Italian, My Way

March 7, 2011
Waxman shares brasserie-style dishes inspired by his West Village restaurant, Barbuto. Careful not to fall into the ubiquitous, overly simplified style of cooking that currently crowds bookstore shelves, Waxman ups the ante, jazzing up a burrata and tomato salad with lavender blossom, and tossing crabmeat with jalapeño and mint before adding it to angel hair pasta. Judging by his reverence for fresh, seasonal ingredients and patience, above all, it's obvious his early career alongside Alice Waters at Chez Panisse has stayed close to Waxman's heart. While readers will find perennial standards like spaghetti alla carbonara, minestrone, pork chops alla milanese, and tiramisu, they'll be able to supplement these basics with unique, bold ideas like blood oranges with shaved raw fennel and black olives, or cast-iron seared whole lobster. Moreover, Waxman's lively narratives of his travels around the Tuscan countryside and precise instructions will entice even novices to try their hand at some of the more arduous and ambitious techniques. Organized by course, this excellent volume offers plenty of family-friendly dishes as well as artful vegetarian options and more grandiose ventures like Christmas goose.

March 15, 2011

California meets Italy in this fresh, accessible take on America's favorite ethnic cuisines.

Waxman (A Great American Cook, 2007), chef-owner of the Manhattan restaurant Barbuto, offers recipes that rely not on shortcuts but on maximizing flavor using a limited number of ingredients. There has been no shortage of Italian cookbooks by star chefs, but Waxman focuses on seasonal ingredients and straightforward recipes broken down by course. Traditional offerings like pizza and pasta are here, but the author's California roots appear in dishes like "Raw Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pecorino and Toasted Walnuts," a delightful blend of tartness and crunch. Waxman usually avoids hard-to-find ingredients, but he occasionally suggests a pricier alternative to the supermarket brand—no doubt the Brussels sprouts would taste even better with a Napa Valley or Ligurian olive oil, as Waxman recommends. Fortunately, the author provides an index with a list of relevant websites for rarer ingredients. The index also includes a helpful glossary of terms and a list of equipment that every "simple" kitchen should have, although home cooks may question the necessity of items like a Japanese mandolin or a French fish knife. Waxman contextualizes each dish by offering background notes that include the recipe's origins or cooking tips.

Simple yet not simplistic—a welcome introduction for home cooks to the seasonal flavors of Italian cuisine.

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