The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia Author:Carla Capalbo This is an authoritative, yet easy-to-read, guide to the ingredients of Italian cooking and how to use them in the kitchen. The book opens with a fascinating introduction to the background of Italian cooking. The full-color, illustrated reference guide contains information about all the common and less well-known Italian ingredients. — Each secti... more »on includes facts about how and where the ingredient is made or grown, its history and culinary uses, and essential information on buying and storing, along with detailed cooking and preparation instructions and basic recipes. The recipe section contains over 300 recipes presented in an illustrated step-by-step format.« less