The ultimate master class--covering everything from ingredients to techniques to tools, plus more than 400 delectable recipes--from the Emmy-winning host of Lidia's Kitchen, best-selling author, and beloved ambassador for Italian culinary traditions in America Teaching has always been Lidia's passion, and in this magnificent book she gives us the full benefit of that passion and of her deep, comprehensive understanding of what it takes to create delicious Italian meals. With this book--coauthored with her daughter, Tanya--readers will learn all the techniques needed to master Italian cooking. Lidia introduces us to the full range of standard ingredients--meats and fish, vegetables and fruits, grains, spices and condiments--and how to buy, store, clean, and cook with them. The 400 recipes run the full gamut from classics like risotto alla milanese and Tagliatelle with Mushroom Sauce to Lidia's always-satisfying originals like Bread and Prune Gnocchi and Beet Ravioli in Poppy Seed Sauce. She gives us a comprehensive guide to the tools every kitchen should have to produce the best results. And she has even included a glossary of cuisine-related words and phrases that will prove indispensable for cooking, as well as for traveling and dining in Italy. There is no other book like this; it is the one book on Italian cuisine that every cook will need.