Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen

Authors Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman's original cookbook, Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen, is a delightful collaboration between friends and business partners. Luongo, a native of Tuscany, and Strausman, a die-hard New Yorker, bring their own styles of traditional Italian and Italian-American cooking to the masses.Each chapter starts out with a little good-natured banter between the authors as they discuss their memories and views of each part of the meal.  

Recipes include American favorites, like Fettucine Carbonara and Sausage and Peppers, as well as Italian classics like Chicken Scarpariello, Braised Whole Veal Shanks with Rigatoni and Tuscan Seafood Saute.

PROS:

• Each recipe starts out with an overview and introduction by one of the authors, introducing the reader to the history of the dish, as well as the ingredients and techniques. 
• Many of the basic recipes give several ways to serve the dish like Pan-Fried Meatballs followed by Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Meatball Sandwiches. 
• The Pantry chapter is a handy read for novice cooks. Includes enough basic, intermediate and advanced recipes to please all skill levels.

CONS:

• If you need a photograph for every dish, then this cookbook is not for you--although there are many full-page, color photographs included.

CHAPTERS:

• Introduction
• Stand-Alone Soups
• The Great Meatball Debate
• Dried Pasta and the Unification of the Two Meatballs
• Fresh Pasta Like Mama Used to Make: Essential Techniques and Well-Matched Sauces
• Risotto and Farotto
• Two Meatballs Go Fishing
• Meat and Poultry: Rustic Oven Cooking
• Cucina al Fresco: Grilling Italian-Style
• The Twenty-First Region of Italy: Italian-American Cooking
• Sunday Means Dinner
• The Two Meatballs Go Veggie
• Dessert at Last

BONUS SECTIONS:

• The Pantry
• Resources

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Date Published: 2007
Number of Recipes:  148
Authors: Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman

Publisher: Artisan (a division of Workman Publishing Co., Inc.)

ISBN: 978-1-57945-345-3

Amazon Consumer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars