Mike Isabella's Crazy Good Italian Food: Big Flavors, Small Plates

Top Chef Isabella's grandmother%E2%80%94he grew up cooking with her in New Jersey%E2%80%94was the inspiration behind his restaurant Graffiato in Washington, D.C., which serves small plate, "non-traditional" Mediterranean food. And in his first book, Isabella incorporates those recipes he grew up making with the food he serves at Graffiato. He describes his dishes as "recipes that make the ordinary extraordinary and incorporate ingredients and flavors that give everyday home cooking that special twist.... big, bold flavors on small plates." Isabella covers the whole food spectrum with gorgeous photos and 12 original and inventive chapter headings like "The Shell Game," "Gone Hogging," and "Lamb, lamb, goat." Dishes are simple but also exciting. The chapter "Bites and Snacks" from the Isabella household includes recipes for spicy popcorn made with parmigiano cheese and red chili flakes While the chapter "Jersey Shore Style: Everything Fried" presents soft-shell crab with polenta crust and corn. "Not Your Sunday Macaroni" is all about making fresh pasta and experimenting with different sauces such as black spaghetti with clams, pancetta, and red chili (made with squid ink pasta dough. In the end, Isabella revs up the classics with a distinctive spin. (Dec.)