44 replies to this topic

[Basilgirl]

Supposedly, sadly, Marcella Hazan's last book. I just got my copy yesterday and haven't had time to sit down and read it cover to cover yet. Anybody out there made anything from it yet? I glanced at a butternut squash & parmesan thing that looked really good.

[Kevin72]

Isn't that what she said about her last book?

I read about it on Amazon initially and was lead to think that it was some new essays but alot of recycled recipes. But now I'm not so sure. I'm curious to see thoughts posted as well.

[wnissen]

Interesting. Marcella Cucina was supposed to be her last, and that was published in 1997. It must be great to love one's work so much.

Walt

[Basilgirl]

Yeah, I think Marcella Cucina was supposed to be her last book...is Marcella the Cher of the cooking world?

[Suzanne F]

Not that all the earlier ones weren't personal, but this one is her MOST personal one. In it, she gets to be the curmudgeonly teacher, grumbling about all the misconceptions people have about "Italian" food, and then very clearly explaining why she thinks it should be done THIS WAY. And the recipes ARE new. I really want to make the carrot gnocchi, which she says were quite a surprise to her.

Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to work as a proofreader on this book. And when I got to meet her afterwards, I literally knelt at her feet and thanked her for teaching me so much. She was quite gracious even though I was a blithering idiot.

[Kevin72]

And the recipes ARE new.  I really want to make the carrot gnocchi, which she says were quite a surprise to her.

Wow. I'll be on Amazon if anyone needs me.

[SethG]

There was a big feature on the new book in the August/September Saveur. Unfortunately I can't find the article on Saveur's website. The article contained several great-sounding recipes.

I made the Ragu di Vitello col Sughetto di Peperoni Rossi, Verdi e Gialli (Veal Pasta Sauce with Red, Green, and Yellow Peppers). It was really great, although I found her requirement that the peppers be peeled raw, with a vegetable peeler, to be easier said than done. It was well worth the effort.

[Kevin72]

I've taken to that habit, peeling peppers. I'm not a big fan of peppers as it is but peeling them makes them sweeter, just as she says. I don't fret every single piece of the peel though.

Edited by Kevin72, 08 October 2004 - 07:34 PM.

[kjente2]

It was really great, although I found her requirement that the peppers be peeled raw, with a vegetable peeler, to be easier said than done.  It was well worth the effort.

You will want to get a messermeister serrated peeler. Its a great little tool.
http://www.surlatabl...m?PRRFNBR=12303

[Richard Kilgore]

Sounds like another book to add to my list. And yes, another vote for the messermeister serrated peeler. The best tool for anything similarly difficult to peel.

[marie-louise]

There was a big feature on the new book in the August/September Saveur...

Trivia note-they took her to The Olive Garden for lunch, and her comments about what America had done to Italian food are in the article. Some of them are priceless, as you might imagine, but there actually was a dish she liked. They also had a piece on her kitchen, it looks incredible (but small.)

[JudyG]

There was a big feature on the new book in the August/September Saveur.  Unfortunately I can't find the article on Saveur's website.  The article contained several great-sounding recipes.

I made the Ragu di Vitello col Sughetto di Peperoni Rossi, Verdi e Gialli (Veal Pasta Sauce with Red, Green, and Yellow Peppers).  It was really great, although I found her requirement that the peppers be peeled raw, with a vegetable peeler, to be easier said than done.  It was well worth the effort.

Try using a serrated vegetable peeler, such as the one from Messermeister or Oxo

[Kevin72]

Trivia note-they took her to The Olive Garden for lunch, and her comments about what America had done to Italian food are in the article. Some of them are priceless, as you might imagine, but there actually was a dish she liked. They also had a piece on her kitchen, it looks incredible (but small.)

There was a thread on this here:
http://forums.egulle...topic=47486&hl=

[SethG]

I made two dishes from the new book this week:

(1) The lamb shoulder fricassee "Marches" style (p.280). This was good homey fare. It would be bland but for the redeeming last step, in which the lamb is tossed with egg yolk and lemon juice. I could've used a serving suggestion to go with the lamb. I kept thinking "buttered noodles, buttered noodles!" But that was Julia talking inside my head. I went instead with rice and a vegetable. Boring.

(2) Tonight I made the risotto with butternut squash, leeks, and clams (p. 143). My wife and I gobbled it all up. Really good. I thought this dish was interesting coming from Marcella because it contained a number of accents-- the fresh marjoram, the green peppercorns tossed in at the end-- which I don't think the more severe Marcella of the Seventies would have included. Back then she would've just made one or two ingredients shine. But I have no complaints; the dish was great!

