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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook

Description:

One of the most beloved cookbooks of all time, from “the Queen of Italian Cooking” (Chicago Tribune). A timeless collection of classic Italian recipes—from Basil Bruschetta to the only tomato sauce you’ll ever need (the secret ingredient: butter)—beautifully illustrated and featuring new forewords by Lidia Bastianich and Victor Hazan

“If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” —Nigella Lawson

Marcella Hazan introduced Americans to a whole new world of Italian food. In this, her magnum opus, she gives us a manual for cooks of every level of expertise—from beginners to accomplished professionals.

In these pages, home cooks will discover:

• Minestrone alla Romagnola
• Tortelli Stuffed with Parsley and Ricotta
• Risotto with Clams
• Squid and Potatoes, Genoa Style
• Chicken Cacciatora
• Ossobuco in Bianco
• Meatballs and Tomatoes
• Artichoke Torta
• Crisp-Fried Zucchini blossoms
• Sunchoke and Spinach Salad
• Chestnuts Boiled in Red Wine, Romagna Style
• Polenta Shortcake with Raisins, Dried Figs, and Pine Nuts
• Zabaglione
• And much more

This is the go-to Italian cookbook for students, newlyweds, and master chefs, alike. Beautifully illustrated with line drawings throughout, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking brings together nearly five hundred of the most delicious recipes from the Italian repertoire in one indispensable volume.

As the generations of readers who have turned to it over the years know (and as their spattered and worn copies can attest), there is no more passionate and inspiring guide to the cuisine of Italy.
Read more

Editorial Reviews

Review

A BON APPETIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“Hazan’s recipes, both specific and sensual, became the foun- dation for my own style of cooking, which I sometimes call ‘Obsessive-Impulsive.’ I also credit her with starting my obses- sion with bay leaves.” —SAMIN NOSRAT, The New York Times Magazine

“The cookbook author who changed the way Americans cook Italian food.” —The New York Times

“If you know nothing about Italian cooking, this is the book you want. (It’s also the book you want if you know something about Italian cooking and want to know more.) Written with fluidity, personality, charm, and grace, it is filled with recipes both fundamental and special, recipes you will use, as I have since beginning to cook with its predecessors in the ’80s, for decades to come. As a bonus, the new forewords are beautiful.” —MARK BITTMAN, author of How to Cook Everything

“The Italian cookbook you’d take to a desert island. The presentation is a model of clarity. The descriptions of technique and the recipes are impeccable, interesting, and appealing.” —The Washington Post

“If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” —NIGELLA LAWSON, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat

"It should be a staple of every kitchen." —Vogue

“You can’t go wrong with a Marcella Hazan recipe.” —Food52

“Marcella Hazan is way more than just another cookbook author to me. So many of the recipes in this iconic collection—the pork in milk, the Bolognese, the famous tomato, onion, and butter sauce—have graced my table for huge celebratory occasions and also just regular old Sunday dinners, and I don’t see that ever changing. She’s like family, the Italian grandmother I never had, standing next to me while I brown my meat and stir my sauces, telling me what to do and how to do it with her trademark precision, loving authority, and warmth. I can’t wait to give this edition to my own children . . . and everyone else I know.” —JENNY ROSENSTRACH, New York Times best-selling author of Dinner: A Love Story

“Part encyclopedia, part regional cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking . . . is an indispensable introduction to the principles of Italian cooking.” —Saveur

“Marcella changed my life . . . All I had to do was follow her instructions to the letter, and success was pretty much guaranteed . . . The fact that her recipes are consistently clear and straightforward enabled me to overcome a lifetime of insecurity in the kitchen. She just made it all seem so easy . . . Grazie, Marcella.” —DAVID SIPRESS, The New Yorker

“If you could credit one person with introducing classic Italian food to the American public, it would have to be Marcella Hazan.” —Serious Eats

About the Author

MARCELLA HAZAN was born in Cesenatico, a fishing village on the Adriatic in Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s foremost gastronomic region. After receiving her doctorates from the University of Ferrara in natural sciences and in biology, she lived and traveled throughout Italy. With the publication of The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking (brought together in a single volume, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking), her reputation as America’s premier teacher of Italian cooking spread throughout the country. Hazan died in 2013.

