Good Home Cooked Italian Food

These chilly days mean staying at home and cooking a good meal.Nothing beats these more than homemade Italian food.For those home chefs looking fpr recipes, look no further than a brand new cookbook from Good Housekeeping.It's a great collection of some really good Italian dishes. This cookbook was, compiled by the food editors of the magazine(published by Hearst).This is even a great gift for beginner chefs, because of the simplicity of some of the dishes.That's not to say they're unsophisticated.There is a wonderfully complex risotto Milanese along with a ricotta gnocchi with fresh herbs and butter.Since it's also Good Hpusekeeping, there are many family friendly recipes too, including pecorino chicken fingers along with a crispy spaghetti casserole .One of the sections that I like the most, is the introduction to ingredients.There are explanations and definitions about everything from what olives oils to use as well as a comprehensive guide to Italian cheeses, spices and pastas.This is invaluable to any home chef and handy when stocking both your kitchen and spice rack. The cookbook is divided into different sections from pastas and pizzas to the various kind of meat and fish dishes.There's a great section on desserts too.Some are traditional such as home made pizza dough along with linguine with red clam sauce.There are twists everyone will love such as the unusual pizza toppings like cheese and salad or asparagus bacon pizzettes( mini pizzas) along with zucchini and ham ribbons and balsamic roasted pork with a berry salad ,redolent with strawberries and blackberries.For those lovers who adore hard core trattoria fare there are recipes for Bolognese sauce along with a Northern style lasagna that relies heavy on béchamel sauce.Polenta also figures heavily and it's paired with everything from eggs to sausage to even Brussels sprouts.Desserts could come straight out of a trattoria too,with the crowd favorite tiramisu along with the cool sophisticated granitas. This is the season for hearty homemade meals.Whip up a sausage rich pasta or healthy veggie and meat dish ,followed by a traditional dessert.Good Housekeeping's Family Italian Cookbook can help with creating that perfect meal.