Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen

I am an avid lover of all things Italian, especially the cooking. I have watched author Mary Ann Esposito on Ciao Italia, her television program, and been snared by her tempting take on vegetables in particular. I purchased her "Slow and Easy" cookbook and was in general, very pleased indeed. If there was any slight disappointment to speak of, it would only be her curious habit of pan frying in regular old vegetable oil instead of olive oil for all of its famous addition of fragrance & flavor. I know Italians from all parts of Italy & Sicily who concur that this is not the norm; vegetable oil is used for deep frying usually. Olive oil is plentiful and much less expensive in Italy so that is why it is most often used.(In addition to the sweet kiss of flavor it adds) I also learned a few wonderful tips from the author. My favorite has to be using old brown paper bags to drain fried foods as they do not absorb the excess oil then cling to the fried food like paper towels do. Try this tip; it really works! My favorite recipe has got to be the stuffed shells with cream ragu. Like we say here in New Orleans, "good enough to slap your Mama!" Just an expression, Grandma Tarantino! That recipe alone was well worth the cost of the entire cookbook, but there are so many more recipes to tempt & tantalize the tastebuds.

I absolutly love this cookbook. The recipes are not very difficult but the results are fantastic. I have cooked from this book and also used the recipes for an Italian themed bridal shower for a friend getting married in Italy and everything turned out wonderful and everyone cleaned their plates and raved. There is nothing so wierd or exotic that you can't find the ingredients in most any well stocked grocery store and the recipes serve a crowd, big or small.

Mary Ann Esposito's book is just like her cooking show...straight forward, precise, informative and takes you right back to Mom's or Grandma's Italian kitchen. This is comfort food at it's Italian best.If you aren't Italian...this book will make you wish you were. Grab a glass of red wine, Mary Ann's Ciao Italia and head to the kitchen for a culinary journey that will have you returning time and again for more.

I just returned from a vacation in Italy. This book so reminds me of my trip! I really like that Mary Ann uses simple, fresh, every day meats, vegetables, spices, and other ingredients in her recipes, just like most Italians I remember doing. I really wanted to replicate some of the recipes I tasted in Italy, but didn't want a cookbook that called for items that I can't find in my local grocery store. This book is perfect for me. Most of the recipes are suited perfectly to family style dining, but are tasty enough to serve company. The "do ahead" features of the recipes make the dishes suited perfectly for today's life style. I am know this cookbook is going to be one of my favorites.

This is not the first Mary Ann Esposito cookbook I've owned, so I might be a little biased, but this is a great collection for the holiday season. All kinds of slow cooked, authentic Italian classics. You can put these things together and then set it/forget it. Come back hours later and you got yourself a casserole or a lasagne. No fuss, no muss. And the best part is, at no point is there any suggestion to use Ritz crackers in any recipe, if you know what I mean. Go get this book. Seriously. Go get it.