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Learn Italian Foods

S.B.M. · September 25, 2025

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is a must-have for anyone who loves authentic Italian food. The recipes are clear, approachable, and timeless, making it easy to create traditional dishes with amazing flavor at home.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of Classic Italian Cooking

N. · October 16, 2009

I have many years of experience in the kitchen cooking all different types of food--French, Greek, Mexican, American, Italian. But every time I make something from this book, I remain convinced that Italian is my absolute favorite food on earth. It is the cuisine I would choose if I had to forego all others, and this is the Italian cookbook in my collection I would choose to keep if I could keep only one.In this Bible of Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan painstakingly pours out her love and knowledge of authentic Italian food. Hazan reveals the secrets and imparts the wisdom of centuries, not just generations. She is a brilliant woman who does an exceptional job showing you how to cook one of the world's finest cuisines. If you are new to Italian cooking, this is where you should begin. And possibly end.Ingredient lists for the recipes are often short and at first glance may seem unimpressive. You may say to yourself, "what can be so special about that?" But special it is! It is Hazan's expertise, the precise way that she tells you to put the ingredients together, that turns out a fabulous dish that you will want to make again and again.I was happy to learn that good Italian cooking doesn't necessarily require that you make a huge mess of your kitchen and spend hours slaving over a hot stove. Many of the recipes in this book take no longer than half an hour to prepare. And some, while needing several hours on the stove or in the oven to finish, allow you to leave the kitchen while they do.I have made about 50 of the recipes in this book. Sausage with Red Cabbage, Sausages and Cream Sauce, and Lamb Stew with Vinegar and Green Beans are among my favorites. The Chicken Cacciatore New Version is ridiculously good and Marcella is too modest about it. Not a bit of refined sugar is added, all sweetness occurs naturally from carmelized onions.I love to make Hazan's sauces and stews. I used to sauté onions only one way: Quickly over high heat. I now know to cook them very slowly in oil over low heat for a long time until they are sweet and golden and have released every ounce of flavor they have. Had it not been for Marcella, I think I never would have done anything with a clove of garlic but to push it through a press. I now chop, slice, and poach garlic as well as sauté the clove whole to release its subtle perfume. And if you were like me, your idea of a stew may be something made in a crock pot or something that comes out of a can. Forget those ideas. Hazan takes stew to places it's never been before. Get out your saucepan, not your slow cooker, and follow Hazan's instructions. You will soon have the most wonderful fragrances and aromas wafting from your kitchen that you have probably never even smelled before or thought possible. And that is to say nothing of the meal you sit down at the table later to savor. And if you have never rubbed a split clove of raw garlic on toast, drizzled it with a little olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper, you are in for a real treat. But be forewarned: Bruschetta is addictive!I admit to never having made homemade pasta. Regrettably, I have never had either the time or the kitchen equipment necessary to do it. But I suspect Hazan's method is the Holy Grail of pasta-making, and if ever I have the opportunity in my life to take on this challenge, it will be Marcella who teaches me how. On the issue of pasta, however, this book will easily serve as your definitive guide to it. Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about pasta is here. The pasta chapter contains an extensive section devoted to matching all types of pasta, both dry and fresh, to sauces. And for each pasta sauce recipe, Marcella gives you at least two pasta choices, in order of her preference, to go with it.But this book won't just make you an expert on pasta. Soups, risotto, gnocchi, crespelle, polenta, and fritatte all have their own chapters and all receive Marcella's dedicated and thorough treatment. There are also separate chapters for appetizers, soups, vegetables, salads, desserts, and specialized breads and doughs. The final chapter of the book helps you to put menus together.Other reviewers who have said that the recipes are repetitive or uninteresting either don't have a real love of Italian food to begin with or they haven't spent much time looking through the book. I went searching for every favorite dish of mine thinking, oh, I bet I won't find it--I found it! While it is true there is no recipe for spaghetti and meatballs (because that dish isn't authentically Italian) there are recipes for meatballs, spaghetti carbonara, eggplant parmesan, chicken marsala, fettucini all'fredo, pasta e fagiole, minestrone, lasagna, clam sauce, steak florentine and all manner of filled pasta. And, yes, even pizza! I was pleasantly surprised to find that nearly every standard on the Olive Garden menu is here, the only difference being that in this book one can count on the dish to be correct.One of the greatest things about reading Hazan is not just the meal you end up preparing; it is the knowledge and the perspective that you take away with you, even when the meal you are making is not an Italian one and even if you didn't make it. Yes, Marcella can be fussy. But she can also be charitable. She has no problem offering acceptable substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients and she happily gives credit where it is due to that which is found outside of her native Italy. She seems to always anticipate every problem you could run into making a dish, as well as every opportunity to make the most of it. And she is always well worth listening to, even if you end up at times disagreeing with her. Because the chances are she will offer you much more advice that you wish to retain and use than you wish to reject. If all you want is a recipe, you don't need to buy this book. There are endless websites on the internet where you can find free recipes. But if you want to learn to cook well--and especially to cook Italian food the way it was meant to be cooked--then you can do no better than Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

