Half-Baked Gourmet: Family Suppers Book

Just made the shrimp and bass risotto with saffron and feel every bit as alive and happy as if I were in the Veneto watching the gondolas float down the canal. Joe Famularo's book is so evocative of each region in Italy with menus to match the specialties and flavors of each, throwing in a bit of folklore and anecdotes on the side, to give each menu an authentic Italian flavor, that it is like traveling there, almost as good. His knowledge of Italian cuisine is impressive but he is also, like the best cookbook writers, an exuberant guide as he invites you to discover the subtleties of true Italian cooking and captivates you with his writing, like Nigella Lawson. It's varied and exciting. You feel like he is your host and his menus are truly simple and organized beautifully around each region.