Nick Stellino's Glorious Italian Cooking

Nick Stellino's television shows and cookbooks are wonderful. His recipes don't call for any exotic ingredients and the instructions are not complicated in any way. I had the opportunity to see him in person doing a cooking demonstration and he is as entertaining in person as he is on TV. And he ended the demo saying "from my heart to your kitchen, arriva derci!" You've got to love him!

I bought this book for my husband before we were married and we dipped into it now and again to experiment with some of the recipes. Every one we tried was a resounding success. We surprised ourselves with how wonderfully these dishes turned out! Many unusual and creative dishes, from antipastos through to desserts. The entrees include wine, dessert and salad/side dish recommendations for easy menu planning. Every recipe has a heartwarming story behind it's history and inclusion in the book as a favorite of Nick's. The only thing the book lacks is photographs of the foods. I almost didn't buy the book because of this, but the stories in the margins and the descriptions of the recipes seduced me. Now, the lack of photos is part of the intrigue of this book--it forces me to focus on the power of the recipe and makes trying the different dishes all the more alluring because of the mystery behind what the dishes will look like when they're complete. Each one has been a surprise and a delight. Some are a bit labor intensive, but I love the challenge and it's fun to watch the metamorphosis of simple ingredients into art. Particular favorites: the asparagus salad, baked pasta in eggplant and the TORTA RUSTICA! My family thinks I'm a culinary genius anytime I try any of these on them for the holidays. My parents start making special requests! Usually for encore performances. And I haven't seen most of these recipes anywhere else. All are unique (including the desserts which are mostly fruit and/or nut oriented, rather than cakes and pastries as found in most cookbooks.) Great fun! My favorite cookbook to turn to when I want to play in my kitchen.

I bought this book for my husband before we were married and we dipped into it now and again to experiment with some of the recipes. Every one we tried was a resounding success. We surprised ourselves with how wonderfully these dishes turned out! Many unusual and creative dishes, from antipastos through to desserts. The entrees include wine, dessert and salad/side dish recommendations for easy menu planning. Every recipe has a heartwarming story behind it's history and inclusion in the book as a favorite of Nick's. The only thing the book lacks is photographs of the foods. I almost didn't buy the book because of this, but the stories in the margins and the descriptions of the recipes seduced me. Now, the lack of photos is part of the intrigue of this book--it forces me to focus on the power of the recipe and makes trying the different dishes all the more intriguing because of the mystery behind what the dishes will look like when they're complete. Each one has been a surprise and a delight. Some are a bit labor intensive, but I love the challenge and it's fun to watch the metamorphosis of simple ingredients into art. Particular favorites: the asparagus salad, baked pasta in eggplant and the TORTA RUSTICA! My family thinks I'm a culinary genius anytime I try any of these on them for the holidays. My parents start making special requests! Usually for encore performances. And I haven't seen most of these recipes anywhere else. All are unique (including the desserts which are mostly fruit and/or nut oriented, rather than cakes and pastries as found in most cookbooks.) Great fun! My favorite cookbook to turn to when I want to play in my kitchen.

I love this cookbook, and was thrilled Nick has written another cookbook for my Italian collection. Thanks!