5.0 out of 5 stars You NEED this cookbook!

r.i.t. · October 14, 2025

A fantastic cookbook with wonderful recipes and plenty of instructions on how to do it in a classical Italian style.

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, Essential, Essential

J. · August 6, 2025

The first chapter on Fundamentals provides great advice for any kind of cooking. She is a classic for a reason.

4.0 out of 5 stars Cook book

N.t.p.I.r.t.l.n.l.t.p.T.R.O.O.p.f.p.a.y.d.n.g.w.y.s.i.t.p. · September 2, 2025

This was a Birthday Gift 🎁 for my son, he is now into Italian cooking and thought this would help him out a great deal. Which he says is turning out to be a wonderful read with a few recipes to boot…

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential First Book on Italian Cooking. Highly Recommended

B.M. · October 18, 2004

`Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking' is Marcella Hazan's fourth book, composed of an edited and updated amalgam of her first two books, both of which were on `classic Italian cooking'. As with all of Ms. Hazan's books except for her latest, `Marcella Says', my main regret is that I have not read them sooner. All, especially this volume, are every bit as good as the blurbs may lead you to believe.Some reviewers have compared this book to `The Joy of Cooking'. It is much more accurate to compare it to Julia Child's seminal `Mastering the Art of French Cooking' on several counts. First, like Child's book, Hazan's book is devoted exclusively to the techniques, ingredients, and recipes of a single major national cuisine. Second, unlike `The Joy of Cooking', it does not cover absolutely every kitchen technique and issue such as hygiene, nutrition, preserving, and obscure game meats. Third, the book is published and edited by the same people, Knopf and senior editor Judith Jones. This common publishing team means the two books have a very similar look. Both are illustrated by line drawings and both benefit from Knopf's traditional skill in designing the typeface and layout of books in general for easy reading. Fourth, Ms. Hazan arrived at cooking in almost exactly the same manner as Julia Child, in that they found themselves married to men who likes to eat well, and they did not know how to cook at the time.The 64-dollar question of course is whether this book is equal in quality to Child's book. I think there is little shame in saying that while Hazan's book stands head and shoulders over virtually every other book I have read and reviewed on Italian cuisine, it does not quite match Child et al on the latters' innovations in recipe writing, the great good humor of the writing, and the comprehensive treatment of virtually every aspect of French kitchen equipment and the `cuisine bourgeois' techniques.This book by Dr. Hazan (she has a Ph.D. in natural sciences and biology) is the exception which proves Tony Bourdain's observation in his excellent new cookbook which claims that cooking professionals are mostly just ordinary blokes who happen to have learned a skill which you the reader do not yet have. This applies as much to most cookbook authors as it does to most chefs. The thing that separates most good cookbook authors (witness Jamie Oliver) from their readers is their passion for the importance of good ingredients, careful observation of technique, and love of achieving a desirable result. Ms. Hazan is one of the very, very few writers who approach their subject as much with the rigor of an academic as with the passion of a good cook. Ms. Hazan's academic voice is much more anthropological and phenomenological than it is scientific a la Shirley Corriher.Ms. Hazan succeeds in distilling for us the essence of Italian savory cuisine based on the notions of battuto (an Italian trinity of lard, parsley, and onion, chopped fine), soffritto (battuto sautéed until onion is translucent and garlic is pale gold), and insaporire (the technique of preparing ingredient such as the battuto and additions to extract flavor from the primary ingredients and impart that flavor to other ingredients, as when the flavors of the soffritto are imparted to the rice in making a risotto). After introducing these essential concepts, she gives us a very detailed tour of the most important ingredients in