This was an educational read in that I discovered I don't like e-cookbooks. Each recipe is 3 or 4 screens and you can't flip back and forth between pages looking at various recipes. Plus, with my Kindle Touch, no color either. I think I'll stick with the real things in this category.Another gripe, it's a small cookbook because at 69% I had finished the recipes. The remaining 31% was the index. Mind you each section started with a list of the recipes so it's essentially a double index, making for even fewer recipes.I did try the Pasta Fagioli and it was super easy. Basically dump the ingredients in and simmer away. Based on this recipe, though, I think this is one of those cookbooks that's dependent on the high quality of the ingredients as it didn't have enough flavor for me. I added garlic and Italian herbs to jazz it up. The texture of the soup was beautiful though. I plan to try more recipes. Numerous Italian recipes call for long slow cooking: near a woodfire, or in an oven, or over a low flame. When the Rival Corporation bought the rights to the Naxon Beanery All-Purpose Cooker in 1970, it created a small revolution by marketing the Crock-Pot. Michele Scicolone, who has written over a dozen Italian cookbooks, made the connection and produced a cookbook inviting cooks to make Italian slow-cooked recipes in a ceramic slow-cooker. Some of the recipes are quite simple, e.g. "Tuscan-Style Beans" are cannellini cooked with garlic, rosemary and olive oil. Some are just what one would expect, e.g. the Pasta Fagioli; the Meat and Mushroom Ragu. And there are some really interesting and creative ones: "Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup" (which I made to my delight), "Tuna Meatballs in Tomato Sauce" (which is surprising and delicious), "Spaghetti Frittata" (which pleased my sweet bride) and "Panettone Bread Pudding" (which I will attempt for Christmas). This is a useful book for all levels of cooking skill and especially for those who appreciate the ease and convenience of crockery cookery.
What do You think about Italian Slow Cooker (2010)?
Even if the recipes didn't turn out well (which they have for me so far), the aromas are to die for!
—hecatelina
