The Italian Cookbooks You Need In Your Kitchen

A multi-award winning cookbook, including the 2011 Judges Choice Cookbook Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Cooking with Italian Grandmothers is the brainchild of Jessica Theroux, an American chef. Jessica traveled around Italy for a year researching this gem by interviewing and cooking with 12 Italian grandmas. The cookbook is brimming with a variety of regional, authentic recipes along with wonderful insights and charming stories. One highlight is the Involtini di Milano, which are succulent, slow-braised meatballs from Milan. At 296 pages, Jessica’s book also features 150 colorful photographs.

Introducing Americans to traditional Italian cuisine and cooking methods, the late, great Marcella Hazan was a master of Italian cooking. A culinary bible, the Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, which is a combination of her two other cookbooks along with new recipes, is a must-have for any food lover. It is especially essential for those looking to create authentic fare found in Italy. With both simple and more complex recipes, the selection is varied with something for everyone from beginner to professional cooks. More than recipes, this cookbook also features a history of the cuisine, popular ingredients, and much more.

Extra Virgin: Recipes and Love from our Tuscan Kitchen is a wonderful cookbook by Gabriele Corcos, a native of Italy, and Debi Mazar, his wife and actress. Starring in a television show of the same name, Gabriele and Debi love sharing their contemporary Tuscan recipes with the world. The cookbook features 120 recipes that are easy to prepare and is complete with gorgeous photos. It contains everything from traditional antipasti to creative entrees to vegetables to luscious desserts and much more. Highlights from the book include grilled apricots with goat cheese ricotta and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and spaghetti puttanesca.

An Emmy award-winning television host and best-selling cookbook author, Lidia Bastianich is also a restaurateur with several restaurants. Plus, she is co-owner of the famed Eataly — a NYC marketplace specializing in artisanal Italian food and wine. With numerous cookbooks under her belt, Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen is a popular one as it is the companion to her PBS show. From antipasti to soup to pasta and more, the recipes will appeal to many foodies, including meat eaters and vegetarians. Some tasty recipes found in the book include the hearty bean and pasta soups, which are Lidia’s specialty, and fusilli with mussels, saffron, and zucchini.

Released in March 2015, Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto is award-winning chef Marc Vetri’s first cookbook on the ever-popular pasta of the handmade variety. He spent more than a decade conducting research before writing the cookbook, which contains more than 100 detailed recipes. From handmade pasta to stuffed pastas to sauces and more, the dishes will turn anyone into a cook no matter their experience level. For something flavorful, be sure to check out the recipe for fresh pappardelle with rabbit ragù and peaches.

Located in London, POLPO is a celebrated bacaro, a Venetian word for a restaurant that serves simple food and great wines. Specializing in Venetian small plates, this venue’s owner, Russell Norman, released the eponymous POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts). In it he shares a host — 120 to be exact — of delectable recipes that people can enjoy anywhere in the world, anytime of the day. Not only will cooks be graced with recipes, such as asparagus with parmesan and anchovy butter and panacotta with poached rhubarb, but also beautiful photography.

A must-have cookbook for anyone who has an affinity for Italian cuisine is Two Greedy Italians. Written by Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo, both of who moved from Italy to the UK, this cookbook accompanies the television show on BBC of the same name. With a passion for authentic Italian fare, the two men traveled back to their homeland in order to share their traditional cuisine plus modern recipes with their viewers. The cookbook, complete with colorful photos, contains more than 100 recipes. Favorites include ‘Involtini di Zucchini’ or roasted courgette/zucchini balls and beef carpaccio with fennel and pecorino.

A bowl of pasta is one of the quickest dishes to make and is perfect when there is not a lot of time to make something more elaborate. Whether the kitchen is stocked with dry or fresh pasta, there will need to be some type of delicious sauce, so The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces is a must-have cookbook for any pasta lover. Written by Diane Seed, this well-loved book — it’s been translated into 12 languages — features 100 authentic recipes that will delight any foodie. It also gives readers proper cooking methods and skills to create the perfect pasta at home.