Italian cooking. To the casual American reader who may not have been schooled by `Molto Mario', there are some surprises, such as the fact that garlic is not as important an ingredient as you may believe. Another culture shock is the difference between the French stock and the Italian broth, and Ms. Hazan's insistence that using the former is simply not Italian cooking, thank you. That is not to say that there are not at least some things in common between French and Italian cooking. The most prominent is Bechamel sauce (Salsa Balsamella), made in exactly the same manner in Rome as it is in Paris. I am reluctant to steal any thunder from Ms. Hazan, but I must pass on to you her excellent suggestion for cutting your own scallopine from the top round, so that you can be sure of getting it cut against the grain.If there is any dissonance in Ms. Hazan's presentation, it is in her paean to the regionality of Italian cooking, where, for example, the cuisines of Bologna and Florence, just 60 miles apart, is almost as different from one another as the cuisines of Venice and Naples, which are over 400 miles apart. The geographical origin of most (but not all) recipes is given in the headnotes, yet the general discussion of Italian technique makes no notice of this great geographical variety.Like Child's book (taking volumes I and II together) and unlike virtually every other book on Italian cooking, this volume deals with so much more than the usual 6 chapters in that it has large, separate chapters on Soups, Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi, Crespelle (Italian for crepes), Polenta, Frittate, Fish and Shellfish, Fowl and Rabbit, Veal, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Variety Meats, Vegetables (very large chapter), Salads, Desserts, Breads, and typical Italian menus. Also like Child's books and unlike her later books, this volume does deal almost exclusively with traditional dishes. I cannot guarantee that the book is complete, as it is missing any reference to Puttanesca or saltimbocca, two certifiable classics of regional Italian cuisine. But, completeness is not the objective here. The main objective is to teach you how to cook like an Italian.This book does not replace the dozens of good books on Italian regional cooking and it does not replace good books on Italian specialities, such as Carol Field's book on Italian baking. But, it should be the very first book you buy on Italian cooking to better understand what it is these other books are saying.

5.0 out of 5 stars You can learn so much even as just being a home cook.

E.H. · July 24, 2025

I am not even a chef. I am a home cook. Southern by birth many moons ago. We were taught to cook.So bought it after seeing her documentary. Fascinating woman. Recipes are very simple to follow. However it’s the in between information that I never knew. Everything from how and why you dress a salad properly. To the removal of bitterness in onions, or dirt or grit can be in a zucchini naturally. How to remove it without damaging the skin. I love simple common sense facts. She does exactly that. She may be one of the best Italian cooks ever. But she sure teaches us in a very simple manner. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand this book.

A staple in italian cooling

a. · October 14, 2015

Great book. Very different from the contemporary kookbooks with The illustrated steps and mouthwatering pictures. But if you have a little bit of imagination and a blind faith in Hazan then this should not stop you

Un vero tesoro!

C.A. · January 30, 2025

Bellissimo libro con tantissime ricette di cucina italiana, inoltre c'è la conversione del peso in grammi il che non guasta!

Doskonałe źródło wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni

Y. · September 7, 2023

Nic dodać, nic ująć, bardzo fajnie opisana i napisana książka, z masą inspiracji i wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni.

Best Italian cookery book there is.

M. · August 22, 2025

This is the best Italian cookery bible. So easy to read with step by step instructions throughout. The recipes I used came out magnificent! I bought 3 copies to give away to family.

Fabulous

S. · November 13, 2024

Fabulous book with wonderful food. Really informative and educational.

