The Random House Italian Kitchen

Perhaps more than any other person, Marcella Hazan is responsible for bringing Italian cuisine into the homes of American cooks. We're not talking spaghetti and meatballs here--Hazan's cuisine consists of polenta, risotto, squid braised with tomatoes and white wine, sautéed Swiss chard with olive oil and garlic.... Twenty years ago, when Hazan first exploded into the American consciousness with The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking, such recipes were revolutionary. With time, however, these classic dishes have become much-loved family favorites.

Now a new generation is ready to be introduced to Marcella Hazan's way with food, and in Essentials of Italian Cooking, Hazan combines her two earlier works into one updated and expanded volume. In addition to the delicious collection of recipes, this book serves as a basic manual for cooks of every skill level. Recipes have been revised to reduce fat content, and a whole new chapter full of fundamental information about herbs, spices, and cheeses used in Italian kitchens--as well as details on how to select specific ingredients--has been added. New chapters, new recipes--it's hard to ask for more than Essentials of Italian Cooking. But that didn't stop us. We're adding two Italian American New York favorites--Mario Batali's Simple Italian from TVFN's Molto Mario and Rao's Kitchen, a celebration of that unique Southern Italian American, red-sauce cooking that first made Italian cuisine accessible to so much of America. A gift of these three titles together will make any home cook sing an aria.