Books/Cooking

The Babbo Cookbook

I began watching Mario Batali's show, Molto Mario on the Food Network before we took our trip to Europe a few years ago. After visiting Italy for the first time, I enjoyed the show even more. Batali blends his love for Italian food with his love of the Italian people and teaches you a bit about its culture, as well.

While the recipes from his show are more on the traditional side, there are several dishes from this cookbook that I want to try. These dishes were created for his restaurant, Babbo, and follow his plan of taking traditional dishes and adding one special or unique ingredient to make something special.

Batali also hosts another show on the Food network, Mario Eats Italy, where he travels through the country, introduces you to the traditional methods of Italy and then cooks dishes based around a central theme. In one show he visited a company making Parmaggiano-Reggiano Cheese while in another he visited Modena and its famous Balsamic Vinegar makers.

We have relatives coming in from Sicily this week, so it will be interesting to get their take on "Mario" and maybe cook up some meals to remind them of home.