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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook

Product ID: U0593534328
Condition: New

4.7

AED15942

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Type: Hardcover
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Visit the Knopf Store

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook

Product ID: U0593534328
Condition: New

4.7

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook-0
Type: Hardcover

AED15942

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United States

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

Description:

One of the most beloved cookbooks of all time, from “the Queen of Italian Cooking” (Chicago Tribune). A timeless collection of classic Italian recipes—from Basil Bruschetta to the only tomato sauce you’ll ever need (the secret ingredient: butter)—beautifully illustrated and featuring new forewords by Lidia Bastianich and Victor Hazan

“If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” —Nigella Lawson

Marcella Hazan introduced Americans to a whole new world of Italian food. In this, her magnum opus, she gives us a manual for cooks of every level of expertise—from beginners to accomplished professionals.

In these pages, home cooks will discover:

• Minestrone alla Romagnola
• Tortelli Stuffed with Parsley and Ricotta
• Risotto with Clams
• Squid and Potatoes, Genoa Style
• Chicken Cacciatora
• Ossobuco in Bianco
• Meatballs and Tomatoes
• Artichoke Torta
• Crisp-Fried Zucchini blossoms
• Sunchoke and Spinach Salad
• Chestnuts Boiled in Red Wine, Romagna Style
• Polenta Shortcake with Raisins, Dried Figs, and Pine Nuts
• Zabaglione
• And much more

This is the go-to Italian cookbook for students, newlyweds, and master chefs, alike. Beautifully illustrated with line drawings throughout, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking brings together nearly five hundred of the most delicious recipes from the Italian repertoire in one indispensable volume.

As the generations of readers who have turned to it over the years know (and as their spattered and worn copies can attest), there is no more passionate and inspiring guide to the cuisine of Italy.
Read more

Editorial Reviews

Review

A BON APPETIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“Hazan’s recipes, both specific and sensual, became the foun- dation for my own style of cooking, which I sometimes call ‘Obsessive-Impulsive.’ I also credit her with starting my obses- sion with bay leaves.” —SAMIN NOSRAT, The New York Times Magazine

“The cookbook author who changed the way Americans cook Italian food.” —The New York Times

“If you know nothing about Italian cooking, this is the book you want. (It’s also the book you want if you know something about Italian cooking and want to know more.) Written with fluidity, personality, charm, and grace, it is filled with recipes both fundamental and special, recipes you will use, as I have since beginning to cook with its predecessors in the ’80s, for decades to come. As a bonus, the new forewords are beautiful.” —MARK BITTMAN, author of How to Cook Everything

“The Italian cookbook you’d take to a desert island. The presentation is a model of clarity. The descriptions of technique and the recipes are impeccable, interesting, and appealing.” —The Washington Post

“If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” —NIGELLA LAWSON, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat

"It should be a staple of every kitchen." —Vogue

“You can’t go wrong with a Marcella Hazan recipe.” —Food52

“Marcella Hazan is way more than just another cookbook author to me. So many of the recipes in this iconic collection—the pork in milk, the Bolognese, the famous tomato, onion, and butter sauce—have graced my table for huge celebratory occasions and also just regular old Sunday dinners, and I don’t see that ever changing. She’s like family, the Italian grandmother I never had, standing next to me while I brown my meat and stir my sauces, telling me what to do and how to do it with her trademark precision, loving authority, and warmth. I can’t wait to give this edition to my own children . . . and everyone else I know.” —JENNY ROSENSTRACH, New York Times best-selling author of Dinner: A Love Story

“Part encyclopedia, part regional cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking . . . is an indispensable introduction to the principles of Italian cooking.” —Saveur

“Marcella changed my life . . . All I had to do was follow her instructions to the letter, and success was pretty much guaranteed . . . The fact that her recipes are consistently clear and straightforward enabled me to overcome a lifetime of insecurity in the kitchen. She just made it all seem so easy . . . Grazie, Marcella.” —DAVID SIPRESS, The New Yorker

“If you could credit one person with introducing classic Italian food to the American public, it would have to be Marcella Hazan.” —Serious Eats

About the Author

MARCELLA HAZAN was born in Cesenatico, a fishing village on the Adriatic in Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s foremost gastronomic region. After receiving her doctorates from the University of Ferrara in natural sciences and in biology, she lived and traveled throughout Italy. With the publication of The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking (brought together in a single volume, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking), her reputation as America’s premier teacher of Italian cooking spread throughout the country. Hazan died in 2013.

