Customers say
Customers find the recipes in this book great and enjoyable. They appreciate the clear explanations and helpful tips, making it suitable for beginners. The book is described as beautiful with nice pictures. However, some readers feel it lacks an index and mention that it’s not a reference book for Italian sauces.
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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
The first cookbook to explore the best, most authentic Italian pasta sauce recipes from a regional perspective, by food writer, cooking teacher, and Milan native Micol Negrin.
The culinary odyssey begins in northern Italy, where rich sauces are prepared with fresh cream or local cheese: Creamy Fontina Sauce with Crushed Walnuts and White Truffle Oil; Parmigiano Sauce with Fresh Nutmeg; Pine Nut and Marjoram Pesto.
Central Italy is known for sauces made with cured meats, sheep’s milk cheeses, and extra-virgin olive oil: Spicy Tomato, Onion, and Guanciale Sauce; Smashed Potato Sauce with Cracked Black Pepper and Olive Oil; Caramelized Fennel and Crumbled Sausage Sauce.
In southern Italy, simple, frugal ingredients meld into satisfying and delicious flavors: Sweet Pepper and Lamb Ragù with Rosemary; Fresh Ricotta Sauce with Diced Prosciutto; Spicy Cannellini Bean Sauce with Pancetta and Arugula.
The islands of Sicily and Sardinia take advantage of the bountiful seafood from the Mediterranean and game from the mountainous terrain: Pork Ragù with a Hint of Dark Chocolate and Cinnamon; Red Mullet Roe with Garlicky Bread Crumbs; Rich Lobster Sauce.
Negrin also provides a primer on saucing the Italian way, the basics for handmade pastas, the key to cooking pasta al dente, vital ingredients for every Italian kitchen, perfect wine pairings, and the best food shopping sources around the United States. Complete with mouthwatering color photographs and detailed maps of the various regions, The Best Pasta Sauces lets you travel to Italy without ever leaving your kitchen.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Gold Country Granny
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: My Italian husband was impressed!
Review: This is the first time I shared a cookbook with my husband. We enjoyed going through the book together as if we were actually traveling from northern to southern Italy while being introduced to the foods native to that particular region.The recipes were appealing and mostly used few and basic ingredients. Each region had a brief introduction with tidbits of information. Sometimes the author described a region’s basic staple or gave a brief economic history.My Sicilian husband chuckled when he read that bread crumbs were a ‘poor man’s cheese’ as he recalled how delicious they tasted over 70 years ago in his grandmother’s kitchen.I made one of the mushroom recipes last night and plan to try another this coming week.Finally, I’d say I just discovered that fewer ingredients and less time can result in a very satisfying meal.
Reviewer: Larry
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Simplicity with Quality
Review: I have been working my way through this book. I’m not a daring or experimental chef, I do what I’m told. These recipes are simple, usually about only six ingredients, and time from 2-3 hours. Yes, some impractical things with wild boar and rabbit, but overall superb. This thing will make you longing for the next one. Most are skillet prep, with pasta then added. I’m a big Cook’s Illustrated fan, but this one offers simplicity and quality that will leave your guests asking how you did that. My biggest complaint is when I simmer on the home stretch I can’t stop tasting before the pasta gets added.
Reviewer: Steve
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great recipes
Review: The recipes we have tried have been fantastic. We have added bacon to one (you can’t go wrong with bacon). There are also many helpful tips, e.g. Ten Ingredients You Can’t do Without. We are sending a copy to each of our sons who like to cook. The best cookbook I have ever bought!
Reviewer: Craig M. Strid
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: One dish recipe with noddles, fried cabbage and Italian sausage awesome.
Review: Everyone delighted with above flavors awesome.
Reviewer: Jeannie B.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Beautiful Book with Lots of Pictures! I’d give it a 10+ out of 10 
Review: I am giving this book as a Gift, but it’s a Beauty! I didn’t want to crack the spine, but was able to sorta leaf thru & it has Beautifulpictures! I am giving them a big box of all different kinds & colors of Pasta ~ so I think this book will come in very handy for them 
Reviewer: Berta Dora
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautiful book with average recipes
Review: This book is beautiful and written in a way that I can’t wait to get into the kitchen to cook. The recipes generally use a low number of ingredients that are relatively simple and easy to buy. The pictures are beautiful too. However, I have tried several recipes by now and none of those pasta sauces have been all that good. Sure, you might think it’s my cooking skills but what I mean is that I have had much better success with other recipes. Maybe my expectations are too high because of the wonderful description of each sauce but overall I am just not impressed.
Reviewer: Carol Brackett
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: ok
Review: good recipies
Reviewer: Trishann
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fabulous Italian Cook Book!!
Review: A friend suggested this book and I love it! Have made 4 recipes and all were a big hit. I love how the author, Micol Negron uses a chapter per area of Italy! She also had gives numerous hints throughout the chapters to guide our cooking. I love this book!
Reviewer: Denise
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I love this book! It contains so much more than just recipes.
Reviewer: Marc
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Now this is my kind of book. I like to make food naturally from scratch and have only recently discovered how easy it is to make tasty pasta sauces from scratch.This book came up on offer on Kindle and I thought that it would be very useful to have on the go when I am thinking about what cook that night on my commute.The sauces are authentic regional ones that are used in Italy. The author has travelled around Italy collecting these examples.What makes this book so special is the way that she discusses the sauces, how they are cooked and why they are prepared the way that they are.So, take a simple tomato sauce. I make mine up with onions and garlic and then add a bowl of small fresh tomatoes from my local grocers to soften. I know the debate about peeling them and removing the seeds but have never understood all the faff. Apparently there is an acidity to the seeds that alters the flavour. I like it when the cooking is discussed in this kind of detail. Understanding it can transform the simplest meal into a feast.If you like to discuss your food then this is the book for you.
Reviewer: oscar
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: So many great recipes loving it
Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Good recipes but very bad index. One must scroll by region to find recipes.
Reviewer: russman
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: If you don’t have any Italian cookbook then this will be a beginning but if you are more experienced with Italian cuisine, then you will be sorely disappointed. Barely any sauce recipes that would not be found in any comprehensive book on Italian cooking. For me, a total waste of money.
Price effective as of Mar 29, 2025 10:54:36 UTC
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