[Basilgirl]

Seth: Made the pot roast "crudo" on Sunday. AWESOME. And easy. Try it!

[maggiethecat]

I made the Ragu di Vitello col Sughetto di Peperoni Rossi, Verdi e Gialli (Veal Pasta Sauce with Red, Green, and Yellow Peppers).  It was really great, although I found her requirement that the peppers be peeled raw, with a vegetable peeler, to be easier said than done.  It was well worth the effort.

I made it too, and it was a succulent eye-opener-- one of those dishes about which I could say: "Hmmmmm. I've never tasted anything exactly like this." Yes, peeling those peppers was a drag, but I decided to give myself a break. The little bits of peel I'd missed detracted in no way from the results.

[Jesse A]

Just got this cookbook for Hanukkah and I couldn't find a thread on it, so I thought I'd start one for folks to discuss their favorite recipes and experiences cooking through this classic tome.

I started out last night with penne in tuna sauce with tomatoes. Utterly simple and delicious, although 12 ounces of imported tuna packed in olive oil cost a whopping $20. Minced garlic, olive oil and canned tomatoes simmered for 25 minutes or so, then stir in tuna, a pat of butter, and black pepper. Toss with pasta and a bit of chopped parsley.

Somehow, the butter and olive oil emulsify with the tomatoes to create a silky, creamy vehicle to bind the tuna with the pasta. Far greater than the sum of its parts.

Alongside the pasta, we had broccoli sauteed with garlic and parsley. All in all, a ridiculously quick, easy, and delicious weeknight dinner.

So, where to go from here? I know the ragu and the chicken with two lemons have been discussed at length; but what are some other gems in this book?

[Daniel]

I have made some recipes from this book, but one stands out.. If you like the pat of butter on in the recipe, I am pretty sure one of her sauces call for a whole stick..

[JBN]

The Baked Green Lasagne with Bolognese is outstanding. In fact, the Bolognese itself is outstanding.

[kiliki]

Some of my pasta staples are from this book: the butter, onion and tomato sauce, the pea, bacon and ricotta sauce (use good ricotta, not the stuff from the grocery store-get it from an Italian deli, or the Whole Foods "spreadable" ricotta they have in their cheese dept. is fantastic here), and her carbonara (my favorite of any I've ever made). In fact, when I just want a fast weeknight dinner using ingredients I may already have at home, I turn to her pasta chapter before any other source. And her cream and butter sauce is great-of course this is easy to make with no recipe, but her proportions are just right.

[Chufi]

so many favorites! There is this unusual but delcious sweet polenta cake with figs, raisins and pinenuts. She says something like "very good with a dollop or 2 of whipped cream, but then, what isn't?" which was one of my favorite food quotes for years

the eggplant patties are fantastic.

there is this stew/braise of chicken and red cabbage.. perfect winter comfort food.

[Pontormo]

Lucky you!

I have the two old volumes that became Essentials when revised a bit and combined. I will be uncharacteristically brief (for now) since Marcella is literally a venerable figure as far as I'm concerned.

Here's something to be a bit mischievous since I know there are many home cooks in The United States who are thrilled with their spiffy new (allegedly just) translated copies of The Sliver Spoon. You've got the MUCH better book. There's just one unmediated and opiniated voice behind the book. It's a good tool for learning and worth cooking your way through.

While your divine tuna was probably a large factor in the success of your dish, do know that Genova is a pretty decent, less costly, imported Italian-style tuna distributed by Chicken of the Sea (I think).

Please, do keep the reports coming!

[Pontormo]

• Red cabbage soup
N.B. Italian title refers to cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), now available in US. However, this version taught me how good red cabbage is. Cf. Chufi's note about a chicken dish w/ cabbage that is good for dinner guests on low-fat diets.
• Bean soup (cannellini) with parsley and garlic
• Chick-pea soup

• Bucatini all'Amatriciana
• Baked polenta with meat sauce (Ragu Bolognese)
• Spaghetti with smothered onions
• Penne with ricotta and spinach sauce
• Lasagne with artichokes
Classic Bolognese recipe with spinach dough is wonderful, too.
• Fettuccine with fried zucchini

• Baked striped bass and shellfish sealed in foil (Italian title refers to Branzino)
Magnificent for special occasion.
• Pan-roasted mackerel with rosemary and garlic
Never had eaten this assertively fishy fish before. Cooked it with a crowd including "vegetarians" who eat fish, and everyone raved. Spaghetti with tomato-anchovy sauce was perfect as a first course. All of Hazan's menu suggestions are a great feature of the book.
• Sea bass with braised fennel (Il Pesce coi Finocchi Freschi)
• Baked bluefish with potatoes, Genoese style
While I don't eat seafood as much as this list might imply, the fish recipes were truly revelatory when I bought the books in the early 1980s. This is my favorite and the source for something Mark Bittman publishes in H2CE.