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Learn Italian Foods

S.B.M. · September 25, 2025

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is a must-have for anyone who loves authentic Italian food. The recipes are clear, approachable, and timeless, making it easy to create traditional dishes with amazing flavor at home.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of Classic Italian Cooking

N. · October 16, 2009

I have many years of experience in the kitchen cooking all different types of food--French, Greek, Mexican, American, Italian. But every time I make something from this book, I remain convinced that Italian is my absolute favorite food on earth. It is the cuisine I would choose if I had to forego all others, and this is the Italian cookbook in my collection I would choose to keep if I could keep only one.In this Bible of Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan painstakingly pours out her love and knowledge of authentic Italian food. Hazan reveals the secrets and imparts the wisdom of centuries, not just generations. She is a brilliant woman who does an exceptional job showing you how to cook one of the world's finest cuisines. If you are new to Italian cooking, this is where you should begin. And possibly end.Ingredient lists for the recipes are often short and at first glance may seem unimpressive. You may say to yourself, "what can be so special about that?" But special it is! It is Hazan's expertise, the precise way that she tells you to put the ingredients together, that turns out a fabulous dish that you will want to make again and again.I was happy to learn that good Italian cooking doesn't necessarily require that you make a huge mess of your kitchen and spend hours slaving over a hot stove. Many of the recipes in this book take no longer than half an hour to prepare. And some, while needing several hours on the stove or in the oven to finish, allow you to leave the kitchen while they do.I have made about 50 of the recipes in this book. Sausage with Red Cabbage, Sausages and Cream Sauce, and Lamb Stew with Vinegar and Green Beans are among my favorites. The Chicken Cacciatore New Version is ridiculously good and Marcella is too modest about it. Not a bit of refined sugar is added, all sweetness occurs naturally from carmelized onions.I love to make Hazan's sauces and stews. I used to sauté onions only one way: Quickly over high heat. I now know to cook them very slowly in oil over low heat for a long time until they are sweet and golden and have released every ounce of flavor they have. Had it not been for Marcella, I think I never would have done anything with a clove of garlic but to push it through a press. I now chop, slice, and poach garlic as well as sauté the clove whole to release its subtle perfume. And if you were like me, your idea of a stew may be something made in a crock pot or something that comes out of a can. Forget those ideas. Hazan takes stew to places it's never been before. Get out your saucepan, not your slow cooker, and follow Hazan's instructions. You will soon have the most wonderful fragrances and aromas wafting from your kitchen that you have probably never even smelled before or thought possible. And that is to say nothing of the meal you sit down at the table later to savor. And if you have never rubbed a split clove of raw garlic on toast, drizzled it with a little olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper, you are in for a real treat. But be forewarned: Bruschetta is addictive!I admit to never having made homemade pasta. Regrettably, I have never had either the time or the kitchen equipment necessary to do it. But I suspect Hazan's method is the Holy Grail of pasta-making, and if ever I have the opportunity in my life to take on this challenge, it will be Marcella who teaches me how. On the issue of pasta, however, this book will easily serve as your definitive guide to it. Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about pasta is here. The pasta chapter contains an extensive section devoted to matching all types of pasta, both dry and fresh, to sauces. And for each pasta sauce recipe, Marcella gives you at least two pasta choices, in order of her preference, to go with it.But this book won't just make you an expert on pasta. Soups, risotto, gnocchi, crespelle, polenta, and fritatte all have their own chapters and all receive Marcella's dedicated and thorough treatment. There are also separate chapters for appetizers, soups, vegetables, salads, desserts, and specialized breads and doughs. The final chapter of the book helps you to put menus together.Other reviewers who have said that the recipes are repetitive or uninteresting either don't have a real love of Italian food to begin with or they haven't spent much time looking through the book. I went searching for every favorite dish of mine thinking, oh, I bet I won't find it--I found it! While it is true there is no recipe for spaghetti and meatballs (because that dish isn't authentically Italian) there are recipes for meatballs, spaghetti carbonara, eggplant parmesan, chicken marsala, fettucini all'fredo, pasta e fagiole, minestrone, lasagna, clam sauce, steak florentine and all manner of filled pasta. And, yes, even pizza! I was pleasantly surprised to find that nearly every standard on the Olive Garden menu is here, the only difference being that in this book one can count on the dish to be correct.One of the greatest things about reading Hazan is not just the meal you end up preparing; it is the knowledge and the perspective that you take away with you, even when the meal you are making is not an Italian one and even if you didn't make it. Yes, Marcella can be fussy. But she can also be charitable. She has no problem offering acceptable substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients and she happily gives credit where it is due to that which is found outside of her native Italy. She seems to always anticipate every problem you could run into making a dish, as well as every opportunity to make the most of it. And she is always well worth listening to, even if you end up at times disagreeing with her. Because the chances are she will offer you much more advice that you wish to retain and use than you wish to reject. If all you want is a recipe, you don't need to buy this book. There are endless websites on the internet where you can find free recipes. But if you want to learn to cook well--and especially to cook Italian food the way it was meant to be cooked--then you can do no better than Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

