The Babbo Cookbook

by Mario Batali

a great book to read

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Food and Wine

336 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2002

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

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to Mario Batali's Babbo Cookbook by way of Bill Buford's Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, which is partially about time he spent working in the kitchen at Babbo. I got really excited to make some good Bolognese sauce, so I requested The Babbo Cookbook from the library.

I did make an excellent Bolognese from it (recipe posted here) that I will make again. But as far as the rest of the recipes go, I found most of them to be pretty inaccessible to home cooks due to either exotic ingredients or the incredible amounts of preparation time required.

In all fairness, the recipes that a restaurant kitchen uses are often difficult to translate to ones that can be prepared at home - when a restaurant is cooking in large quantities over extremely high heat, it's difficult to reduce the ingredients to typical home serving sizes that are then prepared on a stovetop. But the cookbook does present itself as allowing home chefs to recreate Babbo's dishes.

In order to do that, you'd need to make your own pasta, and then gather such ingredients as duck eggs, baby octopus, and a pig's head. Yes, you read that correctly - if you want to make Warm Testa, you need to get a pig's head. But you only need half, so you could probably just give the other half to a friend.

There were a few recipes that made the book worth getting - the aforementioned Bolognese, an Osso Bucco, an Olive Oil and Fresh Rosemary Cake - as well as some that could be changed to be easier for the home chef (with a little time and thought as to adjustments you could make to the recipes on your own). But I'd suggest getting this book from the library before purchasing it. To me it seemed like more of a novelty cookbook that would make you want to eat at Babbo rather than attempt the recipes at home.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

most of the recipes in this book are time consuming and involve specialty italian ingredients, so it's not the most practical thing in the world, but holy meatballs are they good. this is a good book to turn to special events or if you found a nice piece of meat or fish at the market and want to do it justice.

warning: this man has a serious addiction to butter and olive oil. i've found that if i cut out a little less than half of what he calls for, everything is still delicious and my arteries are spared.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm actually somewhat put off by this cookbook simply because the recipes are such that you can't just whip them up after work. Rather, these recipes require a trip to the market first and a search for hard to find ingredients. Having said that, the recipes and photos look divine. I tried the Bolognese sauce, but was disappointed. It was good, but had higher expectation. So my rating has come down a notch.

[Bobsie67 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apaprently, Mario leaves out the "secret touches" that make his dishes soar at Babbo; nevertheless, the book is beautiful and msot of the recipes appear very doable. Besides, its an easy way to relive a dinner at Babbo without paying the price.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great recipes. I really enjoy this cookbook but its fatal flaw is there are some poorly written recipes. I suggest reading, then re-reading before executing anything in this book.

One of my favorite things to cook in this book is the butternut squash orzo. Wonderful and seasonal dish.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the shrimp, clams and galric recipe--one of the shrimps I make all the time--great flavor, super easy, can be done at the last minute so your guests aren't sitting alone too long--but there is alot about this cookbook that is not accessible to the week night cook.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

yummier!

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay, food! Me hungry! Mario Batali IS the comic book guy from The Simpsons.

[Hallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be celebrity crap, but so not. Really good desserts. Rosemary pound cake with lemon syrup that is simple and really good and travels well.

[Kelly Dunham · Rating 5 out of 5]

YUM! I love this book. We have enjoyed everything we have tried.

[Marian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Time consuming, expensive and artsy ingredeients combined with a pompous tone. No thanks. I'd rather not cook with your book.

[Junita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy down the recipe for Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage and return your copy to the library.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

still to need to check the way the recipes actually work in the kitchen, but definitely whet my appetite.

[Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Batali's cookbooks. This one is probably at the top of the heap.

[jennifer]

i think modo mio stole a lot from babbo! but someone still needs to take me there.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Babbo Cookbook
Batali, Mario
many well made Italian recipes written to allow you to experience them at home

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I focused all of my energies on the dessert section of this book.

[Amy Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were lots of yummy sounding recipes in this book, but I felt like most of them would be a little harder for the average home cook. Still was a great read!

[Cathy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum.

[Christopher Prosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

cookbooks

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made roasted beet and parmigiano brochette (p.25) and it was really good!