Italian Grill

From Mario Batali, superstar chef and author of Molto Italiano, comes the ultimate handbook on Italian grilling, which will become an instant must-have cookbook for home grillers.

Easy to use and filled with simple recipes, Mario Batali's new grilling handbook takes the mystery out of making tasty, simple, smoky Italian food. In addition to the eighty recipes and the sixty full-color photographs, Italian Grill includes helpful information on different heat-source options, grilling techniques, and essential equipment. As in Molto Italiano, Batali's distinctive voice provides a historical and cultural perspective as well.

Italian Grill features appetizers; pizza and flatbreads; fish and shellfish; poultry; meat; and vegetables. The delicious recipes include Fennel with Sambuca and Grapefruit; Guinea Hen Breasts with Rosemary and Pesto; Baby Octopus with Gigante Beans and Olive-Orange Vinaigrette; and Rosticciana, Italian-Style Ribs.

"Though he offers classics like bruschetta with white beans and grilled radicchio, pizza and sausages (as well as the ubiquitous chicken under a brick), the latest from veteran cookbook author and restaurateur Batali (Molto Italiano, Simple Italian Food, etc.) contains enough ingenious, imaginative riffs to keep even the most seasoned of grillmasters experimenting with tasty new ideas, among them thick tuna steaks cooked like bistecca alla fiorentina, monkfish wrapped in prosciutto and chicken drumsticks dunked in a spicy buttermilk marinade, topped with fennel and black pepper. His pork tenderloins dusted with ground porcini mushrooms, brown sugar, fennel and red pepper, then grilled and topped with a vinaigrette reminiscent of the classic Negroni cocktail, is nothing short of brilliant. Sides include simple but revelatory Thick-Cut Onions with Lemon Thyme and a standby-worthy take on potato salad in which waxy potatoes (like Yukon Golds) are grilled with Dijon and red wine vinegar. A fair number of dishes call for either a rotisserie attachment or a piastra, a hot griddle used to cook smaller items (Batali recommends the ones he sells online), but the bulk of the recipes are suitable for even novice grillers. Rounded out with tips on tenderizing octopus, a simple brine for pork chops and, of course, Mario's Kick-Ass Barbecue Sauce, this is an essential collection for any serious backyard cook." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Mario Batali is a superstar chef, television personality, and author of the New York Times bestseller Italian Grill and Molto Italiano, winner of a James Beard Award. He lives in New York City, where he is the chef and owner of eight popular restaurants, including two Spanish joints, Casa Mono and Bar Jamón.