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Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is actually an amalgam of two books written by Hazan. Both books were so popular, that Essentials was created--here she refines the earlier recipes, adds some new ones, and ends up with one mighty tome of all things Italian.
Hazan describes Essentials
in the Preface as a kitchen handbook for beginners to highly
experienced cooks on the techniques and dishes of Italian cooking. She
goes on, however, in the Introduction, to describe how diverse "Italian" cooking can be. And honestly, the first 51 pages of
the book are an absolute LOVE STORY to Italy,
its regions, cuisines and ingredients. This book is steeped in true
love of food, not mere infatuation. Understanding that deep love
overcame our disappointment that there are no photographs in this book. Imagine comparing a text book on sex to a glossy magazine...get the picture? :)
From
Hazan, we learned that the cooking from Italy's various regions
varies immensely, with as many variances as Italy's own landscape,
from alps to plains to seas, from dairy zone to olive grove. The
Fundamentals chapter is magic: read it and you will understand the concepts of flavour
clearly, as if for the first time. Never again will onion and garlic go
into my pan at the same time. And we now know that butter can be used
when a more neutral flavour than olive oil is desired. The list of
Components is a handy resource on how to treat ingredients such as
anchovies, and how to buy balsamic vinegar.
Techniques and history lesson aside, however, our
general consensus on this book is that it is far more of a reference
guide and a history lesson, than it is a cook book that calls to you
from the shelf. In general the recipes tested were good-but there were only a few stand outs that any of use will include in our repertoire.
The recipes are a bit dated- most recipes tested were just too heavy for everyday and just not interesting or flavourful enough for a dinner party. We all felt weighed down by cooking this way consistently for 3 months.
Perhaps the recipes themselves fall victim to 'tradition'. Perhaps because there was a limited availability of ingredients available to cooks in Italy when these traditional recipes were evolving, so many repeat themselves
over and over, which contributed to our perception of overall dullness in the book. Tomatoes, potatoes, onions, celery, carrots,
porcini mushrooms, meat broth, and parmasean cheese seemed to be required in so
many recipes.
The recipes are a bit dated- most recipes tested were just too heavy for everyday and just not interesting or flavourful enough for a dinner party. We all felt weighed down by cooking this way consistently for 3 months.
This
cookbook is a treatise on classic Italian cooking. With that in mind,
it should be viewed as a bit of history lesson, a trip to the museum.
It's not an everyday cookbook!
FUNDAMENTALS
Basic
Homemade Meat Broth p15
Insisted that risotto could not be made with homemade
chicken stock.
It called for 5 pounds of meat, and only 2 pounds could
be made with bones, which seemed quite excessive and expensive for a
stock. Also didn’t call for bones to be
roasted, which would have “beefed” up the flavor. Made with about 6 pounds of bones (beef and
veal bones) which I roasted—I couldn’t justify buying that much meat for stock. Also noted that it didn’t call for cold water,
as stock recipes almost always do, as it produces a clearer stock.
It was good, but was not noticeably different than a beef
stock in my opinion.
Béchamel p39
Made as a step in the lasagna. Good, straight-forward recipe. No issues.SOUPS
Minestrone alla Romagnolo-Vegetable Soup, Romagna style p84
Blew the lid off my perception of what minestrone was-no tomatoes, no pasta. But it was a very good soup, that as she said was better the next day.
Spinach or Escarole Soup with Rice
p90
I like that she
gives options in her recipes. She uses red type to help keep the instructions
clear whether you are using spinach or escarole. I don’t know why I love this
soup so much. I’ve made it 4x since trying it. It ain’t going to win any beauty
contests, as after the first few minutes of cooking, the beautiful, bright
green spinach goes a muddy, unappealing brownish colour. But the taste is SO
good!
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Minestra Tricolore-Potato Soup with Carrots and Celery p95
It seemed so strange to me to only use 3 tablespoons each of onions, celery and carrot in this soup…especially when those ingredients feature in the title! I found the soup to be VERY fatty with both butter and vegetable oil in the base. My first reaction to this soup was that it was just “Meh”. It did improve the next day, but I won’t be making this again.
It seemed so strange to me to only use 3 tablespoons each of onions, celery and carrot in this soup…especially when those ingredients feature in the title! I found the soup to be VERY fatty with both butter and vegetable oil in the base. My first reaction to this soup was that it was just “Meh”. It did improve the next day, but I won’t be making this again.
