for such fare as Citrus Roasted Veal, Rustic Ricotta Tart and Raw Garden Salad. TV tie-in. - (Baker & Taylor)

From one of the most beloved chefs and authors in America, a beautifully illustrated collection of 150 simple, seasonal Italian recipes told with commonsense cooking wisdom—from the cutting board to the kitchen table. 

As storyteller and chef, Lidia Bastianich draws on anecdotes to educate and illustrate. Recalling lessons learned from her mother, Erminia, and her grandmother Nonna Rosa, Lidia pays homage to the kitchen sages who inspired her.

Whether it's Citrus Roasted Veal or Rustic Ricotta Tart, each recipe is a tangible feast. We learn to look at ingredients as both geographic and cultural indicators. In Campania, the region where mozzarella is king, we discover it best eaten three hours after preparation. In Genova we are taught that while focaccia had its basil origins in the Ligurain culinary tradition, the herbs and flavorings will change from region to region; as home chefs, we can experiment with rosemary or oregano or olives or onions! When it's time for dessert, Lidia draws on the scared customs of nuns in Italian monasteries and convents and reveals the secret to rice pudding with a blessing.

Lidia's Commonsense Guide to Italian Cooking is a masterclass in creating delectable Italian dishes with grace, confidence and love. - (Random House, Inc.)

LIDIA MATTICCHIO BASTIANICH is the author of eight previous cookbooks, five of which have been accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia, among others, and she gives lectures on Italian cuisine throughout the country. She lives on Long Island, New York.

TANYA BASTIANICH MANUALI received her PhD in Renaissance art history from Oxford University. In 1996 she started Esperienze Italiane, a travel company that arranges food, wine, and art tours to Italy. She also coauthors cookbooks with her mother, Lidia; manages Lidia's product line; and serves as the cultural and art consultant for the art series. She lives on Long Island, New York. - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

Having extensively surveyed the world of Italian and Italian American cooking in previous books and television series, indefatigable and entrepreneurial Bastianich seems bent on creating a new sort of Italian cooking for American kitchens that crosses time-honored boundaries and looks to fashion a more relaxed but no-less-appealing cuisine. She has partnered with her art-historian daughter before, but now the two of them offer readers such uncommon fare as potatoes baked in beer, eggplant and rice parmigiana, and veggie meatballs. Traditionally unadorned pasta carbonara gets some sliced artichokes in its cream-and-egg sauce. Desserts include an apple cake, cookies, and several variations of rice pudding. Most dishes can be readily reproduced, but acquiring razor clams away from the Atlantic coast may be daunting. The authors' celebrity and their upcoming public-television series mark this a cookbook sure to be in great demand. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.