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Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to be a Great Italian Cook
From the beloved and bestselling ambassador for Italian culinary traditions in America, the ultimate master class: the beautifully produced definitive guide to Italian cooking--everything from ingredients to techniques to tools, plus 400 delectable recipes.
Teaching has always been Lidia's passion and in this magnificent book she gives us the full benefit of that passion, and of her deep and comprehensive understanding of what it takes to create delicious Italian meals. Readers will learn all the techniques needed to master Italian cooking; and the full range of common ingredients--meats and fish, vegetables and fruits, grains, spices and condiments--and how to buy, store, clean, and cook with them. The 400 recipes run the full gamut from classics like Risotto alla Milanese and Tagliatelle with Wild Mushroom Sauce to Lidia's always-satisfying originals like Bread and Prune Gnocchi and Beet Ravioli. She gives us a comprehensive guide to the tools every kitchen needs to produce the best results. And she has even included a glossary of cuisine-related words and phrases that will prove indispensable for traveling in Italy and dining there. There is no other book like this one--it is the one book on Italian cuisine that every cook and every kitchen will need.
Teaching has always been Lidia's passion and in this magnificent book she gives us the full benefit of that passion, and of her deep and comprehensive understanding of what it takes to create delicious Italian meals. Readers will learn all the techniques needed to master Italian cooking; and the full range of common ingredients--meats and fish, vegetables and fruits, grains, spices and condiments--and how to buy, store, clean, and cook with them. The 400 recipes run the full gamut from classics like Risotto alla Milanese and Tagliatelle with Wild Mushroom Sauce to Lidia's always-satisfying originals like Bread and Prune Gnocchi and Beet Ravioli. She gives us a comprehensive guide to the tools every kitchen needs to produce the best results. And she has even included a glossary of cuisine-related words and phrases that will prove indispensable for traveling in Italy and dining there. There is no other book like this one--it is the one book on Italian cuisine that every cook and every kitchen will need.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2015
159 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
35 books173 followersLidia Matticchio Bastianich is an American chef, businesswoman and restaurateur.
Specializing in Italian and Croatian cuisine, she has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.
Specializing in Italian and Croatian cuisine, she has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 5, 2016
Excellent resource for all of your favorite Italian dishes! Wonderful recipes and a large compendium of ingredients that are commonly used, with instructions on what to look for when buying, how to properly store them, and what to do with them once you've successfully completed these steps. Most of the recipes will fit any skill level so you can cook with confidence. There are no photographs in this book, only illustrations. This book should be in your collection!
December 22, 2015
Very good introduction to classic techniques regarding Italian cooking. Made Broccoli soup and Beef Braised in Barolo. Both excellent. Learned about the Chitarra, a pasta making machine which I will try out with fresh made pastas.
April 23, 2017
"Always wash your produce and use all your senses when buying it."
December 31, 2021
A must-have.
May 24, 2018
This is the Pane Quotidiano of cookbooks, a foundation stone to better cuisine. I may not try to cook calf’s brain in a lemon sauce (it is in there ...) but no matter what the recipe, there is half a page explaining the techniques.
This cookbook can be READ!
This cookbook can be READ!
June 5, 2017
A cold, technical book. I didn't feel the Italian love. Best stored in freezer.
June 28, 2017
Love this cookbook. It has it all. I found a few recipes I had been looking for! Yeah! This book has every type of meal, recipe etc you could want.Most very simple!!!!!!!
December 9, 2017
Mastering the Art of Italian Cooking with Lydia Bastianich
Lydia is the ultimate teacher of fine Italian Cooking! This book explains so much about it and recipes.
She is clear and very informative about terms and techniques. I highly recommend her books to all that want to cook authentic Italian food must have this book!
Lydia is the ultimate teacher of fine Italian Cooking! This book explains so much about it and recipes.
She is clear and very informative about terms and techniques. I highly recommend her books to all that want to cook authentic Italian food must have this book!
September 4, 2021
This book will appeal to Lidia fans and those who follow her various TV series. The Glossary at the end of the book is helpful and the chapter "Italian Culture and Language' is interesting reading. The recipes may challenge beginners.
July 8, 2017
Lidia does authentic Italian cuisine. The recipes are fairly simple, but really tasty. You won't regret making them.
December 30, 2021
Fantastic compendium of herbs and vegetables!
September 3, 2024
Great Italian cook book.
Read
August 5, 2016From Candice:
"I’ve recently gotten into somewhat of a rut with cooking–but it’s a delicious, self-created rut. I am trying out different recipes for an Italian dish called cacio e pepe, which translates into ‘cheese and pepper.’ Simple, right? Yes, and no. Though recipes vary, the ingredients are generally the same: water, pasta, Pecorino Romano cheese, and pepper. You boil the pasta, grate the cheese, grind some pepper, then combine it all into a pan with a little bit of the pasta water. You end up with a well-coated plate of noodles. The not-so-simple part? First, deciding which recipe to use. I found at least five different ones in various cookbooks at the Library, all from well-known and respected chefs, several of them Italian, each one apparently saying that their recipe is the one to use. Some use the basic ingredients listed above, some add oil and/or butter. Some say that you should only use pecorino, while others also use Parmigiano-Reggiano or Cacio de Roma–all seem to use slightly different amounts. Some toss the pasta and cheese with a little oil or butter. Some sauté the pepper in some oil. Others toast the peppercorns in a pan before grinding. There is a lot of slight variation.
