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Best cookbook for pasta sauces?


plk

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I'm looking for a gift for a friend and am trying to find a book with just, or primarily, great pasta sauces. I'm not particularly looking for a general Italian cookbook, though if the best variety and quality is in a more general book, then that's what I'll get. A general search on amazon brings up a a ton of results, but I don't recognize the authors and would like to get something especially good. Any ideas?

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I love Giuliano Hazan's Classic Pasta Cookbook. (Yes, he's Marcella's son, and the recipes are similar to those in her Classic Italian Cookbook.) The book is an excellent primer on pasta shapes and their compatible sauces, though the book is not just for beginners. I've tried many recipes with great results. Check out the Amazon reviews.

Ilene

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I have two pasta cookbooks that I wouldn't trade for anything and the combination of the two gives me everything I need.

The first is

Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces: Authentic Regional Recipes from Italy by Diane Seed (#3 and #8) on your list. I have been using this book for almost 20 years and have probably made everything in it. This is definitely an Italian pasta cookbook rather than an Italian American pasta book. This is the kind of pasta my Campobasso born grandmother used to make.

My other favorite is The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles by the Cook's Illustrated guys. I have made close to half of the recipes in this book and can't recall being disappointed. It has a section on Asian noodles as well and I have made some great stuff from there.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

You could try "The Essential Pasta Cookbook" by Wendy Stephen. This book is extremely approachable with lots of color pictures and step-by-step instructions. Amazon has this with a look inside function http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Pasta-Cook...23890925&sr=1-3

The following books are most likely only available second hand but are very good in their own ways.

The first is "Perfect Pasta" by Valentina Harris. She has a very homely approach to writing and is very strong in her technique and knowledge of Italian food. Buy this one if your friend likes a good read with easily made (and very edible) sauces. The link to her book is http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Pasta-Valent...3891304&sr=1-24

If your friend is a foodie who would value a "pasta bible", try Vincenzo Buonassisi's book "The Classic Book of Pasta" which has been translated from Italian into English. It has all of the sauces in it but categorized by pasta type rather than sauce. This is because in Italian cooking the pasta is king and the sauce is there to get the best out of it. The link to this one is http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Book-Pasta-V...23891241&sr=1-2

Nick Reynolds, aka "nickrey"

"The Internet is full of false information." Plato
My eG Foodblog

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  • 3 weeks later...

My pasta bible is Pasta: Every Way for Every Day by Anna Del Conte & Eric Treuille. It covers all the basics extremely well, and I like that they offer a lot of simple variations on most recipes to expand upon the flavors presented. A book I'd recommend for both novice and more experienced cooks; I probably use it at least once a week myself.

sockii

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