[.ca] Every Night Italian: 120 Simple, Delicious Recipes You ... (ISBN 0684800284)

From Amazon.com:
In Italy there are no mothers who are bad cooks. Can this be possible? In the case of Giuliano Hazan, whose mother is Marcella Hazan, yes. Marcella is the doyenne of Italian cookbook authors published in the United States. And Giuliano is no slouch, either. Though his first cookbook, The Classic Pasta Cookbook, is lamentably out of print, it is a laurel upon which he could have rested. Fortunately, Giuliano Hazan appears to be a restless man. "I learned to cook because I like to eat well," he writes in Every Night Italian. "Satisfying food does not have to be complex or take a long time to prepare. Often the simpler it is the better it tastes, and simplicity is what Italian cooking is all about." To this end, Hazan has compiled a collection of Italian recipes any cook can serve to any family every night of the week. He wisely opens his book with two sections: "The Italian Pantry," a list of all the basic ingredients to have on hand, and "Some Essential Techniques," such as chopping an onion, cutting a pepper, trimming an artichoke, and boning and filleting a chicken breast. The book is then divided by appetizers, soups, pasta and rice, fish and shellfish, meats, vegetables, salads, desserts, and menus--120 recipes total, all flavor-heightened and with an eye cocked at the clock. Chicken Braised with Porcini Mushrooms has a substantial sound, and yet you are only looking at 20 minutes of prep time and 60 minutes from start to finish, leaving plenty of time for a Insalata Caprese with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Hazan's version of Ribollita, the classic Tuscan soup, takes two-and-a-half hours from start to finish, but only 30 minutes to prep. The Bucatini with sausage and onions is a straight shot at 30 minutes, start to finish. Spend a little time with this book, master the recipes, and you will no doubt find yourself agreeing with Giuliano Hazan that Every Night Italian is a perfectly plausible idea. --Schuyler Ingle

a must buy:
This book is one of my cookbook "foundation" books. Perfect for the cook who lacks confidence in the area of Italian cooking, but knows fabulous Italian food when s/he eats it. Lots of tips that push a dish from being "good" to "fabulous". I use it at least once a week.

Very usable Italian cookbook for home cook:
The recipes are very easy to follow, delicious and the ingredients are easily accesible. The cooking techniques and preparations are straightforward and easy enough to follow. Each recipe come with an estimate time to prepare it from start to finish and it really does falls within that time limit. I can easily use 70% of the recipes in this book for everyday cooking, not just for special occasion.

The truth is on the cover:
One of the best things about this book is stated on the cover: "...Delicious Recipes You Can Prepare In 45 Minutes Or Less". It's great to have recipes that are simple yet delicious and also leave some room for nice presentation. I'm a fairly novice cook but I've found the directions in the book to be simple to follow, and the finished products have come out looking great as well as tasting great. So far I have only tried about a half-dozen of the many recipes, but it's already a winner to me. In particular, Hazan's recipe for parmesan cheese encrusted rack of lamb is so simple and tasty at the same time that it makes you wonder why we pay so much for lamb in a restaurant.

Great Food:
I'm learning to cook Italian food and started here. The recipes are easy to follow (for the most part) and are absolutely incredible! Every thing I have made so far has received rave reviews from the people that have tried it. The recipes range from appetizers to deserts and for the most part use readily available items (although I still haven't found juniper berries anywhere local). Some of the recipes are even cooked on the grill. I also highly recommend the Classic Pasta Cookbook by Hazan as well. It is still available used and many of the dinners I have made for people, I have built the menu from these two books.

Excellent Book:
I have had this book for a few years now. A good sign is that the pages are starting to fall apart. I use this book a lot - there are some recipes that I cook on a regular basis like the Shrimp and Linguine. This is a great book for people who don't have a lot of time but like to cook fresh, good food although there are some fancier recipes for dinner parties etc. A lot of the recipes are very simple and quick to make but taste so delicious. Even a simple Tomato and Onion Spaghetti tastes great when made fresh. My favorite recipes include the Snapper with Tomatoes and Olives, Chicken breast with 3 Peppers, and Grilled Lamb Chops with a Lemon and Vinegar Sauce. Definitely a book worth having.