Traditional Italian cuisine at its very best.

Italian regional cuisine is simple, unpretentious and hearty. You can find it in the Italian countryside, where fresh local ingredients are used to create a variety of vibrant dishes.

125 Best Italian Recipes has dishes from Lombardy to Tuscany to Calabria to Sicily, each distinctive in style and sharing a refreshingly straightforward quality that appeals to virtually every palate.

Some of the delicious recipes include:

• Minestrone Toscano; gnocchi di ricotta; spaghettini aglio olio e peperoncino (spaghettini with garlic, olive oil and chili)
• Risotto alla Milanese; la carbonnade (rich beef stew), saltimbocca (veal scallops with sage)
• Agnello e peperoni (lamb with peppers); quaglie arrosto con pancetta (quail roasted with pancetta)
• Polio con melanzane e pomodoro (chicken with eggplant and tomato); teglia di pesce al forno (baked swordfish); cozze gratinate (baked mussels)
• Spinaci saltati al limone (sautéed spinach with lemon); zucchine ripiene (stuffed zucchini)
• Panna cotta (cooked cream pudding); amaretti (almond biscuits); torta di noce (walnut cake).

These delightfully appetizing dishes are simple to prepare, most in about 30 minutes using everyday ingredients available at local supermarkets. This is the ideal book for any home chef who wants to experience the heart and soul of Italian cooking.

Kathleen Sloan-Mcintosh is a cookbook writer and recipe developer. She lives in Bayfield, Ontario, where she and her husband run the Black Dog Village Pub and Bistro.

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