Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumption 4 Icons Used in This Book 4 Beyond the Book 5 Where to Go from Here 5 Part 1: Introducing the Art of Italian Cooking 7 Chapter 1: Cooking the Italian Way: That''s Amore! 9 Appreciating How History and Geography Shaped Italian Cuisine 10 Back to Basics: Applying Ancient Strategies in the Modern Kitchen 11 Building on base recipes 12 Enjoying the seasons at the table 12 Get Ready, Get Set! 13 Gathering the tools you need and then some 14 Stocking important pantry items 14 Keeping courses and food pairings in mind 15 Get Cooking! Eyeing Authentic Italian Recipes 15 Chapter 2: Pizza, Pasta, and So Much More: Appreciating Italian Tradition 17 The Role of Culture in the Italian Kitchen 17 Touring Important Events in Italian Culinary History 18 How Romans and Greeks laid the foundation for Italian cuisine 19 How terrain and climate shaped regional cuisine 21 How foreign powers influenced cuisine across geographic locations 22 Mastering Time-Honored Italian Traditions 23 La bella figura: Using food to make a good impression 24 Staying the course: Italian meal planning 25 Pairing complimentary dishes 26 Chapter 3: Base Recipes: The Backbone of the Italian Kitchen 27 Introducing the BFFs of Italian Home Cooks 28 Waste not: Making breadcrumbs, crostini, and bruschette 28 Savory stocks: The unsung heroes 28 Beans and legumes provide boundless possibilities 29 Fruits and vegetables for the healthy win 30 Chapter 4: Cooking with an Eye on the Calendar 43 Seasonality in the Italian Kitchen 43 Sampling Everyday Menus for Every Season 44 A sample springtime meal 45 A sample summertime meal 46 A sample fall meal 47 A sample winter meal 47 Savoring Extended Sunday and Holiday Meals 49 Sunday suppers 49 Christmas and winter holiday menus 52 Lent, Easter, and spring holiday menus 53 Ferragosto and summer special occasion menus 56 Chapter 5: Stocking an Italian Pantry 59 Identifying Prized Italian Products 59 Geographic indicators make a difference 60 Looking for other important labeling 60 Choosing a quality olive oil 61 Weighing your wine options 64 Cooking from the Pantry 66 Keeping essentials on hand 67 A note about the products I prefer 70 Using pantry recipe formulas to create meals in minutes 71 Part 2: Appetizers and First Courses 73 Chapter 6: Starting Meals the Italian Way: Antipasti/ Appetizers and Aperitivi 75 Appreciating the Italian Appetizer 76 Noting Differences between Dining In (At Home) and Out in Italy 77 Enjoying antipasti at Italian eateries 77 Welcoming guests with appetizers at home 79 Following the aperitivo ritual 79 Making a delicious first impression: Antipasti recipes 80 Chapter 7: Dressing Dishes with Italian Sauces 89 A Delicate Balance: Combining Foods and Sauces 90 Preparing Traditional Sauce Recipes 91 Introducing Tomatoes: Modern Sauce Recipes 91 Chapter 8: Using Dried Pasta in Daily Meals 105 Dried Pasta Basics 106 Comparing homemade and dried pasta: Separate but equal 106 Considering quality when purchasing dried pasta 107 Preparing pasta "al dente" 108 Pairing Pasta with Sauces 108 Creating a Meal that Compliments Your Pasta Pairing 113 Chapter 9: Making Fresh Pasta: A Labor of Love 123 Stepping Inside the Pasta Maker''s Kitchen 124 Getting the Most Out of Your Pasta-Making Experience 125 Meeting Your Pasta Maker: Rolling Pin or Pasta Machine 126 Chapter 10: More Delicious First-Course Dishes 147 Moving Beyond Pasta: A Primo Primer 148 Risotto 148 Soups 149 Polenta 151 Gnocchi 153 Part 3: Main Courses, Side Dishes, and Salads 175 Chapter 11: Secondi/Main Courses: Fish and Seafood 177 Appreciating the Importance of Fish and Seafood in Italian Cuisine 178 The Feast of the Seven Fishes: An Italian American tradition 179 Celebrating Italian-style seafood recipes 180 Chapter 12: Secondi/Main Courses Take Two: Eggs and Poultry 191 Enjoying Eggs the Italian Way 192 Preparing Poultry Dishes Fit for an Italian Table 193 Chapter 13: Secondi/Main Courses Take Three: More Meats 205 Preparing Types of Meat in Traditional Italian Recipes 205 Goat 206 Veal 207 Lamb 208 Beef 208 Chapter 14: Adding Contorni: Authentic Vegetable Side Dishes 219 Making the Most of Seasonal Produce 220 Chapter 15: Insalate/Salads 233 Enjoying Italian Salads and Authentic Dressings 234 Dressing to impress 234 Adding variety to your salad course 234 Part 4: Breakfast and Other Sweet Treats, Baked Goods, And Desserts 245 Chapter 16: Starting Your Day With Colazione: Italian Breakfast 247 Keeping It Short and Sweet: What Italian Breakfasts Look Like 248 Biscotti and rusks 249 Breakfast cakes 249 Bomboloni and fried treats 250 Caffé to Go: An Italian Coffee Primer 250 Chapter 17: Fruit, Cheese, and Nuts: Bridging the Gap Between Dinner and Dessert 267 Fruit and Nut Plates 268 With Cheese: An Italian Cheese Primer 268 Exploring Italian cheese categories and types 269 Making a (cheese) course of it 271 Buying in to quality cheese production 272 Chapter 18: Classic Dolci/Desserts: Elevating the Everyday 283 Creating Classic Italian Desserts 284 Dolci al cucchiaio/"Spoon desserts" 284 Cake and pastry shop favorites 285 Chapter 19: Baking Treats for Holidays and Special Occasions 311 Baking Is Love Made Edible 311 Chapter 20: Making the Dough You Know and Love: Bread, Pizza, and Focaccia 327 Baking Bread: A Time-Honored Italian Tradition 328 Making a Premier Pizza Pie 331 Getting Familiar with Focaccia: A Bread for Many Occasions 332 Part 5: The Part of Tens 351 Chapter 21: Ten Commandments of Italian Cuisine 353 Honor Thy Food and Those Who Make It 353 Respect Culture and Tradition 354 Choose Your Ingredients Wisely 354 Waste Not, Want Not 354 Nonna''s Always Right in the Kitchen 355 Choose Whom to Eat with before Choosing What to Eat 355 Know the Classics 355 Learn the Rules of an Italian Kitchen (Even though Occasionally They Are Broken) 356 To Each Recipe his Own Season 356 Keep Your Food (Growing) Close 357 Chapter 22: Ten Fun Ways to Master Italian Cooking 359 Brush Up on History 359 Go to Italy, Do a Stage with an Italian Chef, or Watch Italian Food Shows 360 Read Cookbooks by Italians 360 Expand Your Italian Kitchen Vocabulary 360 Follow Italian Meal Patterns 360 Discover How to Pair Food 361 Cook Your Way through Recipes 361 Learn to Read Labels 361 Make It a Priority 362 Familiarize Yourself with Authentic Foods 362 Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide 363 Index 367.