Pasta e Fagioli-Pasta and Bean Soup pg 102
This, it turns out, is more what we have come to know as a minestrone. I love that Marcella gives you options on what type of bean to use (fresh, dried, canned). I had fully intended to make my own pasta to add to the soup as per her suggestion, but I just ran out of time. My people really liked it—even the next day once the pasta had soaked up all of the soup and it was more stew-like. Personally, I found it a bit ‘porky’ so wouldn’t use the pork chop again. Maybe a ham bone next time.
This, it turns out, is more what we have come to know as a minestrone. I love that Marcella gives you options on what type of bean to use (fresh, dried, canned). I had fully intended to make my own pasta to add to the soup as per her suggestion, but I just ran out of time. My people really liked it—even the next day once the pasta had soaked up all of the soup and it was more stew-like. Personally, I found it a bit ‘porky’ so wouldn’t use the pork chop again. Maybe a ham bone next time.
Chick Pea Soup (p112) and Version with Pasta (p114)
Pasta
Fresh
Pasta p128
Made the green pasta for the green lasagna. Thought the directions on pg. 133 were poor,
and had I never made fresh pasta before, I think I would have been lost. For example, it didn’t describe settings on
the machine, and I found that it started to rip beyond the 6th
setting. In the end, was good in the
lasagna, but were not attractive noodles.
I’ve had better success following recipes like in Gwyneth Paltrow’s
first cookbook or instructions provided in Fine Cooking magazine.
Tomato Sauce with onion and butter p152
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178/marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce.html
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178/marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce.html
Bonnie: I just had to make this because it
seemed so insanely simple and strange. I must admit, it was a fabulous tomato
sauce and has now become a staple in our home.
Kristi: Very good and incredibly easy! Agree that this sauce would be the perfect accompaniment to potato gnocchi. I found it difficult to resist additions such as garlic, basic, chili flakes, and a bay leaf. A lesson in simplicity.
Deb: This recipe is all over the internet and a Marcella basic. It is very easy to make and very tasty. I'd never have thought of using butter with tomatoes, but it works. It's amazing. I like that it can be frozen. One small glitch though. The recipe calls for 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes and 5 tablespoons of butter. By my reckoning, this is approximately 2/3 of a 28oz tin, so I halved again the recipe again and added 8 tablespoons butter with the full tin. Most of the internet versions of this recipe, however, recommend using a full 28 oz tin of tomatoes and the recommended 5 tablespoons of butter. In the interest of calories, I'll try this next time.
Sandra: love it! So did everyone. Easy and satisfying. It made a nice hostess gift at Christmas.
Kristi: Very good and incredibly easy! Agree that this sauce would be the perfect accompaniment to potato gnocchi. I found it difficult to resist additions such as garlic, basic, chili flakes, and a bay leaf. A lesson in simplicity.
Deb: This recipe is all over the internet and a Marcella basic. It is very easy to make and very tasty. I'd never have thought of using butter with tomatoes, but it works. It's amazing. I like that it can be frozen. One small glitch though. The recipe calls for 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes and 5 tablespoons of butter. By my reckoning, this is approximately 2/3 of a 28oz tin, so I halved again the recipe again and added 8 tablespoons butter with the full tin. Most of the internet versions of this recipe, however, recommend using a full 28 oz tin of tomatoes and the recommended 5 tablespoons of butter. In the interest of calories, I'll try this next time.
Sandra: love it! So did everyone. Easy and satisfying. It made a nice hostess gift at Christmas.
Butter and Rosemary Sauce p169
My
daughter picked this sauce for us to make one weeknight. It was easy
and surprisingly tasty. In the short cooking time, the butter is
wonderfully infused with the rosemary flavour, and the bouillon cube
adds a savoury depth to the taste. We served it over spaghetti, cooked
as recommended on page 126/7. From Marcella I have learned
when to add the salt to the pasta cooking water (after it has come to a
boil) and how much salt to add (1 1/2 tbsp per pound of pasta - much
more than I usually add). My pasta is the better for it.
Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce p173
I
wanted to love this sauce. I love all of the ingredients, and I was
excited to melt those anchovies and enjoy
their taste in the pasta dish. Sadly, however, the anchovies get
totally lost when tossed with the pasta. The method of the recipe
worked well but involved several steps: boiling the broccoli then
melting the anchovies in oil over a double boiler then cooking the
broccoli with the anchovy oil and finally tossing with cooked pasta. I
used 1 pound of pasta as earlier in the book Marcella advises 1 to 1 1/2
pounds dried pasta for 6 servings and this recipe called for six
servings. There was much too much pasta.
