Description:
Clifford Wright thinks you should enjoy good Italian home cooking every day. This single father of three children sets out to prove how easily you can do this in Italian Pure & Simple. Most of Wright's recipes, from pastas to frittate to quick sautés, make his point well. His Summertime Broccoli, steamed florets drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, and Easy Lentil Minestrone--nothing more than red lentils and pasta simmered in chicken broth and graced with grated Parmesan cheese--are, indeed, authentic, delicious, and a breeze to make. Spezzatino of Chicken (a light stew), Spaghetti with Fennel, and Linguini with Salmon don't require much more effort. They are perfect examples of piatti unici, one-platter meals Wright says are typical Italian weekday cooking. This kind of food demands quality ingredients. Wright explains in detail what these are and where you can find them. Often, it is at the supermarket, even if you live outside a major city, or in the kind of local specialty-food stores that carry a growing number of Italian products. The recipes provide enough detail to make this book a good choice for someone just setting up housekeeping. --Dana Jacobi
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