No problem, really, right? They’re probably all good, so just pick one and go with it. Then you get to the other tricky part, which is really the only thing you ‘do’ besides prep and boiling–the mixing. When it goes well, you get a nice sauce. When it doesn’t go well–and out of the four times I’ve made this, it hasn’t gone well twice–you get the dreaded clumpy cheese. The recipes also vary quite a bit here, with different ones saying what to mix the ingredients in (warm dish, warm pan, cold dish), when to add cooking water and how much, and how to add the cheese and how to toss the pasta with it. Seems trivial, until you try one way and your cheese turns into small bits of pepper-flaked goop. Luckily, it still tastes very good.
I made cacio e pepe a couple nights ago, and I think it was my best one yet. I used a recipe from Lidia Bastianich. It’s one of the simplest ones I’ve come across, so I wonder if I just got lucky. If you’d like to try your hand at mastering this deceptively simple dish, the Library has a wealth of Italian cookbooks for you to peruse to find a recipe. Let me know if you find a good one. Please.
Buon appetito!"
"I’ve recently gotten into somewhat of a rut with cooking–but it’s a delicious, self-created rut. I am trying out different recipes for an Italian dish called cacio e pepe, which translates into ‘cheese and pepper.’ Simple, right? Yes, and no. Though recipes vary, the ingredients are generally the same: water, pasta, Pecorino Romano cheese, and pepper. You boil the pasta, grate the cheese, grind some pepper, then combine it all into a pan with a little bit of the pasta water. You end up with a well-coated plate of noodles. The not-so-simple part? First, deciding which recipe to use. I found at least five different ones in various cookbooks at the Library, all from well-known and respected chefs, several of them Italian, each one apparently saying that their recipe is the one to use. Some use the basic ingredients listed above, some add oil and/or butter. Some say that you should only use pecorino, while others also use Parmigiano-Reggiano or Cacio de Roma–all seem to use slightly different amounts. Some toss the pasta and cheese with a little oil or butter. Some sauté the pepper in some oil. Others toast the peppercorns in a pan before grinding. There is a lot of slight variation.
No problem, really, right? They’re probably all good, so just pick one and go with it. Then you get to the other tricky part, which is really the only thing you ‘do’ besides prep and boiling–the mixing. When it goes well, you get a nice sauce. When it doesn’t go well–and out of the four times I’ve made this, it hasn’t gone well twice–you get the dreaded clumpy cheese. The recipes also vary quite a bit here, with different ones saying what to mix the ingredients in (warm dish, warm pan, cold dish), when to add cooking water and how much, and how to add the cheese and how to toss the pasta with it. Seems trivial, until you try one way and your cheese turns into small bits of pepper-flaked goop. Luckily, it still tastes very good.
I made cacio e pepe a couple nights ago, and I think it was my best one yet. I used a recipe from Lidia Bastianich. It’s one of the simplest ones I’ve come across, so I wonder if I just got lucky. If you’d like to try your hand at mastering this deceptively simple dish, the Library has a wealth of Italian cookbooks for you to peruse to find a recipe. Let me know if you find a good one. Please.
Buon appetito!"
September 30, 2018
How have I never heard of this cookbook before because it's the holy grail for Italian cooking?!? After 10 pages, I knew that this was not only life changing, but I need to own this and extensively cook through it. I cannot wait to dive in deeper.
It's easy to understand and very straightforward. There were just chapters and chapters of ingredients and how to cook and use them- honestly, it's hard not to learn something new every time you open this. It's impressive!
It's easy to understand and very straightforward. There were just chapters and chapters of ingredients and how to cook and use them- honestly, it's hard not to learn something new every time you open this. It's impressive!
July 25, 2016
A very good cookbook for the novice Italian cook. It has descriptions of different ingredients and how to use them. The typeface is quite small and there are no photographs but I love watching Lidia on TV so am glad I got this book. I may be getting other books but first I'll check for pictures. I like to see what I'm striving to make.
January 19, 2017
I'll be honest... I didn't read it. WAYYYY TOOO MUCH at one time to read. I was expecting her cookbook to be like her PBS show... it wasn't. I was expecting pictures and easy to understand instructions... there wasn't any. I was and still am disappointed. I'm a decent cook, but I don't think I would make anything from her cookbook.
June 13, 2016
As usual, a great cookbook. Lydia is a very accomplished expert chef. I enjoy her cooking shows and like to read her cookbooks. The cookbook would be a great addition if you enjoy Italian cuisine and like being surrounded by cookbooks!
October 31, 2015
I love Lidia's recipes. True Italian and tremendously authentic but I am really disappointed that there we no pictures at all. A nice book if you can't find the recipe online.
May 14, 2017
Lidia's recipes are interesting and look amazing!
August 31, 2016
Superb reference
September 13, 2016
Not very good. Just a random bunch of recipes. Nothing to master.
September 17, 2021
My favorite book [among many] on Italian cooking..Lydia is a treasure, and this is her best. Not an abundance of photos but a wealth of knowledge.
April 8, 2017
Excellent. A keeper. I watched Lidia on pbs for years when I was young. She is a true icon in Italian cooking.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews