Italian Pure & Simple: Robust & Rustic Home Cooking for Every Day

Wright (Grill Italian; Lasagne) offers 150 recipes that enable home cooks with other lives and jobs to prepare hearty meals in often less than half an hour. First insisting on the use of fresh ingredients, Wright employs helpful sidebars to explains how crucial components of a dish (e.g., basil, pine nuts, peppers) are best utilized and whether they can be preserved. Most of the recipes are pasta-based, and can serve as substantial and diverse piatti unicie, or one-platter meals, for those who cook with one eye on the clock. Spaghetti with Spinach, Raisins and Pine Nuts can be made quickly and served after tossing from a bowl; with saffron added, it can be piled into a baking dish, covered with bread crumbs and popped briefly into a hot oven for a varied presentation. Wright brings to the table diverse meat dishes that are not heavy (Mezze Ziti with Pancetta, Prosciutto, Pistachios, and Peas; Linguine with Grilled Pork Chops and Oregano Flower Buds), and such seafood recipes as Broiled Shark with Pesto Trapanese, a mix of basil, almonds, tomatoes and olives. Chapters on Antipasti, Soups, Rice, and Vegetable Side Dishes explain how the family cook can add an extra dimension to round out a meal. In an introductory note about seeking out fresh ingredients, Wright argues that even his mother who lives in a ""gastronomically challenged"" region of Florida can find pine nuts and pancetta at her local Winn-Dixie. (Feb.)