Delightful, delizioso:

A duo of new cookbooks from two top-notch Italian chefs

REVIEWS BY SYBILL PRATT

There are so many good Italian cookbooks available that the arrival of another tempting treasure trove of authentic, creative recipes always amazes me. Biba Caggiano's latest, Italy al Dente, instantly prompted that amazed -- and happy -- state. This is a book of essentials a la Italiana, a book devoted to primi piati, the beloved first courses of a traditional Italian meal -- pasta, risotto, gnocchi, soup, and polenta‹the heart and soul of la cucina Italiana. That Biba Caggiano, who hosts a popular Italian cooking show on The Learning Channel, is passionate about these dishes is obvious from the enthusiasm, care, and love with which each recipe is introduced and presented. Biba believes that Italian cooking should be rooted in strong regional traditions, but that it must also be flexible and adaptable to new modes of cooking. Because ingredients are so very important, she begins with a discussion of the basic Italian pantry and goes on to some fundamental "how-tos" -- roasting peppers, cleaning mushrooms, mussels and clams, peeling those ever-essential tomatoes, and more.

We then get into the recipes, whose redolence and aromas seem to waft from the pages. From agnolotti to ziti, there's no doubt that pasta is primo in the hearts of many Italians and non-Italians alike, and it's primo here, divided into three sections: fresh pastas (stuffed and string), factory-made pasta, and "La Spaghattata," spaghetti dishes that can be completed in the time it takes for the water to boil. Mix and match among these fabulous farinaceous concoctions if you want: "Pietro's Meat Ragu," a rich, slow-simmered Bolognese specialty, served over homemade pappardelle, can make any variety of factory-made pasta sing; or try homemade tonnarelli with "Mushrooms Carbonara" or "Hot Anchovy Sauce."

Soup, soup, glorious zuppa, it's here in abundance, "Bean and Mussel Soup," "Tuscan Onion Soup," and sublimely simple "Passatelli," from Emiglia-Romana. And more than 40 risotti, braised in flavorful broth, mixed with meats, cheeses, vegetables, shellfish, game, even blueberries, produce splendid rice dishes with ever-changing identities. Then come the gnocchi, those delicate little dumplings made with potatoes, ricotta, semolina, spinach, squash, or chestnut flour, that can be served plain or fancy, dressed with a bit of butter and sage or with smoked salmon and mascarpone. Last, but not least, there's polenta, once a poor man's staple, now a star, baked with sausage ragu, molded with pork skewers, or served soft and creamy with pancetta, garlic, and hot pepper.

For most Americans, these "first courses" become the focus of dinner, and why not? I'm sure Biba wouldn't mind at all.


Cesare Casella, noted chef and major player on New York's classy culinary scene, is now also the author of Diary of a Tuscan Chef: Recipes and Memories of Good Times and Great Food, with Eileen Daspin. Casella combines reminiscence, family lore, and photographs with fresh, fabulous recipes from his childhood and his years as a chef in the U.S. and in Italy. His parents opened a restaurant in Pieve Santo Stefano, a small hill town near Lucca, when he was four. Casella later transformed it into a world-class establishment, so fine Tuscan cooking and the restaurant business are in his blood‹he even speculates that he was conceived in a kitchen.

Casella believes that the most important tool for organizing a menu is the calendar, so he arranges his book by season and serves up ten menus, each with four dishes, per season. Do the math and you get 160 tantalizing Tuscan recipes for antipasti, soups, salads, pastas, fish, foul, meats, and sweets. Each menu is introduced by a mini-memoir -- trout fishing with his father, cooking for Henry Kissinger, the annual olive harvest in the family olive grove -- and each recipe is well organized and easy to follow. Like Biba Caggiano, Casella emphasizes the inherent simplicity and flexibility of Italian cuisine and the marvelous mix of innovation and tradition. "Risotto di Granchi Teneri," Soft-shell Crab Risotto, improvised when Cesare was confronted with the bounty of Chesapeake Bay, takes its place next to "Bistecca alla Fiorentina con Fagioli," a traditional and luscious Florentine take on Beefsteak with Beans. By the time you've read and cooked your way through the Diary, you'll feel as though you've been to Pieve Santo Stefano, eaten well, and made friends with a family that appreciates the best things in life. Mangia bene!


Sybil Pratt is an avid cook.

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