For over three decades, Nancy Wilson collected anecdotes and recipes from Louisiana’s Italian immigrants, including her family and friends, as a way to preserve her children’s Italian heritage. Included here alongside lively personal commentary are historical and cultural facts about Italian American immigration patterns, religious institutions and festivals such as St. Joseph’s Day, and over one hundred recipes from “the old country.”

This collectable volume will appeal as much to cultural historians as to those seeking their Italian grandmother’s fava bruschetta instructions. Recipes include Mama’s Italian Bread, eggplant casserole, olive salad, Aunt Lena’s Ricotta, rosary cake, osso bucco, St. Joseph’s Day breadcrumbs, and more. Wilson also includes a glossary and an illustrated how-to for making your own mud oven to bake authentic Italian bread.

The down-to-earth voices collected in “Louisiana’s Italians, Food, and Folkways” make this an interesting blend of personal and public history and a delicious celebration of the Italian’s love of God, food, and family.

For beginners and seasoned cooks alike, The Gourmet Cookbook is an eloquent, essential companion in the kitchen – one that will take its place among the classic cookbooks of our generation. Under the discerning eye of the celebrated authority Ruth Reichl, the editors of America’s premier cooking magazine sifted through more than 60,000 recipes published over the past six decades. Testing, tasting, and cross-testing to ensure that every cook achieves the same superb results, they selected more than 1000 recipes. The Gourmet Cookbook is encyclopedic but eminently accessible. With it, cooks can go back to the days when Beef Wellington ruled the table or prepare something as contemporary as Crispy Artichoke “Flowers” with Salsa Verde. Those in a hurry who want simple dinners with flavor and flair will find hundreds of possibilities, including Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze and Skirt Steak Fajitas with Lime and Black Pepper. At the same time, The Gourmet Cookbook is the perfect volume for entertaining, full of adventurous recipes for special occasions: Blini with Three Caviars, Fragrant Crispy Duck, and Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake. Throughout the book you’ll find hundreds of valuable tips from Gourmet’s eight test kitchens. Illustrated instructions explain everything from how to cut up a chicken to how to shuck an oyster.

How do you boil pasta? How much water and salt do you need? Should you add oil to the water? How well should you drain it? (Turn to page viii for the answers.)

One part cooking course, one part kitchen reference, and one part foolproof recipes, The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles tells the story of flour and water like no other book on the market. Extensively covering the basics of pasta and noodles, this thoroughly researched and taste-tested guide is dedicated to the home cook who needs practical advice on everything from penne to pad thai. The experts at Cook’s Illustrated present their knowledge and techniques in a hands-on way so that each and every step of the cooking process can be understood and easily executed. The authors leave room for interpretation and taste, of course, but you will not walk away from this book without knowing which olive oil to buy, why egg pastas tend to complement cream sauces, or how to mince garlic.

The book is arranged in four sections, exploring first dried semolina pasta, then fresh Italian-style pasta, Mediterranean pasta and European dumplings, and finally, Asian noodles. There are thirteen chapters devoted to sauces alone, and recipes are included with the type of pasta with which they work best — from the simplest to the complex, but all within reach of the home cook. As a bonus, the book includes excellent photographs of the various pasta and noodle shapes, and impeccable illustrations clearly depict each step of key techniques. Special sections are devoted to such specific topics as “Are Electric Pasta Machines Worth the Money?” and “A Guide to Popular Cheeses.”

“Cook’s has always been the definitive word on any subject it tackles,” says The Post and Courier, and The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles will serve as the definitive reference volume for pasta lovers.

From the Hardcover edition.

The Rome Sustainable Food Project, a program devoted to providing organic, local, and sustainable meals for the community of the American Academy in Rome, has launched a delicious revolution to rethink institutional dining. Headed by chef Mona Talbott, a Chez Panisse alum, and guided by Alice Waters, the menus have given rise to a new, authentic cuisine inspired by la cucina romana, Chez Panisse, and the collective experience of those working in the AAR kitchen. Biscotti is the first book in the series. Each volume, covering a single subject, contains authentic, simple recipes for favorite dishes served at the academy’s communal table, narrated with carefully explained techniques and methods–suitable for both the home cook and the institutional kitchen.

Our first bite into this book project is a sweet one, focusing on fifty biscotti and dolcetti (cookies and sweets). Subsequent volumes in the series will include muffins and scones; pasta, long and short; vegetables; preserves; and more.

Biscotti: Recipes from the Kitchen of The American Academy in Rome, The Rome Sustainable Food Project

Everybody loves homemade bread, but not everybody has time to make it. Now Cuisinart does it for you! Our versatile Bread Maker offers a variety of crust colors and loaf sizes, and 12 preprogrammed menu options, Foolproof recipes include gluten-free breads, as well as jams and sauces. With convenient 13 hour Delay Start Timer, that wonderful aroma of just-baked bread can be waiting for you when you walk in the door.