Italian Cook Books

Unique and Authentic
Italian Cook Books!

Italian cook books are the heart beat of what keeps traditional Italian pasta recipes alive! They are passed on from generation to generation and many of them are paper clipped bound, stuffed in a kitchen drawer, faded, pencil written index cards that are stained with olive oil or marinara sauce. But they are the treasure chest of Italian food recipes and what authentic Italian cooking really is.

Yes there are plenty of really great celebrity Italian chefs, and I have my favorites.

• Lidia Matticchio Bastianich: This is a real traditionalist, straight from the old country, and I love it!
• Mario Batali: Another great traditionalist with a creative edge and story behind his style.
• Giada De Laurentils: Don't you just love her and her and her crazy Aunt Raffi?

And that is definitely not in order of preference. It would be impossible to choose the best out of the three. I love them all for different reasons.

Then there are the all time classic Italian cookbooks from chefs like:

• Marcella Hazan. The Julia Child of Italian Cooking.
• Ada Boni, the regional Italian food specialist.
• Biba Caravaggion, a Northern Italian cooking icon.

But let's not forget the independent chefs!

Have you ever gone to a little tucked away Italian restaurant that you would have missed if you blinked? But you walk in and find a hidden gem. If you have then the first thing you should do is go to my Gourmet Italian Restaurant page and tell us all where it is. Then you should ask if they have a cookbook. You never know when these great little places have an Italian cook book to boast their best.

There is one restaurant that comes to mind as I write this. I was living in Rome at the time and I went to visit my friends Andrea and Rachel who lived in Florence. They took me to a fabulous restaurant called Garga in the center of Firenze (Florence). The ambiance eclectic and unique, the crowd was fun and exciting, but the food To Die For!

Then there are always the novelty Italian cook books such as "YO" The Soprano's Family Cookbook. They happen to have some really great guido recipes that mirror the Napolitano style of cooking.

They all have fabulous pasta recipes, and even some family secret cooking tips. You can spend the rest of your life sampling something out all of these Italian Pasta cookbooks and never have the same meal twice!

Try some of my Italian Pasta recipes, soon to be famous Italian cook books!