Notes about Recipes in this book

• Pomarola

  • Totallywired on October 09, 2018

    Very low effort fresh tomato sauce. Great flavour and infinitely scaleable.

• Spaghetti with cherry tomato sauce

  • bgood on September 02, 2010

    Gorgeous with the gremolata sprinkled on top. Company worthy

• Farfalle with pesto

  • bgood on September 02, 2010

    Make variation with potatoes and green beanss. Used frozen beans and it worked well

• Pasta e fagioli

  • Prim on October 01, 2012

    Very good. Would make again.

  • jzanger on July 10, 2016

    The flavor of the sauce was delicious, but I ended up with about twice as much pasta as I should have used and it sucked up all the brothy sauce. In the end my version strangely tasted like an italian version of mac and cheese. This was a last minute recipe so no time to make dry borlotti beans. i used two cans (as per the recipe) of cannellini beans instead. Next time I will simmer the sauce w/beans for only about five minutes instead of the ten and I will use closer to a half pound of dittalini instead of adding the full pound at once. Once the pasta goes in the flame needs to be turned off because the pasta will want to suck up the sauce if it continues to cook. With these lessons learned I think the second version could be absolutely incredible.

  • TinyCitiKitchen on March 06, 2025

    Taste is great and very comforting on a cold winter night, but definitely too much pasta in proportion to beans! Made it with Rancho Gordo Alubia Blanca. Would like to try with less pasta and the Borlotti beans

• Ribollita

  • shapije1 on May 21, 2026

    Wow wow wow, I have found a new favorite soup! The process of slow-cooking the vegetables before adding broth really creates a depth of flavor I almost never find in vegetable soups. Absolute perfection for a chilly day.

• Romaine with butternut squash, smoked bacon, and Gorgonzola cheese

  • sturlington on November 19, 2014

    Squash can be roasted ahead but bacon must be cooked just before serving in order to properly assemble the salad dressing.

• Green bean and potato salad

  • shapije1 on May 29, 2026

    I was interested to follow the cooking instructions to dress the potatoes while warm—to see if it made much difference in the flavor of the salad. Unfortunately I still found this salad to be somewhat bland.

• Arugula, fennel, and white anchovy salad

  • Totallywired on November 25, 2018

    No brainer for an anchovy slut. A bit like a guilda made into a salad. Used a flax bread that I toasted in garlic oil and rubbed with a sticky clove. Just stellar.

  • Totallywired on November 25, 2018

    Should note a weird error (?) in the recipe, which calls for pickled cippolini but guides to pickled red onion. I made cippolini and missed the colour of the red onion, plus for the salad I think you need a sweeter pickle. I also used top shelf olive oil to make the vinaigrette and I think I want something hotter and sharper for this salad. I’d season the vinaigrette to just temper the sherry vinegar bite.

• Farro

  • bgood on November 08, 2010

    Basic farro recipe to build from

• Tuna, cannellini bean, red onion, and tomato salad

  • bgood on October 06, 2010

    Use jarred Italian tuna the canned is too mushty

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    A simple, classic salad, easy to make for a light lunch. Requires high-quality Italian tuna packed in olive oil to be truly flavorful. Try substituting pesto for fresh basil

  • shapije1 on May 27, 2026

    I love this salad and always order it when I see it offered at an Italian deli. This recipe is my first attempt making it at home, and it’s both delicious and so simple. The salad also holds up very well when made ahead, so it’s going into my rotation of lunches to take to the office.

• Cannellini beans stewed with sage

  • Totallywired on October 21, 2018

    Delicious, subtle and deep sage and garlic flavour. good shelf life in fridge.

• Eggplant Parmigiana, American style

  • TinyCitiKitchen on April 14, 2024

    Straightforward and delicious. The simple tomato sauce makes a vat and will probably be my new go-to for sticking the freezer. I used a LOT more bread crumbs that recipe indicated - enough more that it must be a typo and not me being overly lavish!recipe says serves 6 but I only got 4 reasonable main course portions. Next time I make this, I’d use more of that sauce (3 cups) and increase the eggplant (1 more med or 2 more small) to get up to 6. In which case a lasagna pan might be needed rather than the recommended 8x11

• Grilled marinated eggplant

  • sturlington on March 28, 2013

    Delicious. Note--must be grilled at least 2 hours ahead of serving to allow time for marinating. A good use for leftover grilled eggplant. Leftovers keep well and make good sandwiches. P136

• Patate alla contadina

  • bgood on October 28, 2010

    Make sure to use lots of salt, either in the dish or on the plate

• Spiced magret with honey

  • Totallywired on October 10, 2018

    Delicious. Ground green cardamom, one star anise and coriander seed in mortar. Thinned honey with a bit of sherry vinegar and duck fat.

• Veal cutlet Lucchese

  • bgood on February 07, 2011

    Made with chicken, best cutlet recipe ever

• Almond biscotti

  • MissKoo on January 24, 2021

    Easy to make and really lovely accompaniment to buttermilk panna cotta.

• Buttermilk panna cotta

  • MissKoo on January 24, 2021

    Very easy to put together. Needs to be made a day ahead of serving. The buttermilk adds a lovely tang, and recipe suggests serving with almond biscotti (from same cookbook). This was a great finale to a cookbook group dinner featuring recipes from this cookbook. The Gourmet Today cookbook (p. 843) has a blackberry buttermilk panna cotta that includes a blackberry compote -- I think this additional element would add some visual pizazz and boost the flavor profile of this basic dessert. Will definitely be making this again, and the biscotti, and experimenting with the addition of different fruit compotes and sauces.

• Food52 by Heidi Swanson

  The 2010 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks vs. Christopher Hirsheimer & Melissa Hamilton's Canal House Cooking (Vol. 1)

  Full review

• Publishers Weekly

  This cookbook was listed in Publisher Weekly’s Best Food Books of 2009

  Full review