Every Night Italian

I have had this cookbook for a number of years in my Italian cookbook collection and every time I pull it off the shelf to browse through it I am impressed with the selection of recipes that were chosen by the author for both their flavor as well as the fact they are simple and quick to prepare. All 120 recipes in this book can be prepared in less than 45 minutes which allows today’s busy families another option to frozen prepared foods or take-out. This book typifies what is best about Italian cuisine in my mind, and that is that by choosing good quality ingredients, you can easily create a delicious simple meal with a minimum of preparation time.

I admit, there are days when I spend many hours in my kitchen baking bread, making fresh pasta and elaborate dishes but there are other days when after running around all day the last thing I want to do is spend a couple of hours preparing a meal. This book is perfect for those busy days that we all seem to have in today’s busy world. The book is organized with the recipe categories one would expect, but also has a nice section on essential techniques with images that would be extremely helpful to the novice cook. The is also a chapter on essential Italian pantry items that would be helpful for those new to Italian cuisine. There is a nice center section with gorgeous colored photos for those of us who appreciate visual inspiration although the photos are so tempting I would have appreciated even more of them. I have made a number of recipes from this cookbook over the years, most from the seafood and soup chapters and all were easy to prepare and turned out delicious. We loved the recipe for Red Snapper with Fresh Tomatoes and Black Olives, and I really enjoyed making the unique recipe Soup In A Bag.

Although this cookbook may not be for the experienced chef or gourmand, it is perfect for the novice chef or those who want to learn more about Italian cuisine but do not have time to devote to elaborate recipes. Even those of us who consider ourselves experienced home cooks all have very busy days when we could use simple, quick recipes to prepare a delicious meal for our family, and this cookbook is perfect for those days.

Every Night Italian: 120 Simple, Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 45 Minutes or Less