Top 3 Italian Cook Books

The more I rant and rave about cooking pasta, the more Italian cook books friends and family seem to buy me.

While I love receiving and trying them all, I've found that 3 books stand head and shoulders above the rest. So to broaden your skills beyond pasta and learn more about scrummy Italian 'cibo' (food), I recommend you try these:

If you only buy one Italian cook book your whole life, make it this. (And hey, if you then never use this 1200-page monster, you have a helluva doorstop!)

The Silver Spoon has been educating Italian cooks for decades, but was only recently translated into English. Covering every type of Italian dish – from pasta and meat to risottos, fish meals, antipasti and desserts, it’s cleanly presented and its instructions are concise and straight to the point.

More than that, it’s a book to grow with, as some recipes are simple, while others can be tackled when you’re a little more accomplished. Whatever your level, you’ll always have tons of dishes to go at.

Recommended recipes:
- Lamb meatballs with aubergine (pg 748)
- Veal meatloaf (pg 831)

(About The Book Depository: It’s an online bookstore I discovered recently. They ship books to anywhere in the world for FREE and their prices are very competitive with Amazon’s. Well worth a look!)

Love him or loath him, there’s no disputing that Mr. Oliver cooks up some tasty tucker. And who wouldn’t be jealous of the trip he took around Italy to find authentic recipes for this book?

Well his foodie jaunt obviously paid off as this book is packed to the brim with real winners. In addition to some glorious photographs and easy-to-follow instructions, each recipe also starts with an anecdote about the dish or person who taught it to him, which gives the book real Italian character.

Whether it’s Jamie describing the cute-as-a-button Sara and her moreish lemon cake, or why the Sicilians know a thing or two about making meatballs, this approach really does work a treat.

Recommended recipes:
- Sausages and green lentils with tomato salsa (pg 220)
- Tuna meatballs (pg 202)

This was the first Italian cookbook I got stuck into and it’s about as authentic as it gets.

Arguably not as beginner-friendly as the 2 books above, I can report that its pizza dough recipe (which involves leaving your dough to rise for 8 hours) is quite a find. It takes practice of course, but I managed to impress a bunch of Neopolitan pizza lovers with it, so kudos where kudos is due – it works!

I'm sure these 3 books will help develop your Italian cooking skills, and they should also guarantee that you don't run out of tasty recipes to try for many years to come.

Pastastic - The Recipe Book is my first ever Pasta Recipes Made Easy digital cookbook.

Available to buy today for just $10.95, this downloadable book runs to over 120 pages and is jam-packed with lip-smacking Italian dishes in easy-to-print format (many of which you won't find anywhere on this site).

Pastastic also comes with a bundle of exclusive extras including: 4 FREE bonus recipe books, my new Lasagna 101 quick-guide and 2 series of downloadable videos!

“Pastastic is easy easy easy! The recipes are a delight and taste delicious. Their simplicity and the wide variety is ideal for anyone who loves to cook something tasty, healthy and cheap.
"This really is a must-have for your recipe book collection and one you will refer to time and time again.”

- Elena Pirrera