Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home

by Mario Batali

A collection of accessible Italian recipes, many culled from the author's popular ''Molto Mario'' cooking show, instructs home chefs on how to simplify and understand everything from purchasing ingredients to mastering elaborate preparation procedures.

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

522 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

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

[Millie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best Italian cookbook. I've read a number of Italian cookbooks from Marcella Hazan to Sophia Loren, all of which left me wanting more. Molto Italiano covers it all. This book should be an indispensable part of everyone's kitchen library. I wish I were able to easily acquire the ingredients required in these recipe but alas not in Calgary. I went to numerous supermarkets just to be able to find fresh fennel. Most of the recipes also require quality wines. I am as yet not able to splash so much money, into my food. But when I reach there, this will certainly be the book I follow. Btw the tomato sauce in this book is simple and divine. This book attests to why Mario Batali is an Iron Chef.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straightforward, delicious, easy to follow -- a win on all fronts. With gorgeous photos. LOVE this cookbook. Current faves: marinated vegetables, crostini misti, risotto with acorn squash, prosciutto with grilled figs. All great!

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Mario Bateli's Molto Italiano as a gift. And a nice gift it was!

There are some recipes in the book that are not so simple. However, there are others that can be both easy to make and quite tasty! One example: Frittata with Spinach and Cheese. I have made frittatas before, but this recipe is very interesting and is a lot tastier than what I have made previously. Spinach, onion, eggs, grated parmigiano-reggiano. Simple components and a tasty result. Other relatively easy to make dishes include: spaghetti with green olive sauce, penne with cauliflower, chicken hunter's style, Roman style artichokes, broccoli sautéed in wine and garlic, stuffed cabbage, potatoes roasted with garlic cloves. I'm not a dessert person, so the interesting dessert dishes at the end aren't so intriguing to me as some other reviewers. However, some of these do look like they would be tasty for those enjoying homemade deserts.

All in all, some of the recipes are a little more challenging than I am interested in tackling. However, many more are eminently doable and tasty in the process. This cookbook is worth a look for those interested in homemade Italian cuisine.

[Thaiyoshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost regret buying this book. I love watching Mario cook on Iron Chef and enjoying reading about his larger-than-life personality in Heat, but this cookbook is just too hard to cook from. The recipes casually call for ingredients like pork jowls and spanish paprika. And there are usually so few ingredients that it's almost not worth doing a substitution. I hope to try some of his homemade pasta doughs though.

It's a shame that the recipes aren't a little more simple. This book is beautifully laid out. I love the typography and rich, autumn colors. It's also fun to glance through to get some insights into the tradition of Italian cuisine. I just wished I could interact with it on a more intimate level by working with the recipes. I want to find a happy medium between this book and Giada's Everyday Italian.

[Justin Gerlach · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect cookbook

[dana danny]

"You know Mario Batali is very serious about changing his behavior because he included a recipe for pizza dough cinnamon rolls along with his apology for sexually assaulting women."

[Juliana Haught · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for a few years, and have tried many of the recipes from each section. Every single recipe we've tried has been delicious and gotten requests to make them again from everyone in the family, so this book counts as a success.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this book all the time! Highly recommended.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to this one now and really enjoying it. I love writing style and everything Describe in this book.

[Ines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with all the people who say that some of the recipes in the book aren't the easiest and that some have obscure ingredients, but from the ones I've tried out to date, I must say the food is absolutely divine. The flavors are matched so well.

Of the ones I tried I cooked the pork roast (black rooster style). The meat was so soft after the 4 or so hours of cooking, the food literally melted in my mouth. Also there is a recipe for veal rolls, with pine nuts and cranberries, that are fried on the bbq--they are delicious. Lastly, a personal favorite (and super easy to make) are the potato fries or wedges.

Overall, it's not an everyday recipe cookbook, but I have yet to go wrong and once in a while I enjoy trying to find the obscure ingredients!

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got back from Rome - and I'm having serious food and wine withdrawals. I think about it in my sleep, the gnocchi, the fresh pasta, the perfect bruschette, all washed down with dark waves of Nero d'Avola and Montepulciano. When I got home I started immediately spooning with my giant Italian cookbook, The Silver Spoon, finally published in English by Phaidon. But you know what - for a book that is 1200 pages long, it was missing a few of those delicious things I nibbled in Rome. But guess what? The big fat man in the orange clogs has come to my rescue.

Maybe not the cornerstone of your Italian cookbook collection, but a must-have.

[Kecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the St. Louis Book Fair this spring. A woman walked by and noticed it. She said she had it and loved it. She rattled off a few of her favorite recipes for me. When I got home I noticed it was a James Beard Award winner. I was so excited. I felt like I had hit the jackpot!

I've made a few recipes from it now and all of them have been good. Just good. Not great. It's a lovely book and full of great information but I want better recipes. Nothing here has blown me away yet.