Hello Italian tuna casserole! This recipe was very easy and appealed to the entire family.
Low fat it's not; it was tough adding 1 tbsp butter to a sauce that already had 4 tbsp oil. But the result was flavourful and
comforting. It's simple, weeknight fare.
Butter and Sage Sauce p192
Used as an accompaniment to potato gnocchi. Incredibly simple and good, but not
memorable.
This
sauce is This Sauce is excellent. I mean, what's not to like: Gorgonzola, cream and
butter! The technique is very simple and it is quick to whip up. It
makes a lot of sauce though, much more than required for 1 1/4 pounds of
pasta. And for the calories, I'm not likely to make it often. I
omitted the cream once and it was just as good. The technique also
works for other soft
cheeses,
including flavoured cream cheeses.
Butter and Sage Sauce p192
Gorgonzola Sauce p194
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Carbonara Sauce p 202
Bonnie: Oh…My…Gud. Off the charts delish. Please avoid if
you have a cholesterol problem.
Sandra: My husband made it and loved it. I didn’t get a try. He ate the WHOLE thing.
Bolognese Meat Sauce p203
Bonnie: I managed to coerce my husband into
making this sauce…and it was fabulous. Again, it has now become the defacto
meat sauce recipe in our home. We did find the fact that there was no garlic in
the sauce a bit surprising…and sorry Mrs. Hazan…but we like our garlic so we
add it in now. Also surprising was the addition of milk and WHITE wine. But the
results speak for themselves.
Kristi: very good, but very time consuming. You need to be home for a full afternoon to make this. It was an interesting technique with adding milk (to tenderize) followed by the addition of white wine (would have thought that red wine would have been a better choice). I can’t say that I noticed that the meat was more tender from the milk, but it was good, if not a little flat. The second time, I added garlic and a bay leaf. I think I would have added chili flakes if made again. You must double the recipe if you’re going to commit to spending this much time on the sauce (about 4 hours), and this will still only yield about 2 Lts.
Kristi: very good, but very time consuming. You need to be home for a full afternoon to make this. It was an interesting technique with adding milk (to tenderize) followed by the addition of white wine (would have thought that red wine would have been a better choice). I can’t say that I noticed that the meat was more tender from the milk, but it was good, if not a little flat. The second time, I added garlic and a bay leaf. I think I would have added chili flakes if made again. You must double the recipe if you’re going to commit to spending this much time on the sauce (about 4 hours), and this will still only yield about 2 Lts.
Baked
Green Lasagna with Meat Sauce p215
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I do agree that lasagna must be made with fresh pasta as it is an entirely different dish than with ready-made pasta, and worth the effort. But I’ve had better success with other lasagna recipes that produced a more memorable dish.
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RISOTTO
Good. Incredibly
simple, and again, a lesson in simplicity.
But I am getting tired of this lesson.
Her risotto does not call for wine, or garlic, or fresh herbs or even
pepper. Think this recipe would have
been better with all of the above. And I
can’t say that I noticed a difference with the homemade meat broth than the
homemade chicken stock that I normally would have used.
GNOCCHI
Gnocchi p260
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I was very interested in attempting this as I’ve wanted
to learn how to make gnocchi for some time. I found her instructions to be lacking. For example, I found her description on teh type of potato needed confusing and she didn't give instructions for approximate times to cook a whole potato. I ended up watching YouTube videos on how to make this! I had to search high and low for an old fashion food mill, and after spending $60 on this gadget, I found it difficult to use. I wish that I had spent my money on a ricer instead as I think it would be been easier to use. I struggles to roll the dough as she described. She is also against using an egg in her dough, which I suspect would have made the dough easier to handle. In the end, they were quite bland little dumplings. For the amount of effort, I didn't think this was worth it. Given that it was my first time, I will try again, but I will use another cook's instructions and recipe.
Crespelle
Crespelle p267
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I thought these were terrific! I was very skeptical that the recipe did not
call for the batter to rest at all. But I
was surprised that the batter was so easy to work with. It created very good results, which were
somewhat egg-ier than a typical crepe. I
thought they were terrific for breakfast.
