• nicolepellegrini on January 17, 2021

  I'm often leery of cookbooks by restaurant chefs - too many end up not being practical for a home cook (ie, having to make a big batch of some condiment or element in advance to use in multiple recipes, techniques not adapted well to home stoves/ovens, etc.) This book so far has proven a delightful exception to that. While some recipes are fussy, the results have generally been well worth the effort. Others are not hard at all. I also find the variety of recipes always interesting to explore as it's not just the same Italian recipes I have countless other versions of already but a nice mixture of new and familiar, but elevated, ideas. Really glad I found this one in a used bookstore a while back.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lemonade

  • racheljmorgan on May 19, 2026

    Perfect on a hot day, very easy to make. Just the right amount of sweetness. The vanilla bean really added a smoothness to the drink, but there are visible specks in it obviously, which may give guests a little pause.

• Southside

  • MelMM on April 02, 2012

    Recipe doesn't tell you what to do with 3/4 ounce lime juice. I added it with the gin. You do need it, the juice from the lime wedges is not enough. Even so, this is a little sweet for my taste. Most people, however, would probably like it as it. I will cut simple syrup in half next time. I do love the gin and mint in this cocktail, so it has a lot of potential. Just tweak to your own taste.

• Marinated olives

  • JKDLady on January 05, 2013

    I liked the way these looked with the stems and twigs of the spices. I also liked the flavor and the different olives. It does make a lot for home use.

• Charred onion dip

  • JKDLady on January 05, 2013

    This is a very good spread. Lots of flavor. I'm not sure I would add the onion on top again because it seemed that people couldn't get the dip underneath it. The flavor was outstanding. I even ate this on toast for breakfast. Keeper. Would even put this out as an appetizer with two other spreads - guacamole, bean dip, etc. Great with crackers, but I could also see this with tortilla chips.

• Parmesan soufflés

  • Sharwood2 on December 20, 2021

    Double the sauce and mushrooms

• Crushed sweet pea and ricotta bruschetta

  • fprincess on January 24, 2011

    MAde without the peas (but with the pea tendrils). Used homemade goat ricotta. Very nice.

• Arugula, charred onion, and mushroom salad

  • nicolepellegrini on September 08, 2021

    The charred onions are what really give this salad an extra nice touch.

• Basic pizza dough

  • LaPomme on June 30, 2011

    This recipe yields a delicious, slightly sweet pizza crust that crisps beautifully on a pizza stone or in a pizza pan. I've even frozen a batch, then thawed and used, and it was still terrific. My favorite pizza dough.

  • racheljmorgan on April 16, 2026

    Nice and soft, needed extra flour to work with. One that needs a very hot start to be cooked through in the middle.

• Focaccia

  • racheljmorgan on December 06, 2024

    Pg 82. Lacking a pan as large as 16×12, I went with a 9×13 and a 10 inch round, both Pyrex. Dough is on the sticky side. This is a quick recipe compared to ATK's that required 9+ hrs of rising. Cooked 15min at 400F (our oven runs hot) to 208F internal. Pleasantly fluffy texture with a mild flavor and just the right amount of oil and salt.

• Garganelli with spring onions, asparagus, and peas

  • nicolepellegrini on February 18, 2021

    Recipe suggests various substitutions so I made with zucchini instead of snap peas (and rigatoni for garganelli). A very nice primavera sauce, just enough creaminess that still lets the vegetables be the star.

• Baked shells with ricotta and fennel sausage

  • racheljmorgan on April 24, 2022

    Great flavor, filling, and easy to prepare. I would make more sauce/ricotta mixture next time, cook pasta softer, and maybe add more parmesan.

• Puttanesca with shrimp and linguine

  • nicolepellegrini on April 20, 2019

    Excellent - we really liked this recipe and it was so simple, too. Bright and fresh take on classic puttanesca with the addition of shrimp and a hint of orange. I actually used some orange linguine I had from Venice to intensify the orange flavor. Would absolutely make again.

• Tortellini salad with chicken, pine nuts, sultanas, and balsamic

  • JKDLady on January 05, 2013

    This made an enormous amount, which I was not expecting. The flavor was good, but I'm not sure about the color. The balsamic made it a little browner than I wanted. I used more tomatoes to try to lighten it up. Next time I would use arugula instead of romaine, I think.

• Ravioli with pumpkin and sage butter

  • racheljmorgan on November 05, 2022

    These made for a nice light dinner for 2. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the ravioli held together. As a recipe, it's a lot of work on the back end, but if you freeze them it's a very low effort meal on the serving day. I added a bit of garlic and cayenne to the filling.

• Bottega salad Niçoise

  • nicolepellegrini on January 17, 2021

    Made as directed except I substituted celery for cucumbers (as I really dislike cucumbers!) Delicious - one of the best Nicoise-style salads I've made at home. Husband really loved it too. Was nice to have a dinner where I could get everything pretty much ready to go in advance and only had to plate up the salad when we were ready to eat.

• Salmon with orzo salad

  • nicolepellegrini on August 07, 2020

    An easy weeknight dinner. I decided to just cook the salmon entirely on the stove top as I didn't see any real benefit to doing one side stove top, one side in the oven (and this way I was able to get a nice crust/sear on both sides of the fish without risking drying it out.

• Chicken saltimbocca

  • racheljmorgan on July 28, 2022

    Made for a really lovely wedding anniversary supper. I cooked 13 minutes longer in the oven because my chicken breasts were 16oz each, and they came out just right. Next time I'd put in several sage leaves. They were enjoyable but hidden under everything else. It's essentially an Italian chicken cordon bleu, but delicious and easy.

• Duck with peaches and Moscato

  • racheljmorgan on July 29, 2021

    Sauce was great, but the seasoning mixture was a bit bland. Also, notes on the size of the breasts should have been included. I think mine were on the small side and got a bit overcooked. A very pretty dish, nonetheless, and the the skin was quite crisp.

• Rabbit cacciatore

  • nicolepellegrini on June 08, 2020

    This was a fair amount of work, and I did tweak the recipe slightly. I had some lovely local spring ramps and green onions that I substituted for the regular garlic and onions called for, and instead of braising in the oven I just kept it on the stove top on a slow simmer because I could tell there was going to be a lot of liquid, and I wanted that to concentrate as it cooked. The flavor was quite rich and I still ended up with a ton of vegetables and sauce - maybe because my rabbit was on the smaller side? (I think it could be well prepared with two rabbits and the same amount of other ingredients.) Saved all the veggies and gravy to serve over pasta this week as it will be too good to waste. Not sure this is one of my favorite recipes for preparing rabbit, but it was interesting to try for a variation.

• Pork scaloppine with greens and polenta

  • racheljmorgan on July 28, 2025

    6th anniversary dinner. We found this just ok. The wine sauce is very good. Everything needed more salt. Turnip greens were very bitter here, would substitute kale if I made again.

• Zucchini ribbon sauté

  • racheljmorgan on June 11, 2025

    I went the vegetable peeler route. Easy, quick to cook. Taste was alright, a bit spicy for me. Matthew said he wouldn't mind having it again, which is high praise from someone who doesn't particularly like squash.

• Roasted butternut squash and balsamico

  • nicolepellegrini on January 02, 2019

    An easy way to make butternut squash for a side dish, if not particularly exciting on its own. The balsamic is a good flavor combination with the squash.

• Bottega caponata

  • nicolepellegrini on August 31, 2015

    This is fussy to prepare, cooking the vegetables separately and in stages that take a fair amount of time. However, the results I'd say are worth it. Probably the best caponata I've had and even better the next day after having some time to marinate. Be sure to cut the vegetables large as directed so they keep some crunchy texture. I cooked everything in the same cast iron skillet and used fresh summer tomatoes instead of canned. Will probably make this for my holiday party spread this year.

• Roasted fingerling potatoes with herbs

  • JKDLady on September 13, 2015

    We found this extremely boring. The garlic was good, but that was the only redeeming quality.

• Almond dacquoise

  • JKDLady on January 05, 2013

    Oh my was this ever good. It was one of the hits of my party. The entire cake was nearly eaten. I think I would make more buttercream and add it to the top of the meringue to hold it to the cake. The cake wanted to fall apart in certain layers. The flavor was outstanding. It's a lot of work, but well worth it.

• Marinara sauce

  • nicolepellegrini on November 27, 2016

    Wow! I'm not exaggerating to say this tastes just like the marinara my grandmother used to make, but without having to spend hours and hours slow-cooking it down—instead it's done in a little over an hour's time. Very rich and flavorful with a strong but not overpowering taste from the wine (I admit, the one change I made was to use red wine instead of white because that's what I had on hand.) The richness of this sauce makes me think it would best be used with meat, like for a Sunday supper with meatballs and sausage, rather than as a simple marinara over pasta or on pizza.

• Oregonian

  ...since its goal is to allow home cooks to replicate the restaurant's meals at home, the recipes were mainly for meals that you would not attempt without a lot of time set aside.

  Full review