I'm diappointed, but for $3.00 it wasn't a bad buy. I'm passing it on to my mother now. Maybe she'll have better luck with it.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by Molto Italiano. It has so many legitimately good, authentic Italian recipes in it. Nice photos and easy to follow recipes. Some of the recipes are slightly more difficult than others, but all seem to be on the easier/medium spectrum. I was pleased with the variety: anitipasto, soups, pastas, fish, meats, veggies, desserts....So a little of everything to choose from and something for everyone. Definitely one of the better Italian cookbooks I've come across.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting recipes, even for the vegetarian (if you omit the anchovies). Mario shares beautifully written information about the culinary characteristics of the different regions of Italy, but at times he comes off as a snob.
"Breadcrumbs from a canister have no place in a real kitchen."
Ok, Mario, since everyone has the time and the money to make oven-toasted breadcrumbs from fresh bread...

[Deodand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Echoing other Goodreads reviews, this is not a simple cookbook. Authentic Italian cooking is so much of its place that it's difficult to adjust the recipes for the North American grocery, so I get it, Mario. Still, I won't be cooking from this book. Italian is not one of my favourite cuisines anyway - too much focus on the ever-lovin' olive.

It is a lovely thing, though, and interesting to read.

[Kathy Duffy]

Some interesting recipe possibilities here, though there were also a great number I wouldn't touch...I am not big into things like octopus but like all decent cookbooks, there were some recipes I wanted to try. On the healthy size the Vegetable Mash sounded interesting as did the pan roasted turnips. I got all the ingredients for the Capri Orange Tart but haven't had the time to make it yet. The rum and ricotta fritters also sounded yummy.

[Linda Karlsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with any cookbook; one does not use ALL the recipes. Find your super special one that may resonate with your culture. I am addicted to the Lamb Shank recipe and totally delighted with the turnips with poppy seeds; particularly when I get tiny ones at my local farmer's market! Sometimes we try to cover up our lack of confidence in trying new recipes; I say Mario gives us the opportunity to 'go for it". Have fun with this cookbook.

[Andrew R · Rating 3 out of 5]

My test of a cookbook is to flip through it once and count the number of recipes I can't wait to try. This book doesn't have many, but there are a good fundamentals.

The duck sausage truly needs to be ground in a meat grinder. Using a knife will give you carpal tunnel and it will never get minced properly. Nonetheless, if you cook your pasta in the same pan it's delicious.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite and most used cookbook. I am not part of the cult of Mario (I feel pretty neutral about him), but I have to say his food rocks! Lots of recipes for fresh homemade pasta (a passion of mine) and yummy antipasti, plus lots of entrees. Believe it or not, there are even a few quality desserts!

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep reaching for this book when I get home - and find myself wanting to cook more and more recipes from it. The weird thing about recipes is that you end up making something delicious to eat(which isn't always a given with me.) the great thing about this book is that it's smart, doesn't presume you've never seen a pan before, and is ecologically minded.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have loved to give this book 5 stars and the recipes I have made are some of my favorites, but I would have liked more detailed instructions and it would have been nice to have captions for the photographs. I also had to look up all sorts of information in other references that would have been a great addition to this book.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encyclopedic treatment of everyday italian fare from the Comic Book Guy.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erik and I really enjoying the recipes from this. We've made the sweet and sour wild boar, a rabbit dish and an asparagus dish. They are relatively straightforward and give us some good ideas for unusual cuts of meat as well as some more traditional dishes.

[Bax · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of the whole TV driven "star chef" phenomenon, but this book has a lot of clearly explained recipes that look like something I'd want to make.

It gets a provisional 5 star rating- I can pass final judgment once I make a couple of things.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

How Mario got to be so damn smart and funny, I'll never know. But the man sure does know his Italian history, heritage, and food. I love cooking from this book, admiring the delicious photographs, and learning fascinating tid-bits about Italian cooking.

[Bailey Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the recipes, love Mario Batali, would LOVE to go to his restaurant in NYC, loved him in Iron Chef, you name it. These receipes are great and I owe it to Christy for refreshing my memory of this great collection of Italian recipes!

[Tufnative · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite Mario's recent becoming a sell out and the gouging of anything slightly herbed Italian, then promptly branding it 'his' with vomitous heaves of commercialism, the dude can cook.
One of the best cook books ever.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I love reading cookbooks that are more than a mere recitation of recipes. This book is a feast for the eyes and gave me all sorts of inspiration to take into the kitchen. It might even knock Nigella off my cookbook stand for a bit!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I avoided reading this book for so long. It's very clear, concise, and does an excellent job of showing you the sheer variety of cooking styles and ingredients in Italy without being too highbrow. Molto bene!

[Merrideth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have used some of the recipes and tweeked them to my liking, but overall way too pretentious for the everyday cook. Though I love a nice Italian meal, I'd rather go out and get one rather than spend all day rolling out my own gnocchi!