Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman

  • Tomato and buffalo mozzarella arancini

    from Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman

    • Categories: Appetizers / starters; Italian
    • Ingredients: Arborio rice; chicken broth; tomato paste; Parmesan cheese; breadcrumbs; eggs
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Notes about this book

  • HarlanH on August 01, 2011

    This is a terrific cookbook to read. Very entertaining stories. We've had mixed results cooking from it, though.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Artichoke fritto with yogurt and mint

  • Lamb meatballs stuffed with goat cheese

    • bgood on January 15, 2011

      Tasty but a lot of work

  • Eggplant agrodolce

    • thekitchenchronicles on February 18, 2015

      So simple and flavorful, really does take about 30 minutes start to finish and tastes pretty complex. Wrote it up on my blog: http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/02/18/eggplant-agrodolce/#more-1179

    • crandall57 on July 27, 2020

      Delicious and easy to prepare.

  • Ron's eggplant pickles

    • twoyolks on October 30, 2018

      The texture and flavor were just off putting.

  • Marinated beets with grapefruit, pistachios, and goat cheese

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      This is a beautiful salad. I have made it many times. The beets do require an hour in the oven so I usually do that first thing in the morning. Also if the beets marinate too long they will be overpowering so if you have extra keep them out of the marinade for later use.

  • Sheep's milk ricotta

    • crandall57 on August 07, 2024

      A favorite dish. I use Wooly Wooly sheep's milk cheese or soft sheep's milk cheese from the farmer's market. Because of a cow's milk allergy, I thin it with sheep's milk yogurt and/or a non-dairy milk. I don't use the ground pepper or oregano. I use a gluten free baguette.

  • Winter insalata of radicchio pears, and hazelnuts

    • bgood on October 09, 2011

      Fantastic with fresh local hazelnuts

  • Fettuccini with summer corn, bacon, and shiitake mushrooms

    • HarlanH on August 01, 2011

      Fresh corn is MUCH better than frozen.

    • twoyolks on July 13, 2016

      This was a nice pasta recipe. I did need to add some oil as not enough fat rendered from the bacon. In the future, I'd cook the bacon at a lower temperature to render more bacon fat. The mushrooms didn't really cook through for me and were rather chewy. My preference is for the similar recipe from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook.

    • crandall57 on July 31, 2025

      We love this dish with fresh corn and make it every summer. I now make it with dairy free milk and sheep's milk "ricotta" in place of the whole milk and heavy cream and gluten free pasta.

  • Farfalle with shrimp, zucchini, and lemon

    • runoutofshelves on November 28, 2018

      This was simple and delicious. Cooked the zucchini a little longer.

    • lorloff on September 04, 2020

      This recipe was delicious. I too cooked the zucchini a bit longer and to do so I sautéed the shrimp briefly, removed it from the pan, added ingredients that go with the zucchini and then added back the shrimp after I added the tomato sauce. I did not have time to make the tomato sauce from scratch so I used a sauce that a local vender at our farmer’s market made. It came out really well, but next time I would like to try this with a chunky homemade tomato sauce. Will make again.

  • The best gnocchi

    • HarlanH on August 01, 2011

      Gnocchi are good, but not a big fan of this sauce with it.

    • jzanger on September 25, 2018

      I really enjoyed these gnocchi, which I combined with a spicy cherry tomato/bacon pan sauce. The gnocchi recipe does a good job explaining each specific step to result in a tender end result. I’d make this one again!

    • twoyolks on November 25, 2020

      The gnocchi were light and airy and quite flavorful. The sauce made them worse.

  • Lamb ragu

    • crandall57 on June 29, 2015

      Excellent dish. We served over fresh gluten free spinach linguine.

    • wcassity on July 26, 2015

      Fantastic. Served it with homemade ricotta gnocchi (Kenji on Serious Eats's recipe).

    • kkmatti on October 25, 2024

      Really fantastic! We served this with homemade tagliatelle. Will absolutely make this again.

    • JeffALNY on February 14, 2026

      This is a delicious sauce bright and rich without being gamy. I made it for my brother with the gnocchi and my brother loved it.

