Gennaro's Fast Cook Italian - (Gennaro's Italian Cooking) by Gennaro Contaldo (Hardcover)

About the Book

Learn from the best as Gennaro Contaldo shares his no-fuss, fail-safe recipes to create home-cooked Italian meals in minutes. Full of enticing, authentic and, most of all, quick-to-prepare recipes, Gennaro Contaldo's latest cookbook demonstrates how to whip up a delicious Italian feast in 40 minutes or less. From lightning-fast risottos to perfectly pronto pastas, speedy soups, and delightful desserts, these recipes showcase the very best Italy has to offer, while requiring very little time in the kitchen.

Book Synopsis

Learn from the best as Gennaro Contaldo shares his no-fuss, fail-safe recipes to create home-cooked Italian meals in minutes.

Full of enticing, authentic and, most of all, quick-to-prepare recipes, Gennaro Contaldo's latest cookbook demonstrates how to whip up a delicious Italian feast in 40 minutes or less. From lightning-fast risottos to perfectly pronto pastas, speedy soups, and delightful desserts, these recipes showcase the very best Italy has to offer, while requiring very little time in the kitchen.

Featuring food from all the major regions of Italy, these quick recipes really make the most of the amazing fresh produce for which Italy is renowned. The result is delicious, nutritious food that can be on the table in minutes--perfect for busy families or for easy entertaining. Beginning with a handy guide to keeping your Italian pantry full of the best ingredients to whizz up a speedy supper, the book is split into sections covering Soups, Salads, Pasta, Rice, Meat, Fish, Vegetables, Sauces and Desserts ensuring that you have a wealth of recipes at your fingertips. From lemon-infused steam-baked mackerel to classic pasta recipes and quick chocolate raspberry pots you can impress friends and family with a stunning menu in minutes.

With gorgeous food photography and bursting, as ever, with Gennaro's passion for food and life, lovers of Italian food can't fail to be seduced and inspired. Buon appetito!

Review Quotes

"'[An] excellent cookbook. Contaldo, one of PBS's Two Greedy Italians, offers nearly 100 bold-flavored recipes, such as gnocchi with Gorgonzola and pear; chicken saltimbocca with prosciutto, fontina, and sage; and stir-fried calamari with olives. There are also several clever twists on Italian classics: Contaldo replaces pancetta with smoked salmon in spaghetti carbonara, incorporates the ingredients of a caprese salad into a hot risotto, and stuffs artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes into breaded pork steaks. The recipes feel fresh and inspired, whether they are small plates and appetizers (prosciutto with caramelized plums; thyme-infused fava bean soup with smoked pancetta), main courses (bresaola stuffed with goat cheese and chives; pan-fried veal with leeks and blood oranges), or desserts (chocolate raspberry pots; strawberry tiramisu). With its straightforward instructions, cooking time estimates, and time-saving suggestions (such as to keep prepared stores of ingredients like tomato sauce and chopped vegetables on hand), this is a superb book that home cooks with busy schedules will turn to time and again.

"Italian chef Contaldo (Panetteria), known for his association with fellow chef Jamie Oliver, focuses on how home cooks can prepare meals for an average week night. Featuring recipes that are organized by main ingredient, the varied chapters offer preparations for sauces, pastas, risotto, fish, meat, and even a short recipe on vegetables. Cook times are given for each recipe, and range from just a few to 30 40 minutes, with the longer-timed dishes clustered in the risotto chapter. Brief commentary combines with serving suggestions or thoughts on ingredients. The useful index and colorful, bright photos further make this a delightful text to browse. VERDICT Home cooks will be inspired by the quick, easy-to-prepare meals. Readers interested in better appreciating day-to-day Italian cuisine will savor, as will fans of Jamie Oliver's Food Tube channel.

"The man cooks like an angel and no ordinary angel."--Matthew Norman

"TV host and author Contaldo (Panetteria, 2017; Passione, 2017), whose claim to fame is being Jamie Oliver's Italian-cooking mentor, steadily debunks the idea that his native cooking is a long, slow boil. Intended to go from prep to table in 40 or fewer minutes (with the exclusion of major chopping, slicing, and dicing), these 90 plus recipes offer both old-time and contemporary flavors: smoked salmon carbonara, pork involtini, filled soft amaretti. Nothing's unhealthy or fussy; Contaldo begins by listing pantry essentials (dried porcini and frozen fava beans might raise an eyebrow as requirements), then launches directly into the dishes. Color photographs illustrate one or several items, and good to his word, every dish features cooking time. Among the more innovative fare: zucchini carpaccio with pecorino, mint, and pomegranate, creamy mascarpone and spinach pasta, tiramisu cake.

"What a fantastic book - delicious Italian food, fast."--Jamie Oliver

"With each recipe, Contaldo brings joy and dazzlement."

About the Author

Gennaro Contaldo is widely known as the Italian legend who taught Jamie Oliver all he knows about Italian cooking, as well as a renowned personality in his own right. Born in Minori on the Amalfi Coast, Gennaro's quintessentially Italian spirit and positive nature has made him a TV favorite. He regularly appears on Saturday Kitchen and more recently his own TV series, "Two Greedy Italians" on PBS. Gennaro is currently involved in the Jamie Oliver restaurant chain, Jamie's Italian, where he creates dishes and trains chefs nationwide and abroad. He is the author of many cookbooks, including the highly-acclaimed Panetteria: Genarro's Italian Bakery, and Passion: Simple, Seductive Recipes for Lovers of Italian Food. He has his own YouTube food channel and is an ambassador for Citalia and Bertolli. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.