Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals from My Home to Yours

by Mario Batali

Molto Batali features 120 of the favorite recipes of Mario Batali, bestselling, James Beard Award-winning author of Molto Italiano and Molto Gusto. One of America’s favorite chefs and a popular fixture on cable television’s Food Network, Mario offers up simple and simply delicious seasonal recipes in month-by-month menus, perfect for celebrating with family and friends.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Italy, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2011

About the author

Mario Batali is known to most people as both the star of the Food Network's Molto Mario and one of the Iron Chefs on Iron Chef America. Winner of numerous awards for his restaurants, Mario himself is the recipient of the 2005 James Beard All-Clad Outstanding Chef Award, the most prestigious cooking honor there is. Mario is also a huge NASCAR fan. Like many guys his age, Mario first discovered the thrill of stock car racing watching the ebullient Chris Economaki, in his Martian-style headphones, reporting live from the pit area at Daytona. Mario has been a more active racing fan these last few years, hosting prerace dinners at the track for the drivers. His restaurant Otto has become something of an unofficial hangout whenever NASCAR visits New York. He also enjoys prowling the infield to check out what die-hard racing fans like to cook on their grills, looking to pick up some down-home grilling tips. His next book, ITALIAN GRILLING, will be available from Ecco/HarperCollins in May 2008.

Reviews

[Miss Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

A serviceable introduction to Italian cooking, but without any flair or flash. The photography and layout is dull and feels incredibly bland which does nothing to enhance the recipes.

Spaghetti with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Oregano
Ravioli al Forno with Radicchio and Parmigiano
Charred Green Beans with Almond Marjoram Pesto
Cellentani with Kale and Sausage

[Carm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good example italianish cooking. There isn’t heavy sauces unlike many Italian recipes online but like how Italians usually eat pasta. Having grown up Italian I’m not put off by the words used rather I find them intended to be funny, as in carrots in scapece which is just carrots in honey and vinegar marinade or spaghetti grossi with hen ragu is just thick spaghetti or bucatini with a meat sauce using chicken. The fancy words allow the cook to feel like a fancy cook making a fancy meal and also allow for substitutions depending on what the cook can find. No need to search out the exact ingredients used in recipes if they’re hard to find rather just substitute and make the recipe one’s own.
I’m glad to have bought this used. I’ll never forget watching Batali on tv cooking and hearing him say no one who can’t hear the pans sizzling can cook ( I can’t) yet I have been cooking for 40 years. Yes Batali is arrogant, conceited and prejudiced but I don’t get that from the book or the words used.

[Magila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I understand some folks will be disinclined to use a cookbook by MB. I grabbed my copy from the library and I enjoyed the organization - by month for seasonally and the customary course sequence.

The recipes didn’t totally blow my socks off but they were varied and interesting. I appreciated how they remind you that, for example, slivered almonds and pasta are a good combo.

Recommended.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out of the library--my preferred way to explore cookbooks. I have renewed it once, and would keep it longer if I didn't feel so guilty about depriving my neighbors of the opportunity to use it. I will certainly buy it as soon as I get a chance.
Why did I like it so much? 1) Italian food: I love it. 2) Seasonal eating: the book is divided into chapters based on the month, and each chapter contains several recipes featuring seasonally available vegetables. I began cooking just before Thanksgiving, and in short order had made dishes featuring turnips, parsnips, kohlrabi, cabbage, collards. An abundance of goodness, and a format that makes me look forward to cooking in each new month. 3) Each month contains one soup recipe, several pastas, a few vegetable dishes, and one or two meat dishes, and a dessert. I'm a vegetarian, and most cookbooks that are not specifically vegetarian in content spend far too much space on meat dishes to be useful to me. This book was a lovely contrast to that. 4) Recipes were simple and easy to prepare. There were some "exotic" ingredients, but I am lucky enough to live within walking distance of a fine Italian grocery and could gather all the wonderful cheeses he calls for. I was able to substitute in many other dishes without any trouble at all.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh so good and so much fun to use and make. WE made Farsumagru for Thanksgiving this year. The recipe was easy to follow and outrageously delicious. The sides of spring onion frittelle and the sauteed spinach w/ cremini & peppers completed the meal. And yes, leftovers!! Every bit as good as the first meal. The book has "only" 12 full meals, however there are so many sides to each meal any cook could select an item here and there and throw together a great meal from multiple pages throughout the book. I can live without Mario's orange crocs or green vest, but this is one fun book to work with.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this cookbook for quite awhile, but have never really looked at it or read it. The recipes are not always something I would try and maybe I'm just hungry, but almost every recipe in this book is a must make! None are too complicated and while some ingredients may be difficult to find I think it would be worth the effort.
The book is written for seasonal recipes with month-by-month chapters, which I think is a great idea and if you cook that way the ingredients will be much easier to find.
My only complaint is that I would like to know more about the recipes and needed to look up some of the Italian terms and techniques elsewhere.

[Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

don't get me wrong, if Mario wants to come and prepare any of these dishes, i'm sure I would love them! But we just don't shop at the same markets and if I don't recognize the name or ingredients of the dish, probably not making it..."scripelle in brodo", "polpettona ripiena", "pici with ceci". are people really reading this book and then rushing out to their local stop and shop to buy "stinging nettles" to make soup?

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good idea - meals centered around the produce grown locally (in the us, at least) per month. normally comes with a meat dish, 4 veg platters, and a dessert. lots of green salad, wilted/cooked greens, cooked non-root mixed vegetables, and roasted root vegetables. various changes in herbs/spice. all is with minimal ingredients, but is exactly what it sounds like - simple, family-easy meals.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I can't honestly say I 'read' the entire book, I have gone through it looking for recipe ideas but, unfortunately, I haven't made anything from it yet! yikes! But we loved a really simple recipe for fettucine alfredo he did on the Today show last fall so I bought this signed copy through Bookperk and some of the recipes are a bit daunting for us! We'll get there, I have confidence.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit meh on Mario Batali's cookbook. Certainly the pictures were very nice and I've seen him prepare a few of the recipes on ABC's The Chew. In fact that was the impetus for me viewing the cookbook...but something got lost in translation. Maybe it's the big words for ingredients that are foreign to me. But I fully expected to LOVE this cookbook & I just didn't.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have cooked several delicious meals out of this book, including my new got-to recipe for basic polenta. If you have access to a copy through your library I recommend you check it out, though fans of Mario Batali can skip that and just make a trip to the bookstore.

[Beka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though everything looked okay, the dishes didn't speak to me, and some of the titles could use translations or descriptions.

[Nina Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mario arranged this book by seasons . I really like this format because you can use whats fresh and available and not have to pay an arm and a leg for some out of season ingredient.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

for the most part, these were quick and easy recipes, with accessible ingredients. He does great things with vegetables that most people turn up their noses at!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

good but the only thing that i found that i would make was a cake i may eat other things but i would not make them myself

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really? Simple family meals? I found the main entrees to be rather too fancy for ordinary meals, but kudos for his great vegetable recipes.

[Rambling Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

yummy