I also thought this was a great example of an economical
recipe. With two eggs and a cup of
flour, you could essentially feed a family of four. And a great way to use up leftovers with a
filling of your choice.
GNOCCHI
Gnocchi p260
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Crespelle
Crespelle p267
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Polenta
Baked Polenta with Bolognese Meat Sauce p277
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Well, I chose to make the polenta by her
old school method which includes 45 minutes of stirring. This along with the
focaccia and pizza making has significantly contributed to my muscle
development in my arms J This is a time consuming, difficult job…and polenta, at the end of
the day…is still just polenta. It’s really just a medium for whatever sauce you
serve on it. I must say, I liked using the cold and firm polenta as the
‘noodle’ in this lasagna like preparation. Here’s the bottom line though-you
could serve the Bolognese meat sauce on a bowl of tennis shoe laces and it
would be amazing. So do you really need to stir corn meal for 45 minutes? Nope.
Just boil up some plain old pasta and enjoy the sauce.
FRITTATE
For both recipes I tried, I used the “oven
method” and we were just not at all impressed. Overall, I would not go back to any of these recipes for a
fritatta. I just did not like the lack
of volume and the flavour was just not there.
Frittata with Cheese p279
Boring! And really
flat
Also really flat and way, way too much onion for our family
likes
We did not like the texture due to the onion
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FISH & SHELLFISH
Well, the biggest problem with this
recipe is that we cannot get Bluefish here. My fish monger had never even heard
of it. After doing an online search:
Bluefish are
widely distributed around the world in tropical and subtropical waters. They
are found in pelagic waters on much of the continental shelves along
eastern America (though not between south Florida and northern South America),
Africa, the Mediterranean and Black Seas (and during migration in between),
Southeast Asia, and Australia.
Not something we can access here in
Toronto, nor I suspect, in much of North America. I substituted halibut at the
fish monger’s advice. This recipe was so very easy, and so very delicious that
we have made it a few times since.
CHICKEN, SQUAB, DUCK & RABBIT
Really good – solid good. Cutting up the chicken was a really big chore. Maybe my knife is not sharp enough. I had to get my husband to do it. In future I will just buy chicken pieces.
Pan-Roasted
Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic and White Wine p329
Fine, but didn’t like cooking with this much fat. I did like how the rosemary flavor was subtly
infused, but was not overpowering.
BEEF
Meatballs with Tomatoes p399
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Kristi: Fine, but again did not like cooking with this much
fat. Found that the meatballs did not
hold together that well. One of my least
favourite meatball recipes, although I did find the break soaked in hot milk to
be an interesting technique. (But perhaps a waste of dishes.)
Sandra: Very authentic flavour – so simple.
LAMB
Easy to assemble and smells heavenly. Like other meat recipes, however, I would have liked a bit more advice about what cut to buy. "Spring lamb" means - bone in shoulder I now infer? The ingredient list does not specify, but in the instructions it speaks of meat falling off the bone. My lamb had no bone... The technique worked well - searing the lamb in oil and butter then allowing to braise in white wine, rosemary and garlic for hours. I would have liked a heads up on the fact that when the wine was added it would spatter like crazy. My husband was disappointed because this lamb is NOT rare. I thought it was a lovely roast.
PORK
Braised Pork Chops with Sage and Tomatoes, Modena Style p422
These pork chops were easy to prepare and we all enjoyed the taste.
Pork is not her specialty.
Sparerips with Tomatoes and Vegetables for Polenta p427
Gross-no browning of the ribs leads to a very bland flavour. Will never make again.
VARIETY MEATS
I
agreed to review the Variety Meats section of the book and this was my
first encounter. Sourcing the ingredients was the first challenge. I
assume fresh pig
means not smoked. If so, it's nigh on impossible to find here the
suggested parts raw. Oxtail itself is also no longer very popular, so
it's only delivered to Bruno's or Whitehouse Meats frozen and
irregularly. Having
procured the
oxtail, I went with smoked pork hock. The recipe was easy to compile,
although there's no advice on technique. For example, brown the oxtail.
And, well, it did not smell exactly delightful while simmering. I set
the dish aside for two days as Marcella said one could do. During that
time, I began her autobiography and read of the use of all parts of the
animal durin the war in Italy. I was more compelled to give the oxtail
a chance. It was a rustic and tasty dish but I don't think I'll make
it again.