5.0 out of 5 stars You NEED this cookbook!

r.i.t. · October 14, 2025

A fantastic cookbook with wonderful recipes and plenty of instructions on how to do it in a classical Italian style.

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, Essential, Essential

J. · August 6, 2025

The first chapter on Fundamentals provides great advice for any kind of cooking. She is a classic for a reason.

4.0 out of 5 stars Cook book

N.t.p.I.r.t.l.n.l.t.p.T.R.O.O.p.f.p.a.y.d.n.g.w.y.s.i.t.p. · September 2, 2025

This was a Birthday Gift 🎁 for my son, he is now into Italian cooking and thought this would help him out a great deal. Which he says is turning out to be a wonderful read with a few recipes to boot…

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential First Book on Italian Cooking. Highly Recommended

B.M. · October 18, 2004

`Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking' is Marcella Hazan's fourth book, composed of an edited and updated amalgam of her first two books, both of which were on `classic Italian cooking'. As with all of Ms. Hazan's books except for her latest, `Marcella Says', my main regret is that I have not read them sooner. All, especially this volume, are every bit as good as the blurbs may lead you to believe.Some reviewers have compared this book to `The Joy of Cooking'. It is much more accurate to compare it to Julia Child's seminal `Mastering the Art of French Cooking' on several counts. First, like Child's book, Hazan's book is devoted exclusively to the techniques, ingredients, and recipes of a single major national cuisine. Second, unlike `The Joy of Cooking', it does not cover absolutely every kitchen technique and issue such as hygiene, nutrition, preserving, and obscure game meats. Third, the book is published and edited by the same people, Knopf and senior editor Judith Jones. This common publishing team means the two books have a very similar look. Both are illustrated by line drawings and both benefit from Knopf's traditional skill in designing the typeface and layout of books in general for easy reading. Fourth, Ms. Hazan arrived at cooking in almost exactly the same manner as Julia Child, in that they found themselves married to men who likes to eat well, and they did not know how to cook at the time.The 64-dollar question of course is whether this book is equal in quality to Child's book. I think there is little shame in saying that while Hazan's book stands head and shoulders over virtually every other book I have read and reviewed on Italian cuisine, it does not quite match Child et al on the latters' innovations in recipe writing, the great good humor of the writing, and the comprehensive treatment of virtually every aspect of French kitchen equipment and the `cuisine bourgeois' techniques.This book by Dr. Hazan (she has a Ph.D. in natural sciences and biology) is the exception which proves Tony Bourdain's observation in his excellent new cookbook which claims that cooking professionals are mostly just ordinary blokes who happen to have learned a skill which you the reader do not yet have. This applies as much to most cookbook authors as it does to most chefs. The thing that separates most good cookbook authors (witness Jamie Oliver) from their readers is their passion for the importance of good ingredients, careful observation of technique, and love of achieving a desirable result. Ms. Hazan is one of the very, very few writers who approach their subject as much with the rigor of an academic as with the passion of a good cook. Ms. Hazan's academic voice is much more anthropological and phenomenological than it is scientific a la Shirley Corriher.Ms. Hazan succeeds in distilling for us the essence of Italian savory cuisine based on the notions of battuto (an Italian trinity of lard, parsley, and onion, chopped fine), soffritto (battuto sautéed until onion is translucent and garlic is pale gold), and insaporire (the technique of preparing ingredient such as the battuto and additions to extract flavor from the primary ingredients and impart that flavor to other ingredients, as when the flavors of the soffritto are imparted to the rice in making a risotto). After introducing these essential concepts, she gives us a very detailed tour of the most important ingredients in Italian cooking. To