Bugialli On Pasta Rvsd/Enlarged

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and useful, but...
Review: Bugialli has produced a good cookbook that has many useful recipes and is decorated with some beautiful photos. However, the book falls short in two areas.

First, he refers to recipes in other cookbooks he's written. Without those recipes, some dishes can't be made. Fortunately there aren't many of these instances; but, each book should stand on its own and not require the reader to get several books to make one recipe.

Second, Bugialli doesn't give much advice on making the eggless pasta that traditionally is used for pesto. Because it is just a mixture of flour, water, and salt, this pasta must be handled a bit more carefully to avoid making glue. Ask me how I know that.

Fortunately, the book has some excellent recipes that go beyond the usual fare. The dishes with seafood and vegetables are particularly good. This makes the weaknesses described above tolerable.

Rating:
Summary: Purity and beauty
Review: Bugialli is ever the purist in his pusuit of good, authentic and classic Italian recipes.

Many of these recipes occur in variations in other cookbooks, but Bugialli has done his research and work with regard to the recipes. The research was done in finding the purest and most traditional (and best) ways of preparing them. The work was done in adapting the recipes so they will succeed for N. American cooks.

There is incredible variety in the recipes! Pasta with all manner of vegetables and meat and cheese. There are even some tomato sauces. Many of the recipes are quite simple; some are quite complex.

Most recipes have a preface with notes on history, tradition, cooking tips, etc. There are illustrations demonstrating most of the important techniques. The recipes are organized by major ingredient (other than pasta, such as vegetables or cheese). There is also a section on notable regional pastas, though all the recipes that are in the other sections designate the region(s) of their origin.

Also, there are many beautiful, full-color photos of many of the recipes and of scenes in Italy. The paper is heavy and resilient (not many books use this fine grade of paper!).

I have been very pleased with the results so far. The Bucatini all' Amatriciana was possibly the simplest recipe I have encountered for it, yet it tasted the best: it is the recipe I will make from now on. There is a surprisingly good mushroom-meat sauce (complex, deep flavors). The marinara sauce is simple to make but very good. Etc. Etc.

One criticism I have is that the pictures of the techniques are not necessarily near the recipe(s) they pertain to. It is a minor annoyance to have to scour the book looking for the pictures (did I miss some reference to the page they were on?)

If you love pasta and wish to explore it through fine Italian recipes, this book would be my first choice. If you just want a really good starter book on pasta, this one fits the bill for that, too. This book is destined to become a classic on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: The All Star Pasta Cookbook
Review: If you want to buy one cookbook to learn all aspects of pasta making and preparation, this one would be my recommendation. Bugialli, an expert on Italian cuisine in general, shines on his own when it comes to pasta. As the Italian Food Host @ BellaOnline, I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have pulled this book off the shelf to use as a reference. If you love pasta, this book should be in your collection!