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Cookbook review: Pasta Galore

Valentina Harris is an authority on Italian food and food culture. The name Harris might not sound very Italian but she is in fact descended from the noble Renaissance-era Sforza dynasty. Valentina is the youngest of a large Anglo-Italian family. Her education began in Rome, later qualifying with two diplomas for teaching and cooking at the Scuola di Alta Cucina Cordon Bleu School. Valentina moved to London and worked as a private chef and in restaurants.

1984 saw the publication of Valentina's first cookbook, Perfect Pasta, which was translated into 6 languages and won the award for literature and gastronomy in Germany. Seven other books followed, and even the BBC took notice. They offered Valentina a 6-part TV series called Italian Regional Cookery which was aired for the first time in 1990. The book of the series became a top-ten best seller. Valentina has now written 20 books of her own on Italian cookery as well as contributing to several others.

Valentina Harris is successful because she has a sunny disposition and is eminently approachable. She has given cookery demonstrations and lectures around Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Africa. Her style is relaxed and she encourages her viewers/students with humour and good advice. Her books reflect that same accessible style.

Pasta Galore is an attractive and practical volume. There are 120 pasta recipes between its covers so it’s safe to say there is something for every taste. There are dishes that will be new to the experienced home cook and a raft of simple recipes for the novice. Every common shape of pasta has its sauce and Valentina lists 30 forms of the 650 or so shapes available.

You might feel adventurous and want to make your own pasta dough. All you need is the correct flour, good eggs and a quantity of elbow grease to produce amazing pasta. A little pasta machine is handy and they don’t cost much these days. Valentina has a recipe for the standard homemade pasta although it’s perfectly acceptable to use commercial dried varieties just like the Italians mostly do.

This isn’t a vegetarian cookbook but there is so much here that would be appropriate for a meat-free diet. Seafood is also well represented with some unbeatable classics. Apart from recipes using vegetables and fish there are lots which use cheese and eggs and this section offers some of my favourite recipes.

For the card-carrying carnivores there is, amongst others, the ubiquitous Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s often a nasty, gloopy concoction and to be avoided, but this book offers a version that is a bit more authentic and a lot more delicious than the norm. OK, this isn’t a quick meal as it takes a couple of hours or overnight to come to comforting perfection. Do consider, dear reader, that you don’t have to sit by the stove and watch it while it cooks, but you’ll taste the difference if you allow it that extra time.

The dish that takes the prize for simplicity and economy goes to Pasta with Courgettes. This recipe always works as long as you can stir some vegetables. It takes only as long as it takes for the pasta to reach the ‘al dente’ stage. A revelation for novice cooks who might want to try this before venturing on to the more elaborate but still easy recipes.

Stuffed Conchiglie is a stunner. Yes, it is a bit more labour-intensive than some others from this collection but it’s not complicated and the end result will impress the in-laws. It’s a baked dish and ideal for making in advance.

Pasta Galore is truly a book for those who want to eat well, who don’t have endless time, and who love this most evocative of Italian food. Valentina Harris brings her usual down-to-earth approach so you’ll not feel overwhelmed. A book for those who want to add to their repertoire and for those who would like to be confident cooks. Fantastic value for money. Recommended.

Cookbook review: Pasta Galore
Author: Valentina Harris
Published by: Octopus
Price: £12.99
ISBN 978-1-84601-318-8