VEGETABLES
Pan-Roasted Diced Potatoes p 520
I thought this was excellent, and I will use this method again to make hashbrowns. At this stage of the trial however, I anticipated that her recipes were too dull for my liking. So I added chorizo, a little spinach and fresh cherry tomatoes, with a little touch of grated parma cheese on top, and had excellent flavor. The chorizo was an especially necessary addition to this recipe, and I would have added a touch of smoked paprika if making again.
SALADS
La Grande Insalata Mista-Great Mixed Raw Salad p546
DESSERTS
FOCACCIA, PIZZA, BREAD & OTHER SPECIAL DOUGHS
Oh yeah. Heaven in a pan. There is
nothing better. I love how she bakes in a pan ON a pizza stone. This ensures a wonderfully
crusty bottom to the focaccia. The addition of the slowly cooked and sweet
onions is a masterful stroke. I did find that I baked it a few minutes less
than the directions so make sure to check on yours before the timer goes off.
CHICKEN, SQUAB, DUCK & RABBIT
This was really quick and easy to prep and
stick in the oven. The aroma of the
rosemary in the first 30 minutes of roasting was divine. Smelled very garlicy when carving the chicken
but in a good way.
The roast chicken was moist and tender. The jus, was beautiful in colour and taste.
Really good – solid good. Cutting up the chicken was a really big chore. Maybe my knife is not sharp enough. I had to get my husband to do it. In future I will just buy chicken pieces.
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BEEF
Pot Roast of Beef Braised in Red wine p393
So awesome!
Very good, but found the timing was little off.
“1 minute” was too way too short a time to cook it. We had to return it to the pan to cook it a
little longer to get medium rare.
Meatballs with Tomatoes p399
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Did not like the amount of oil for the meatballs. Would make this again and reduce the oil.
LAMB
Easy to assemble and smells heavenly. Like other meat recipes, however, I would have liked a bit more advice about what cut to buy. "Spring lamb" means - bone in shoulder I now infer? The ingredient list does not specify, but in the instructions it speaks of meat falling off the bone. My lamb had no bone... The technique worked well - searing the lamb in oil and butter then allowing to braise in white wine, rosemary and garlic for hours. I would have liked a heads up on the fact that when the wine was added it would spatter like crazy. My husband was disappointed because this lamb is NOT rare. I thought it was a lovely roast.
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PORK
Spareribs
with Tomatoes and Vegetables p427
Very dull. She
didn’t call for meat to be seasoned or seared before braising which I think
would have enhanced the dish. There are
many much better sparerib recipes out there.
Wouldn’t make again.Braised Pork Chops with Sage and Tomatoes, Modena Style p422
These pork chops were easy to prepare and we all enjoyed the taste.
Fine, but not for me.
Pork is not her specialty.
Sparerips with Tomatoes and Vegetables for Polenta p427
Gross-no browning of the ribs leads to a very bland flavour. Will never make again.
VARIETY MEATS
Oxtail, Vaccinara Style p446
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VEGETABLES
Asparagus and prosciutto bundles p468
It was the wrong time of year to be making this recipe as
the asparagus were way too skinny and I ended up overcooking them. Will give it a try again in spring.
Sautéed Green Beans with Parmesan Cheese p472
Nothing special – not a thing you need a recipe for.
Pan-Roasted Diced Potatoes p 520
I thought this was excellent, and I will use this method again to make hashbrowns. At this stage of the trial however, I anticipated that her recipes were too dull for my liking. So I added chorizo, a little spinach and fresh cherry tomatoes, with a little touch of grated parma cheese on top, and had excellent flavor. The chorizo was an especially necessary addition to this recipe, and I would have added a touch of smoked paprika if making again.
These
baked potatoes are a welcome change from the creamy, cheesy, scalloped
potatoes we often make. The recipe is easy to put together and the oven
does the work. My only advice would be to ensure you have baking
potatoes, as this recipe will not work with waxy potatoes. That's
experience talking.
This
recipe was simple to prepare with few ingredients. It was very tasty
in an earthy way. It was quite rich. I wasn't overwhelmed by it, but
everyone in my family asked that I make it again, so I guess I will. My
only negative comment would be that
like so many recipes in this book, it calls for salt but gives no
indication of how much should be used.
