Marc Vetri, an award chef, 3rd cookbook is called Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto. I was really excited to see this book come out and that I was going to get to review it (Thanks to Blogging for Books). The first couple of chapters, Marc discusses the tradition as well as the innovation of pasta through the years. The 2nd chapter dives into a hot topic these days and that is Wheat Flour and Gluten that is in different types of flours. Fresh Pasta is the title of the 3rd chapter, where he explains the ingredients used in pasta as well as cooking techniques from cutting to boiling to saucing. In this third chapter, he starts sharing some of his recipes, which are all centered around Egg Yolk Dough. From there, his next seven chapters talk about other types of pasta from Stuffed pasta to risotto. He end the books with a chapter on stocks, sauces, and basic need to knows.
This book is full of beautiful pictures of pasta along with the hands that made it as well as picturesque scenes from Italy. Like I said early, I was eager to get my hands on this book. Being married to Italian and having making homemade pasta (Cavatelli) part of our lives, I was curious to see if the Marc included the type of pasta that’s been passed down through Rob’s grandmother’s family. Cavatelli was a recipe that Marc shared, however, it is quite different from the recipe that we use. I am anxious to try a few of the recipes, but I’m afraid that many of Marc’s recipes use ingredients that would either be hard to find or too expensive (i.e. octopus, lamb, pig foot). The Tomato Risotto (p. 227) and the Garganelli Alla Carbonara (p. 37) look amazing and I would like to try those one weekend. I think for the average person, this book is over the top and would be only suited for those with advanced cooking skills as well as those who are used to complicated ingredients.
I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.