I recently described chef Lidia Bastianich to a colleague as the “first lady of Italian cooking in the United States” — though a case could definitely be made for the late, legendary Marcella Hazan as well. Bastianich is well-known to American foodies through her numerous cookbooks, restaurants and, perhaps most importantly, her multiple television series on PBS.
As you might have guessed, cookbooks never fail to catch my eye, and when their focus is on Italian food, I’m always all in. Imagine my delight when I found this treasure devoted entirely to pasta. It’s right there in the title — “Lidia’s The Art of Pasta.”
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Lisa Brown is the administrative assistant at the Joplin Public Library.
Dining and Cooking