SALADS
Dressing the Salad Course p543
I
wanted a plain green salad to accompany the pasta with tuna sauce. I
think the proverb Marcella quotes as providing the formula for dressing
a salad is lovely and lyrical, but provides little real guidance other
than
- try it until
you've got it right. Salt, olive oil and vinegar. My first attempt
involved too much salt, but otherwise, darnit, this non-recipe actually
worked! I've been dressing my salad this way ever since!
Notwithstanding Marcella's recommendation, however, I do sometimes use
only balsamic vinegar rather than wine vinegar with a drop or two of
balsamic.
La Grande Insalata Mista-Great Mixed Raw Salad p546
Two full pages of instructions for a
green salad. I just had to try it. I loved her suggestion to soak the raw
onions in cold water-it really did mellow out the flavour. Skinning the tomato?
NOT my favourite part. And to my taste, not essential. Her dressing? Well,
there really wasn’t one. We salt the greens, then pour olive oil on top and a
dash of vinegar. A whole lot of work…for an ok salad.
Warm Cauliflower Salad (p560)
I
love this treatment of cauliflower, and make it all the time, but it
isn't much of a recipe. As with the salad, you are given the
ingredients - salt, olive oil and red wine vinegar, and told to "season
liberally" with all three. That said, without this recipe, I would
never
have put those ingredients on cauliflower, and the taste is lovely.
Cooking the cauliflower as recommended on page 482 also seems to keep
in the flavour of the cauliflower.
DESSERTS
Diplomatico-A Chocolate Dessert with Rum and Coffee p577
Ready made pound cake??? Really? I had
to try this one. And I was not disappointed. As Marcella mentions in the
introduction to this recipe “Is there any other dessert lik Diplomatico, I
wonder, that rewards such little effort with such gratifying results?” I will make this again in the summer, when
the idea of turning on your stove is just impossible to imagine.
Italian Chocolate Mousse p599
Meh! Really flat
and really boring. I opted for red Anjou pears--maybe they were not ripe enought? I didn't use the cloves either. I did use a springform pan and it worked great.
The recipe says to make “numerous” indentations in the top
of the batter, once it is in the pan.
You are supposed to put little bits of butter in each indentation. Would have it turned out better if I made
more indents? How much is “several”?
Italian Chocolate Mousse p599
Yum!!! The best part
was it yielded more than 6 servings. I
had 9 ample sized servings. It seemed a
little more complicated and way more bowls/dishes than I have had in the past
with other mousse recipes, but the pay off was there! For step no. 3, the recipe says to beat the
cream until it stiffens “with a whisk”.
Well, I pooped out early on that and switched to handheld electric
mixer. It was also difficult to
thoroughly combine melted chocolate with the yolk and sugar without the
chocolate clumping a bit. In the end it
seemed like it was supposed to have little bits of chocolate grating
throughout. (Right Bonnie?)
Next time I make this, I will consider putting the mousse in
glass goblets that can be placed on a plate with the macerated oranges (see
below) surrounding the goblet.
Macerated Orange Slices p605
Marcella says that these oranges bring a meal to “fragrant
close”. This was so easy. It
looked impressive – fresh, pretty. and healthy. Though it sure seemed like a lot of sugar (5 tablespoons) on
4-5 oranges.
Strawberry Gelato p610
Fun and easy. Tasty. My food processor died during this recipe, so the
strawberries were not “liquefied” as much as the recipe called for and in my
opinion, that was a good thing.
FOCACCIA, PIZZA, BREAD & OTHER SPECIAL DOUGHS
Focaccia with Onions, Genoese Style p618
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Variation, Focaccia with Fresh Rosemary p620
Love this one too…next time I make it,
I’ll do ½ with onions and ½ with rosemary.
Basic Pizza Dough p 623
One of the highlights for me in this book! The hand kneaded method was not difficult to
make and produced perfect pizza dough.
My new go-to pizza dough recipe!
I enjoyed the Margherita topping, however was surprised that the
tomatoes were prepared with no salt. But
then I realized she calls for salt to be added as you’re building the pizza—don’t
forget! Very good!
Basic Pizza Dough p 623
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A fairly complicated item-the dough is easy enough but strangely had an addition of milk in it? Not sure why as she doesn’t explain. I made mine with the “Conza di San Vito-Meat and Cheese Filling”. Sadly, after all that effort, we were all underwhelmed. My daughter summed it up best: “This is either a good meat pie with a bad crust, or a good pizza with bad toppings.”
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