• Ossobuco with risotto alla milanese
Another excellent dish for company when weather is cold and snowy.
• Braised pork chops with mushrooms
• Pan-roasted spareribs, Treviso style

• Pizza di Scarola—actually a pie and one of several really good escarole recipes
• Fried zucchini blossoms
• Red beet tops salad
Always serve this with the roasted beets. Excellent with focaccia.
• Romaine salad with Gorgonzola and toasted walnuts
• Fried Cauliflower in Parmesan batter
Yes, this vegetable is great even when it's not roasted.

Since I'm not a major fan of Italian desserts, I'm stopping with a list of vegetables. This is actually a selective list since these were among the first cookbooks I owned and I found them very useful when learning how to make more than Julia Child's peach tart and the family meatloaf.

[NYC Mike]

What a great gift!! We use it constantly and love everything we have tried so far! We will join in!

The only peeve I've developed with Italian cookbooks is that I wished they included a regional index!! This way I could know where a particular dish may have originated from if it isn't in the title or subtext and then I could use it more often in the Italy regional monthly cookoffs!

-Mike

[jende]

I'm looking for just one Marcella Hazan book to add to my already overflowing collection of cookbooks. I'm especially interested in recipes for soups, pasta (including filled), pasta sauces, risotto and breads. Which are your favorites?

[Rachellindsay]

I'm looking for just one Marcella Hazan book to add to my already overflowing collection of cookbooks. I'm especially interested in recipes for soups, pasta (including filled), pasta sauces, risotto and breads. Which are your favorites?

I have 'The Essentials of classic Italian cooking'.....everything you want is in there.

[gkg680]

I'm looking for just one Marcella Hazan book to add to my already overflowing collection of cookbooks. I'm especially interested in recipes for soups, pasta (including filled), pasta sauces, risotto and breads. Which are your favorites?

I have 'The Essentials of classic Italian cooking'.....everything you want is in there.

I have "Essentials Of Classic Italian Cooking" also. It's a wonderful cookbook, I've given it as a gift many times, and it is very thorough. It doesn't have photographs, but it does have helpful sketches for certain recipes.

I urge you to look at a copy of this book at your local bookstore. Not being Italian or having significant experience cooking Italian food, I refer to it often. It's a tremendous value for the money, the best and most complete of Ms. Hazan's cookbooks.

[Lordof7]

I just got this for Christmas, and also love it! I am still learning how to cook properly, so I started simple with the Tomato with Porcini sauce and homemade pasta (I can't remember the name, but I used a thicker sheet of pasta on the small cutter to make a square shaped strands.) Her pasta-making techinque was very straightforward, and easier than other techniques I've used. (Well, expect the whole "Use the flour to hold in the eggs" thing. That has NEVER worked for me, but I suppose practice makes perfect!) Delicious! I can't wait to cook from it again. I'm glad to hear that the green lasagna is good - that may be next for me!

One question; did anyone else find the pasta portions to be small? I doubled the pasta and the sauce recipe to save for leftovers/freezer, but my wife and I ate all the pasta and 3/4 of the sauce (which should have been 6-8 servings!) I know from time to time I will over eat, but I would've guessed we each ate two servings. Are these portions for course sizes, assuming one will be eating several other courses, or am I just a hog?
At any rate, it speaks to the good taste of the recipe!

[kiliki]

I've never actually noticed the portion sizes, but if a pound or a bit more is supposed to feed that many, I would assume she is portioning for the primi course.

[IlCuoco]

I've had great success with this book; I'll second that the bolognese is outstanding (I made it for some Italian friends and they gave it the thumbs up). I'm also partial to her proportions for making pizza dough.

I made the fish cooked in red wine for a dinner party and it was marvelous. I did it on the fly and it came out perfectly.

Just a great cookbook.

And for the record, her portions are fine if you're serving the pasta as a primi (it pretty much assumes after pasta will come at least one, if not two, mains as well as some finishing plates. If I'm serving the pasta as a main, i almost double the portion sizes).