sturlington's Reviews
24 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 24Sort by: Title 
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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
By Marcella Hazan
Knopf - 1992
Aio e Oio -- Roman Garlic and Oil Sauce : page 170
I like to make this if I want a light supper, perhaps with a salad or some steamed broccoli or spinach on the side. This version is not much different than other versions I have made, but it's hard to improve upon a classic.
useful (1)
Basic Bruschetta : page 73
This is an excellent guide to how to make the quintessential Italian garlic bread and the only bruschetta recipe you need.
useful (0)
Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce : page 173
I make broccoli with pasta quite a lot. This recipe was different in that the garlic was replaced by anchovies. A more subtle flavor, which I thought was very yummy. I had some slow-roasted tomatoes, which I threw in.
useful (0)
Carbonara Sauce : page 202
Carbonara is one of my go-to meals, so I was curious how this recipe compared to the one I usually make. It was very light on the eggs. I halved the recipe to make the dish for 3 people, which meant I used only one egg for a little over 1/2 pound of pasta. It tasted fiine, but I think I prefer my recipe, which calls for 3 eggs.
I really like the way she has you cook the bacon, by first sauteeing whole garlic cloves in oil and adding a little wine at the end. It tasted good. She doesn't specify whether to pour off the fat, but I ended up pouring off most of it before adding to the pasta because I didn't want the pasta to be greasy.
useful (1)
Cream and Butter Sauce : page 193
This is lick your bowl good. I made it for ravioli and it was the perfect sauce. I was able to cut down the cream by about 1/2 and still got a thick and lovely sauce.
useful (2)
I didn't have the right kind of beans for this and had to use dried beans that I had previously cooked. The resulting mixture was a little dry, unfortunately. It is probably better with fresh cranberry beans.
useful (0)
This was a very simple and satisfying way to make chicken. I loved the easy pan sauce.
useful (1)
Frittata with Cheese : page 279
A frittata is an easy, satisfying meal. I usually make one every week or so. This is the best and easiest recipe for making frittatas that I have found. While the frittata with cheese is the basic blueprint, many variations are given, but I usually make it with whatever cheese and vegetables I have on hand. I like the way this frittata puffs up so nicely under the broiler.
useful (4)
Gratinéed Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi : page 264
This is a very rich dish. A little goes a long way, but absolutely delicious.
useful (0)
Gratineed Asparagus with Parmesan : page 467
This is a lovely dish. I don't bother to boil the asparagus first because I like it a little crunchy. While this is perfectly satisfying on its own, the variation with a fried egg on top is oh so yummy.
useful (1)
Italian Potato Salad : page 560
A really simple recipe, with only 5 ingredients: potatoes, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Perhaps it's too simple? I tend to like a little more in my potato salads.
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This mixed salad is a favorite for family dinners.
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Marinated Carrot Sticks : page 56
These carrot sticks were delicious. I didn't let them marinate as long as suggested, so I was surprised at how much flavor that crushed clove of garlic imparted to the carrot. Definitely would make this again and again.
useful (1)
I thought these were delicious--beautifully fluffy mashed potatoes with a strong flavor of Parmesan. They go great with Italian sausages.
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I thought this soup was very yummy, but I probably won't make it often because of the long cooking time. It says the Parmesan rind is optional, but it really makes the soup so much more flavorful, I would say it's required; I just throw mine into a ziploc in the freezer when the cheese is used up, so I always have them handy. I omitted the zucchini, which seems a little out of place in what is clearly a winter soup.
useful (0)
Pan-Roasted Diced Potatoes : page 520
A nice method, although I am able to get a good crispy crust and tender inside with a single fry by dicing the potatoes small and not stirring them too much.
useful (1)
Panzanella--Bread Salad : page 554
Panzanella has always been one of my favorite salads, but I have to wait until the tomatoes are dead ripe and juicy, like now! This was a new method for me of soaking the bread cubes in tomato juice that worked very well.
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This was a tasty dish, deceptively hearty. Hazan suggests spaghetti, but I prefer a chunkier pasta like penne.
useful (1)
Peas, Bacon and Ricotta Sauce : page 163
I have made versions of this sauce before and was not wild about them. But this version was delicious. Maybe it was all the bacon fat mixed with the peas or maybe this is just the right way to make this sauce. I won't use any other recipes but this one from now on.
useful (2)
Pesto by the Food Processor Method : page 176
Very similar to my pesto recipe, but with a couple of good tips. I like the method of adding some soft butter to the finished pesto and of using some of the pasta cooking water to loosen it before tossing the pesto with the pasta.
useful (1)
Shredded Savoy Cabbage Salad : page 550
This is a bit of a strange recipe that I should try to make again. I didn't allow enough time and I don't think it developed the flavor that it should have.
useful (0)
Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi : page 262
I have never had a lot of luck making gnocchi, so I was pleasantly surprised at how easy these were to make and how well they turned out. I served them gratineed, but I think they would also be delicious in a rich broth. My husband says: make again!
useful (0)
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter : page 152
My husband declared this one of the best pasta sauces he'd ever tasted. And it was superbly simple to make, even easier than my go-to weeknight tomato sauce. What I would do differently next time: use diced tomatoes instead of whole that I crushed for a more consistent texture. This sauce has a light, subtle flavor that tastes best on hearty but bland filled pastas, like potato gnocchi and cheese ravioli but is also very good on spaghetti.
useful (0)
This is a great basic tomato sauce, very good with pureed tomatoes from the garden, and quick enough for a weeknight. Because of the sauteed vegetables, though, it seems a little heartier than most quick tomato sauces.
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