  • Rigatoni Pugliese

    • wcassity on July 01, 2022

      Tasty. Good for riffing with different vegetables, meat and pasta shapes. Good use for leftover beans and leftover pasta sauce.

  • Penne with bacon, radicchio, and Piave cheese

    • HarlanH on August 01, 2011

      YOU MUST BUY PIAVE! IT IS SO GOOD! Half and half instead of cream seems better.

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      Maybe I should try again. I didn't think it was very good. Also did not use Piave cheese.

  • Polenta

    • twoyolks on November 18, 2016

      The cooking time for the polenta is ridiculously long (2 hours!). I cooked mine closer to 30 minutes. I added the herbs to the milk but the flavor didn't come through into the polenta. It is rich from the additions of fat at the end.

  • Asparagus risotto with an organic egg and lemon

    • twoyolks on April 15, 2016

      The risotto itseslf picks up a light asparagus flavor. It gets a lot more asparagus color. This was one of the easiest and fastest risottos I've ever made. The recipe instructions were also particularly clear.

  • Risotto minestrone

    • twoyolks on June 18, 2025

      This is a pretty standard risotto other than the use of a sofritto and the addition of pesto. I didn't find the sofritto added much flavor. The pesto however went really nicely with the risotto.

  • Tomato risotto

    • bgood on September 02, 2010

      The cherry tomatoes on top are a cool dish in their own right

    • crandall57 on August 15, 2024

      Made this again and it is the perfect risotto with fresh summer tomatoes. I used 1.5 pounds of tomatoes to roast. Awesome dish.

  • Springtime spaghetti carbonara with ramps

    • wcassity on April 27, 2020

      Loved it. Made fresh spaghetti, used 1/3 pound ramps and bacon. Basically pasta primavera.

  • Strozzapreti with sausage, grapes, and red wine

    • wcassity on July 26, 2015

      Rich, delicious, not complicated. Everyone liked.

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      I have only made this once many years ago and yet from time to time my husband mentions this dish. I will be making this again soon. Very good.

  • Ziti with tuna, red onions, and cannellini beans

    • JJ2018 on April 16, 2018

      This is delicious we always make a full portion for 2 and serve for lunches as well and it lasts really well

  • Chicken leg cacciatore with sweet peppers, fennel, and green olives

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      This is really good! The chicken is juicy and you can take the skin as crispy as you want. The cacciatore stew is also wonderful. This one has also been repeated multiple times.

    • crandall57 on August 07, 2024

      This is an excellent dish. We've made it several times and even served it to company. It's a family favorite.

  • Marinated chicken alla griglia

    • twoyolks on October 25, 2016

      This is a great grilled chicken recipe. I marinated the chicken overnight and it really picked up a lot of flavor without overpowering the chicken (particularly from the vinegar). The smokiness from the grill really complimented the marinade.

  • The best veal osso bucco

    • MelMM on September 13, 2010

      This is really an outstanding version.

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      Yum! I had to special order the veal occo bucco and it was worth it!

  • Pork arrosto with Italian plums and grappa

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      This was good. The plums are what make it special so please don't skip them.

  • Short ribs braciole

    • mirage on November 11, 2012

      Fabulous - but the topping needs to be doubled in order to be able to sprinkle it "generously over each dish." And the topping adds sooo much.

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      This is my favorite recipe in the entire book. It's just so good. The short ribs are so tender, the tomatoes warm and flavorful, the wisdom of slicing the garlic Goodfellas thin, and then THE Topping.... This dish is all about taste and texture. Thank you Andrew!

    • crandall57 on August 07, 2024

      Excellent! The topping is as awesome as the meat. Will make this again. If making this for four people and serving it with pasta, double the sauce. Might want to double the topping for four people as weill.

  • Veal tenderloin with pancetta and mushroom Marsala sauce

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      This is really good. I cook the veal sous vide so the pancetta really sticks. I made this for my husband's family upon his brother's return from Afghanistan. Jerry Springer style there was a riff over the last piece.

  • Asparagus with citrus and oregano

    • twoyolks on May 17, 2016

      I did not care for this at all. The asparagus wasn't cooked evenly. The parts that were cooked had little flavor. The dressing was one note with acid and overwhelmed the flavor of the asparagus.

