Canal House Cooking Volume N° 8: Pronto!

Canal House Cooking #8

by Christopher Hirsheimer, Melissa Hamilton

Pour some prosecco and cook up some delicious antipasti, pizzas, pastas, Italian sweets, and more—with simple recipes from two James Beard Award–winning authors.Canal House Cooking Volume No. 8:Pronto!, the newest addition to the Canal House Cooking series, is a delightful cookbook devoted to Italian home cooking. It’s filled with seventy-seven delicious, fast, easy, fresh Italian recipes, including ones for antipasti, pizzas, pastas, grilled meats and fish, and simple Italian sweets. It’s a collection of some of our favorite recipes, the ones we cook for ourselves, our friends, and our families all year long, Pronto! will make you want to roll up your sleeves, pour yourself a glass of prosecco or Sangiovese, and start cooking. Renowned home cooks Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, 2013 James Beard Foundation Award winners, have been inspiring cooks of all kinds—from the novice and passionate alike, to even the restaurant chef—since the debut of their award-winning cookbook series began with their simple but elegant and delicious recipes for cooking at home.Canal House Cooking Volume No. 8: Pronto!, is the eighth book of our award-winning series of seasonal recipes. We publish three volumes a Summer, Fall & Holiday, and Winter & Spring, each filled with delicious recipes for you from us. Cook your way through the fall and holidays with Pronto!, and all year long with Canal House Cooking!Buon Appetito!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jeannie Spangler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry I purchased

Did not like this book at all. Few recipes I would use......not what I was expecting in a cookbook! I will pay more attention next time 😕

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

** This review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca).

Note: My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for providing me with a portion of this book, in Kindle e-book form, in exchange for my honest review.

My Review: I have to admit that I am new to the Canal House cookbook series. It seems that I've been living under a rock because these two women are quite well versed in the art of writing a good recipe and their love of good food is evident.

From the beginning of the book you get the feeling that you're sitting down with some girlfriends to chat around the kitchen table. There's a very casual, homey feel to the writing in the way it describes the simple galley kitchen that they use, the view from the kitchen window and the history of the Canal House. I honestly expected the authors to be creating their dishes in some rustic Italian villa but quickly came to learn that they're from New Jersey. But honestly, where Canal House is located isn't an issue because at the heart of all of the recipes is the trinity that makes up a good recipe: fresh produce, good quality staples and keeping the recipe simple to let the fresh flavours play centre stage.

The recipes are accompanied by beautiful colour pictures of these dishes that the authors make for their own families on a regular basis. The ultimate in 'tried and true' recipe and I love that. There is also a very useful section on Italian wines which I plan to peruse more in the near future.

While there were quite a few recipes that caught my eye ('Pasta with Olive, Capers and Lemon' as well as the 'Avocados with Lemon Supreme Vinaigrette' to name just a couple) many of the recipes provided to me in the ARC weren't necessarily what I would make for my own (fairly picky) family. The recipes were intriguing but some of the ingredients, namely the common use of anchovies, wouldn't necessarily be a selling point in our home or pallets.

Overall, this is an interesting read for people looking try their hand at adding some Mediterranean fare to their repertoire. With its chatty tone it's an easy and interesting read.

My Rating: 3/5 stars

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Canal House Cooking Voluming 8 : Pronto
Author: Melissa Hamilton & Christopher Hirsheimer
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media/Canal House
Published: 10-29-2013
Pages: 128
ISBN: 9781480452664
E-Book ASIN: B00FS0MVWC
Genre- Cooking


Canal House is presenting another well rounded cookbook. This one, Volume Number 8: Pronto, delves into the delicious world Italian cuisine. Everything from a simple pizza dough to the more detailed Lumache With Zucchini & Clams. No matter what your cooking skill level, Canal house provides recipes that are easy to understand, making your cooking experience a joy and making you look like a pro in the kitchen. If you have a leaning toward the flavors of Italy, Canal House Volume 8: Pronto is a cookbook you will want to add to your cookbook collection. Of course I believe the entire series is a must have for anyone who enjoys cooking and trying out new recipes.


I can personally verify the Grilled Red Snapper Wrapped In Fig Leaves was a big hit on my family's dinner table. Although my personal favorites were Chicken Alla Diavola, Marinated Roasted Peppers and Poached Vegetables With Zabaione. I finished the meal with a Raspberry Tart With Marscapone Cream. The Raspberry Tart was changed to a Blackberry tart on my second attempt as I like them better than raspberries. Just exchange the raspberries with blackberries and the raspberry jam with blackberry.


