This classic cookbook written by the late Marcella Hazan is often mentioned as one of the best italian cookbooks ever written, praised by chefs and celebrity cooks. It is a 700+ page hardcover tome, doesn't have colour photos but has some nice illustrations and quite detailed instructions. Recipes list ingredients in both metric and imperial measurements, and are very achievable for the home cook.
See booko prices for Australian edition and UK edition - second cheapest price is above $40. It's an awesome price at $12.99 delivered.
Marcella Hazan is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian cookery writers in the world and The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is her masterpiece, now reissued with a gorgeous new cover design. Aimed at cooks of every level, be they beginners of accomplished chefs, it is an accessible and comprehensive guide to authentic Italian cuisine and should find a place in the kitchen library of anyone who is passionate about good food.
'Has yet to be bettered … my copy is splattered with gnocchi, tomato sauce, gravy and oil, but I wouldn't replace it for the world. It does what it says on the tin, and more.' Kate Colquhoun, ‘The Best 50 Cookbooks’, Independent
‘Brilliant’ Heston Blumenthal
‘There are dozens of Italian cookbooks on the market, but The Essentials Of Classic Italian Cooking is the only one you need to buy. No glossy photos; just 700 pages of wonderful recipes and instruction in basics such as bread-making. And all with the kind of detailed teaching left out of books that give more space to pictures than to text. A classic.’ Guardian
‘Truly indispensable’ – Nigel Slater
'If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.' - Nigella Lawson
See reviews on Amazon UK and Amazon US
I have the Silver Spoon which has turned out to be rather underwhelming, and recipes don't seem that accurate. According to reviews, Marcella's recipes are much more dependable.
Update 7 March 2016 4:22pm: Sold out online, see rep comment about calling your local store to check for stock.
Awesome book and a great price! Thanks moocher, perfect gift.