• Cheri on December 29, 2010

  I live in the Pacific Northwest, and could not help it, I literally threw away all of his books once the abuse charges came to light. Yuk. Sorry to get of topic, but this is one creep I just can't abide.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Shrimp caponata

  • nicolepellegrini on July 02, 2021

    With the addition of the shrimp, this made for a caponata filling enough to serve as a light main course with some good bread. Would be an excellent party/entertaining dish as well.

• Marinated mushrooms

  • nicolepellegrini on April 28, 2018

    This has a classic, comforting, Italian-antipasti flavor to it which is delightful to recreate at home. While I didn't have the full amount of mushrooms required, I added some canned chick peas and it made for a great combination. I would try this with other blanched vegetables and definitely consider adding it to my next party/entertaining "spread".

• Italian potato salad with green beans and red onion

  • nicolepellegrini on January 20, 2019

    Used this more as a rough guide vs. following the recipe exactly, which I thought would be a bit bland. I added in some sliced kalamata olives, capers, and chopped celery to give it a little more texture and flavor. Marinated overnight and the flavors blended very well together.

• Fresh tomato sauce Sicilian

  • pitterpat4 on June 20, 2015

    Excellent tomato sauce. Makes a large quantity that can be frozen for later use.

• Tortellini and panna with prosciutto, peas, and mushrooms

  • anya_sf on February 18, 2023

    Super quick and easy, rich but delicious. Best with heavy cream as it coats the pasta much better.

• Pasta with walnuts

  • dmass on May 21, 2018

    Enjoyed this dish, both my husband and I. I used rigatoni in place of penne as that is my preference. It will be a ‘do over’ in our house. Quick and easy.

• Pasta al pesto with cream, green beans, and potatoes

  • nicolepellegrini on February 28, 2025

    Wanted to try this as it sounded similar to other versions of this dish I made but thought it might have a little more "pizzaz" based on the preparation technique (sautéing the vegetables with garlic vs. just throwing them all in the pasta pot to boil). It was ok but to be honest didn't really make much difference, flavorwise? Still a decent enough hearty winter pasta but nothing extra-ordinary.

• Dried olive, black pepper, and sage bread

  • nicolepellegrini on August 24, 2019

    Came out excellent - and I am far from a great bread maker in general. Could have used a touch more salt but otherwise had a nice density and good crust.

• Chicken with capers and olives

  • nicolepellegrini on December 13, 2020

    This was quite good, tender and flavorful - I only had skinless thighs on hand so I coated them with seasoned flower for browning.

• Braised rabbit in wine sauce

  • nicolepellegrini on December 01, 2018

    It's hard to go wrong with wine-braised rabbit, (or just about any rabbit recipe as far as I'm concerned) and this recipe is no exception. Rich flavor without being too fatty, the mushrooms were a great addition to the sauce. No leftovers here!

• Chicken, farmer style (Pollo contadino)

  • nicolepellegrini on October 11, 2020

    Husband raved about this. Similar to a cacciatore/hunter-style chicken, I liked how it was finished in the oven as that seemed to intensify the flavors vs. slow cooking on the stovetop.

• Grilled eggplant

  • nicolepellegrini on August 05, 2020

    Extremely simple but came out delicious. I used Japanese eggplant.

• Bell peppers caramelized

  • tunnymowg on May 29, 2013

    This is a really great, easy way to cook sweet peppers. I often prepare them this way to add to other dishes, rather than roasting them. The flavor is not quite as good as you would get if they were roasted, but it's so much easier and more hands off - definitely a plus if you are short on time.

• White beans and tuna

  • MMarlean on August 03, 2011

    (I substituted vermouth for the white wine.) After cooking the beans (I used canned beans, drained), onions, garlic, etc, topped them with diced tomatoes (large dice) and canned tuna. Drizzled with olive oil. A good summer supper. Used Penzey Tuscan Sunset blend instead of rosemary. I love that blend! Very satisfying and quick. p. 407 & 408

• Asparagus frittata

  • nicolepellegrini on June 28, 2018

    A perfectly fine, if basic, frittata recipe. I added some fresh mixed herbs (basil, oregano, mint) from my garden to liven it up a bit.