As most cooks do, you will often find your selves making adjustments for your family's preferences in some way when in the kitchen, but Canal House provides you with an infinite number of culinary taste to choose from. Learn the basic recipes and then you can try your own ideas. Let Canal House Volume 8: Pronto help you create a few new family favorites. Your family will thank you. My only complaint would be I wished it had included a few more recipes for sides and desserts.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a galley of this from NetGalley. So many of the food bloggers I follow seem to love the Canal House books, but I'd never seen one. So when I had the opportunity to see the ebook of their latest cookbook, I thought I'd take a peek. It has a very chatty tone, and a there's a rustic bent to the recipes. Lots of delicious sounding things, but nothing particularly new or unusual - just good casual Italian dishes. Something about the way the recipes are presented captures a kind of "cook by feel" style, so I think someone who prefers a lot of instruction would feel a bit at sea sometimes. It definitely evoked a particular mood and place, so if you like a cookbook that transports you to a farm table somewhere behind a dilapidated villa, this is for you.

(There were also some distracting things happening with headers, which I'm guessing are in some kind of interesting font in the print edition that did not translate well to the ebook. I have said it before and will say it again, I really wish publishers would pay more attention to translating books with design elements into e-format.)

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's clear that the Canal House ladies have lost interest in this supposedly triannual series. It shows in the books, and it's hugely frustrating in the schedule of releases.

You can get an "annual" subscription through their website. I reupped mine in August 2011, at which point Volume 7 was supposed to come out in October. With no intervening explanation or communications, it wasn't issued until January 2012. In the 31 months since my subscription, they have only issued 2 books, rather than the projected 7 or 8.

In August 2011, they told me Volumes 8 and 9 were supposed to "follow throughout the year." In September 2012, a mass mailer to subscribers said Volume 8 was supposed to ship in March 2013. In June they said we'd get in it September. It wasn't released until October. (As of March 2014, Volume 9 is nowhere in sight...)

Even more infuriatingly, Volume 8 was an expanded rehash of the "special" Italian summer booklet! Really? After waiting almost 2 years, you couldn't even fill one slim volume with new recipes?

[Julia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why I loved this book, but I did. I do not cook, but I do eat, so that may explain the attraction. That and all things Italian. When I requested this book from Net Galley, I expected the Canal House to be somewhere in Italy, probably Venice. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the Canal House is in New Jersey. Oh, well. The recipes are Italian and sound delicious. I can't wait to pass them on to our cook, my Italian husband, and have him try a few of them. Some were already familiar and some not. The chatty tone of this book is engaging and makes for an easy read. I would love to see the book in print form. My only complaint was....too much eggplant! Loved the mentions of my favorite cheese, pecorino,which is not available in our little hamlet, albeit the state capital. Some of the Tuscan wines discussed are among my favorites. I guess I am beginning to see why I loved this book. I would recommend it and would read another by these authors.

[SueK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book for my review:

Loved this cookbook. I like to sit down and read a cookbook like a novel, but this one went one better; it was like sitting down and reading a chatty letter from a friend, complete with sketches, and beautiful photography. I loved it so much, I went out and bought the Holiday version, as well.

Apparently I'm one of the few that hasn't heard of the Canal House series, but if these first two that I've gotten are any indication, I'll be buying more.

Though I've yet to make any of the recipes, I know I will. The ingredients are relatively easy to locate (in season might be the biggest limitation), and they all look marvelous.

[Margaret Sholders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I liked reading the history of the Canal House. Then it started with wines. I don't usually do wine but I learned a couple of things. In appetizers I learned you must salt and drain eggplant. You can tell I don't use that much either. I kind of skipped the fish chapter. I hate fish except for Haddock-fried. I think I will try the pizza recipes, if only for the mozzarella! Check this book out. Even if you are like me you should be able to find some recipes to cook up.

[Suzy Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sumptuous journey through Italian cooking. Delicious, hearty recipes meant for sharing. Yum.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice illustrations. The recipes were not interesting to me as a whole. I did like the Chickpeas / orecchiette concoction. I'll try that one someday..

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad I bought this yummy cookbook. I will be using it a lot.