the casual American reader who may not have been schooled by `Molto Mario', there are some surprises, such as the fact that garlic is not as important an ingredient as you may believe. Another culture shock is the difference between the French stock and the Italian broth, and Ms. Hazan's insistence that using the former is simply not Italian cooking, thank you. That is not to say that there are not at least some things in common between French and Italian cooking. The most prominent is Bechamel sauce (Salsa Balsamella), made in exactly the same manner in Rome as it is in Paris. I am reluctant to steal any thunder from Ms. Hazan, but I must pass on to you her excellent suggestion for cutting your own scallopine from the top round, so that you can be sure of getting it cut against the grain.If there is any dissonance in Ms. Hazan's presentation, it is in her paean to the regionality of Italian cooking, where, for example, the cuisines of Bologna and Florence, just 60 miles apart, is almost as different from one another as the cuisines of Venice and Naples, which are over 400 miles apart. The geographical origin of most (but not all) recipes is given in the headnotes, yet the general discussion of Italian technique makes no notice of this great geographical variety.Like Child's book (taking volumes I and II together) and unlike virtually every other book on Italian cooking, this volume deals with so much more than the usual 6 chapters in that it has large, separate chapters on Soups, Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi, Crespelle (Italian for crepes), Polenta, Frittate, Fish and Shellfish, Fowl and Rabbit, Veal, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Variety Meats, Vegetables (very large chapter), Salads, Desserts, Breads, and typical Italian menus. Also like Child's books and unlike her later books, this volume does deal almost exclusively with traditional dishes. I cannot guarantee that the book is complete, as it is missing any reference to Puttanesca or saltimbocca, two certifiable classics of regional Italian cuisine. But, completeness is not the objective here. The main objective is to teach you how to cook like an Italian.This book does not replace the dozens of good books on Italian regional cooking and it does not replace good books on Italian specialities, such as Carol Field's book on Italian baking. But, it should be the very first book you buy on Italian cooking to better understand what it is these other books are saying.

5.0 out of 5 stars You can learn so much even as just being a home cook.

E.H. · July 24, 2025

I am not even a chef. I am a home cook. Southern by birth many moons ago. We were taught to cook.So bought it after seeing her documentary. Fascinating woman. Recipes are very simple to follow. However it’s the in between information that I never knew. Everything from how and why you dress a salad properly. To the removal of bitterness in onions, or dirt or grit can be in a zucchini naturally. How to remove it without damaging the skin. I love simple common sense facts. She does exactly that. She may be one of the best Italian cooks ever. But she sure teaches us in a very simple manner. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand this book.

A staple in italian cooling

a. · October 14, 2015

Great book. Very different from the contemporary kookbooks with The illustrated steps and mouthwatering pictures. But if you have a little bit of imagination and a blind faith in Hazan then this should not stop you

Un vero tesoro!

C.A. · January 30, 2025

Bellissimo libro con tantissime ricette di cucina italiana, inoltre c'è la conversione del peso in grammi il che non guasta!

Doskonałe źródło wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni

Y. · September 7, 2023

Nic dodać, nic ująć, bardzo fajnie opisana i napisana książka, z masą inspiracji i wiedzy o tradycyjnej włoskiej kuchni.

Best Italian cookery book there is.

M. · August 22, 2025

This is the best Italian cookery bible. So easy to read with step by step instructions throughout. The recipes I used came out magnificent! I bought 3 copies to give away to family.

Fabulous

S. · November 13, 2024

Fabulous book with wonderful food. Really informative and educational.

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