Lidia's a Pot, a Pan, and a Bowl

May 1, 2021

As the title implies, James Beard Award-winning Bastianich's Lidia's a Pot, a Pan, and a Bowl will get you cooking Italian with just a few ingredients and a few utensils (skillet lasagna, anyone?). Baking with Dorie--the dream of every fan of five-time James Beard award winner Greenspan--offers more than 150 recipes that include twisty classics like a s'mores ice cream cake (60,000-copy first printing). Even if you're new to Mexican food (really?), you'll want to investigate Pati Jinich Treasures of the Mexican Table; Epicurious and Bon App�tit have named her one of the "100 Greatest Cooks of All-Time" (40,000-copy first printing). A three-Michelin-star chef with millions of social media and television fans and over 34 restaurants worldwide, Ramsay shows you how to do Dinner in 10--no more than ten minutes to prep and ten minutes to cook. During the pandemic, Ray broadcast her cooking show not from her New York City television studio but from her home kitchen in upstate New York; This Must Be the Place plays off her shelter-in-place experience with 125 homey recipes and personal essays on coping.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 19, 2021
“In many ways, making a one-or-two-pot meal is cooking at its basic level, but also at its most diverse,” writes TV host and restaurateur Bastianich (Felidia) of the premise behind her excellent latest collection. The Italian cooking doyenne proves this with a sweeping selection of simple yet delectable recipes, more than a few of which call for less than six ingredients. To skip an all-day affair in the kitchen, Bastianich gives specific pointers about which dishes can be done in an electric pressure cooker, such as her boiled beef salad and lentil and pasta soup. Lasagnas are made with bread or no-cook noodles to save time and to provide leftovers aplenty on busy weeknights, while an expansive offering of soups—such as her endlessly riffable minestrones for summer and winter—can be frozen to solve the perennial dilemma of “those last-minute, unplanned situations.” Lots of practical whys and wherefores are in recipe headnotes, including the 30-minute salting of salad-bound raw carrots and celery root (to keep them crisp), and how the roasting of vegetables and sausage adds depth to her later mixed seafood bake. Steered by Bastianich’s sure hand and heavy on flavor, this will make a solid addition to any cookbook shelf.

September 1, 2021
A classic Italian meal can be complex--antipasto, pasta, secondo, dolce--and that's not even including the accompanying drinks. In her latest cookbook, the reigning queen of Italian cooking in America, Bastianich (Felidia, 2019) supplies a centerpiece dish to a meal, but reduces the number of pots and pans to a minimum. This offers the busy cook an opportunity to put food on the table with less preparation and less cleanup effort. Soups include both a summer and winter version of minestrone, and the recipes often make enough to freeze and serve for future meals. Bastianich is a fan of the Instant Pot, and she delves into the currently fashionable technique of sheet-pan roasting of both chicken and pork. Seafood, both fin fish and shellfish, stars in salads, making a light dish much more satisfying. Pastas and meat dishes dominate, braises and stews particularly lending themselves to one-dish interpretations. Fans of chocolate chip cookies will delight in Bastianich's version calling for ricotta cheese in the dough. Color photographs make recipes even more enticing.

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October 1, 2021

In this cookbook's dedication, TV chef Bastianich (host of the program Lidia's Kitchen; author of the cookbooks Celebrate Like an Italian and Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine) writes, "I nurture, give, share, and express love through cooking, preparing, and ultimately sharing food." That's what this collection is about--love in the form of food that can be made in one pot, one pan, or one bowl. A good bowl of soup can be a warm hug for the soul, Bastianich claims, and she features several recipes that fit this description. Other chapters include eggs (beyond scrambled), meat, fish, salads, and desserts. Some of the recipes are classics (including two versions of minestrone), while others are new idea (shaved artichoke, spinach, and mortadella salad). These all sound like they could make a restaurant's worth of dishes, but the introduction sets home cooks on a simple path to flavorful meals. There are bright, enticing color photographs throughout. VERDICT Readers who are familiar with homestyle Italian cooking will be reminded of its simple joys, while those looking to make something attainable in their kitchen will enjoy the simplicity offered here. Note that this is the companion cookbook for the forthcoming TV series Lidia's Kitchen: Home Cooking.--Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.