The Pasta Queen: The Art of Italian Cooking

Bestseller Munno (The Pasta Queen) dives into family-focused Mediterranean cuisine in this exuberant and inspirational volume. The recipes are drawn from multiple regions and organized by course. For Aperitivi, a peach bellini and inventive lemon-basil cocktail get the party started. In the Antipasti section, Munno instructs home cooks on how to construct a vibrant snack board of olives, salami, gorgonzola, and focaccia. First-course plates (Primi) include Milanese risotto, seafood linguine, and potato gnocchi, alongside a guide to making fresh pasta. The section on Secondi features lemon-sauced chicken scallopine and stuffed peppers. Vegetables star in the Contorni course, which features sautéed broccoli rabe and artichokes alla Romana, and for dessert (Dolci), there’s “melt in your mouth” lemon ricotta cake. A brief final chapter on Italian street food consists mainly of paninis and feels oddly out of place, but Munno infuses every recipe with a sense of fun through personal anecdotes and the mantra “food is love.” She encourages home cooks to view these recipes as “but a canvas” for one’s “culinary artistry,” inviting personalization while still offering enough guidance to help novices feel comfortable. This is a must for anyone looking to put together an authentic Italian meal. (Nov.)