Pizza And Italian Cookbook: Pizza, Pasta and Other Food I Like - Tapa dura

The ultimate pizza, pasta, bread and Italian recipe book from one of world’s leading chefs and co-owner of Union Jacks with Jamie Oliver.

Chris Bianco’s ‘perfect pizza’ has won him awards and accolades from fellow chefs, food critics and millions of customers since he first opened his diminutive Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. Chris’ skill and inspired cooking has made him the pizza expert that other chefs turn to, including Jamie, who joined forces with him to revolutionise British pizza with their Union Jacks restaurant.

In his much-anticipated first cookbook, Chris finally reveals the secrets behind his phenomenal Italian food. Chris guides you through the alchemy and history of flatbreads and pizzas, pasta and bread doughs. He explains the magic trio of flour, water and tomatoes, the science of leavening and bringing your food together with ‘fire and smoke’ – or the simple domestic oven and hob.

Chris’ infectious approach combines cheffy knowledge with down-to-earth accessible recipes; after all, Chris explains, pizza is only ‘posh cheese on toast’, to deliver a cookbook that is both insightful and doable.

Including all-time-favourite pizzas such as Margherita and Wise Guy, pasta including pappardelle and gnocci, and foccacia and country breads, this stunning book also includes over 60 simple Italian-inspired recipes.

Recipes include: antipasti such as Roasted Dates with Fontina & Prosciutto; salads and sides including Watermelon, Fennel & Parsley Salad and Panzanella; pastas including Tagliatelle with Lemon and Spinach & Ricotta Crespelle; mains such as Slow-Roasted Lamb and Pappa a Pomodoro; desserts such as Rhubarb & Ricotta Pudding and Seasonal Fruit Crostata.

With beautiful food photography by David Loftus, Chris’ distinctive first book will inspire novice Italian food lovers as well as more confident cooks looking to learn from the best.

Born and bred in the Bronx, Chris Bianco is a second generation New York Italian. He established a pizzeria in Arizona after taking the first flight to a city he liked the sound of. Pizzeria Bianco was born, inside the back corner of a local grocery store, and has had queues around the block since.
In 2005 Chris opened Pane Bianco, serving foccacia breads and sandwiches, then his Italian Restaurant.
Chris’ food meccas have attracted fans from around the world and in 2011 he joined forces with Jamie Oliver to open Union Jacks in the UK. He is a James Beard award-winning chef, has appeared on TV shows as diverse as Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart, and now lives between London and Pheonix.