The Mozza Cookbook

September 15, 2011

Experienced home cooks can use this book to re-create their favorite Italian dishes from Silverton's popular Los Angeles restaurant. The recipes have been adapted for home kitchens, and Silverton clearly explains when and why significant changes were made. Expect lengthy, detailed directions; some recipes contain three pages of instructions! Most dishes include wine parings, and the dessert chapter is especially inventive. Recommended for epicures who enjoy restaurant cookbooks and readers looking to plan a complete Italian meal.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Beloved by Angelenos, Silverton's side-by-side eateries, Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza, set high standards for Italian cuisine in Southern California. Silverton's sophisticated take on Italian cooking emphasizes freshness of ingredients as well as careful adherence to modern Italian kitchen techniques. Truffle salt, fennel pollen, artisanal balsamic vinegar, wild boar, and nettles are just a few of the more exotic ingredients that make Silverton's cooking unique in the area. Pasta dishes are few but classic. She pays exquisite attention to vegetable side dishes, such as roasted red beets, kale, lentils, and radicchio. Home chefs may find re-creating the popular grilled octopus daunting, but the baked meatballs offer more moderate challenge. Lengthy instructions for pizza dough help the cook duplicate at least the flavor of the original and disclose a surprising ingredient: rye flour. Reproducing Mozza's rich cannoli requires mastering some intimidating kitchen techniques. Simpler biscotti offer real dessert satisfaction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)