The Book of Pizzas and Italian Breads

Seven years ago my husband Dub and I sailed into Whangarai Harbour in New Zealand. On our way in I spied some friends or ours, Gayle and John, who we'd met in Tahiti. They were Kiwis and they were ending their five year circumnavigation, home at last. We anchored close to their boat and later dinghied over for sundowners (usually Coke and Rum). That evening, as usual, we told tall tales of our adventures at sea and we congratulated ourselves on being in this wonderful place at this wonderful time. Later, as we were saying our goodbyes, Gayle gave me her set of the Salamandar Book of Series Cookbooks. They are sold by HP Books in the States as paperbacks. Gayle carried these books around the planet and now she was giving them to me, complete with her notes (written in the books) on the recipes, how well she and John liked certain dishes, which were their favorites, how hard they were to prepare. She knew I was a cook and she thought I'd appreciate them. She was right. Like all the books in the series "The Book of Pizzas & Italian Breads" is about five inches wide and about a foot tall, making them kind of unique among cookbooks. But one should not be put off because of the odd shape, these are real books and you can find mighty darned good recipes in them like in this book. Many people would think that you couldn't bake on a sailboat, but you can. We have a convection microwave on "Tara" and it bakes just fine. In fact the last thing we did in it was the Asparagus and Ham Squares on Page 47 and "Yum Yum" is what I have to say about them. There are so many different pizza combinations and ways to make pizza, probably the list is endless, but there are quite a few good ones presented here. Plus, as an additional added benefit you get some very delicious dessert bread recipes. What a deal. I use this book a lot and if you get it, I bet you will too. Review Submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

I wrote that I had not recieved the book. My wife recieved the book and packed it in the bags for a trip to Mich.. Some thing told me to ask her---yep she forgot all about it, and had left it in a side pocket in the bag.---My apoligy to all--- The book must have came in about 4 days after ordering. My best to all. jim edwards

In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes. This installment, the Book of Pizzas and Italian Breads, starts with a brief introduction into the history of pizzas, the necessary equipment, a glossary of ingredients and a step-by-step guide to pizza crusts, and then presents recipe suggestions ranging from traditional pizzas to Italian breads. Special chapters are dedicated to quick and easy pizzas, pizzas for entertaining, pizzas for kids, pizzas from around the world, unusually shaped pizzas and dessert pizzas. Classics such as pizza Margherita, quattro stagioni, marinara and napolitana, bread sticks, various calzones, focaccia, polenta bread, panettone, and four cheese, Hawaiian and salami pizzas, appear next to unique recipes such as choc-truffle pizza, French brie pizza, grape bread, sausage and apple pizza, and sour cream and caviar pizza. From apple pie pizza to whole wheat pizza dough, this collection of recipes, while not all-encompassing, is a great introduction to the endless possibilities of baking food on a slab of dough, covered with cheese - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended for fans of Italian cooking: This series' installments on antipasti, pasta and light pasta sauces. Also recommended: Around the World Cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery) Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006