My books

Here I enlist books that I use for cooking and would recommend as containing highly practical recipes to make Italian meals at home

Culinaria Italia

The basic one that I use. Very good balance of authentic recipes, historical notes and overview of traditional ingredients. I think it is one of the best as it covers food of each Italian province and has a good value for the enormous number of recipes and articles there. The book stands out having a very good print quality.

It is excellent, buy it. For the uninitiated, this is as good as it gets for a full culinary tour of Italy. The pictures are beautiful, the stories are interesting and educational, and the recipes are great too. Learn about the variety of Italian foods, the regions and their specialties (recipes, wines, cheeses, etc), as well as many other interesting stories (the origin of Harry’s Bar). I cannot stress the excellence this book provides in the images, the organization, the culture, the background and so much more.

You will learn about different vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, wines, spices and some history every now and again. Even if you do not try the recipes, or even cook, this is an interesting book. It is big and heavy, but what would you expect from a book that covers all of Italy’s regions? I do not know about the rumor from Utah (see below), but the book is that heavy.
Bottom line, these authors, photographers, publishers, etc. did an excellent job, and if you want a great well-written book for learning about Italian cooking, culinary styles and some of their culture, this is a must own.

Jamie’s Italiy
I personally like Jamie Oliver series. The book gives a very broad mix of original Italian recipes and covers many aspect of Italian cooking

Speaking of recipes, he really has traveled all over Italy, to every nook and cranny, to find delightful, fresh and unique recipes that you have not seen before in other ‘Italian’ cookbooks. He covers: Antipasti, street food, pizza, soups, pastas, risotto, salads, main courses, fish, meat, side dishes, and deserts. The book is a staggering 307 pages, and it is just full of Italian food. Everything from mixed, roasted vegetables to roasted sole three ways, to sausages with green lentils, to lamb kabobs, fried zucchini, fig tart, and so many recipes your head will swim and your senses will go on overload.

With this extraordinary book, Jamie Oliver shows the world why he has such staying power in the ‘food biz’ and why millions of people world-wide adore him. He has paid his dues, worked very, very hard, has not let fame change who he is. This Italian cookbook is a joy in every way. What a wonderful holiday gift this would be for anyone you love.

Culinaria France
It is not Italian cooking recipes book as you see from the name but another good book from the Culinaria series that I found very useful. Not all books of the series I am happy with but this one I would certainly recommend. I will use recipes from it excessively in the other blog dedicated to french dishes at home – My french classic recipes

This book transports me back to my aunt’s kitchen in France! The details are astounding in each section. Photographs of foods with description of use make this the most thorough book I have found that also offers beautiful artwork. I have only found similarly wonderful books in France so I relish using this one. Each recipe is complete and considers the reader by including the ingredient amounts in grams and in American measurements (ounces, pounds).
Furthermore, the book is divided by region so you can learn about the special foods in Normandy and Bretagne before a trip or for a special theme meal. Then read about the Loire Valley to learn about wines and other amazing food factoids. This is really a fun, entertaining, and informative book about France and its cuisine.
Just reading this book makes me hunger for classic French cooking and inspires me to create delicious meals with its encouragement. I recommend this book for anyone who loves French cuisine or who aspires to learning about the regions of France and each’s speciality.

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