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      Nice to have a side that pulls together in a minute. Used pencil to med size asparagus.

  • Escarole calabrese

    • Totallywired on October 23, 2018

      Deep, caramelized tomato flavour, pops of garlic, good heat, bitter greens. Terrific flavour. Omit liquid from canned tomatoes for better final consistency.

  • Potatoes antico modo

    • twoyolks on May 29, 2022

      As the recipe intro says, these are rich but they are not particularly heavy. It's more that they are quite buttery. I did enjoy them but wouldn't want them too often.

  • Potatoes Girarrosto-style

    • twoyolks on October 25, 2016

      These are nice, roasted potatoes. I really liked the caramelized onions that are cooked with the potatoes. I wish that the potatoes would've become crispier. Instead, they were cooked and browned but still soft. In the future, instead of baking the whole potatoes, I'd probably dice them and microwave them to cook them through.

  • Spaghetti squash with sage and walnuts

    • ssgrod on September 09, 2014

      Delicious

    • lorloff on March 28, 2015

      Really great.. At the end my husband liked them so much he took some and fried them like potatoe pancakes.

    • crandall57 on August 07, 2024

      Excellent! Perfect side with pork.

  • Spicy corn with hot banana pepper and pine nuts

  • Yellow wax beans with pine nuts, mint, and lemon

    • crandall57 on July 19, 2024

      Delicious! Needs the lemon and the mint. Easy to put together. Will make this again.

  • Zucchini bagna calda

  • Tuscan doughnuts

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      This was a fun project to do together as a family which is the only reason i can see for undertaking this recipe. At the end in order not to waste filling we use both chocolate and pastry cream in each doughnut and those were our favorite.

  • Hazelnut and white chocolate cookies

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      Just ok. Easy.

  • Nero cookies

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      Brownie like cookie. Upped the mint extract 2nd time - better.

  • Basic tomato sauce

    • UnPeu on December 15, 2019

      Good sauce. Nice treatment of tomatoes.

  • Pasta dough for long pasta

    • twoyolks on July 13, 2016

      This makes a very tender pasta. The disadvantage is that it tends to break apart easily.

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Reviews about this book

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Reviews about Recipes in this Book

  • Pine nut cake

    • I Made That!

      The cake has a beautiful crumb and it’s not too dense for my taste at all (did I mention it gets meringue folded into it? That probably has something to do with it).

      Full review
  • ISBN 10 159691470X
  • ISBN 13 9781596914704
  • Published Oct 06 2008
  • Format Hardcover
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Bloomsbury
  • Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Publishers Text

The recipes that one of New York's best young chefs cooks in his own kitchen: a cookbook full of soulful, sophisticated food and delicious stories.

While waiting for construction to finish on his restaurant A Voce, Andrew Carmellini faced an unusual challenge. After a brilliant career in professional kitchens (including a six-year tour as chef de cuisine at Café Boulud), he was faced with the harsh reality of life as a civilian cook: no prep cooks, no saucier, no daily deliveries--just him and his wife in their tiny Manhattan-apartment kitchen.

Urban Italian is made up of the recipes that result when a great chef has to use the same resources as the rest of us. In these hundred recipes--covering four distinct courses, side dishes, and base recipes--Carmellini shows how to make stunning, soulful food with nothing more than the ingredients, techniques, and time available to the ordinary home cook. The food is sophisticated but also easy to make: lamb meatballs stuffed with goat cheese; veal, beef, and pork ravioli; roast pork with Italian plums and grappa; fennel with Sambuca and orange; and a honey-flavored pine nut cake.

The book opens with a narrative (written by Carmellini with his wife and coauthor, Gwen Hyman) that traces Carmellini's culinary education--a series of outrageous tales that will delight anyone who loved Heat or Kitchen Confidential. Also scattered through the book are short pieces on places and ingredients, placed alongside recipes to shed light on the history and practice of simple, beautiful cooking. This is a book you'll find yourself using all the time--to cook from for weeknights and for special occasions, or just to sit down with and read.

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