There are about 2,500 Italian cookbooks listed on Amazon, but only nine of them made Cooking Light's list of the best Italian cookbooks, including one from a Houston restaurateur.
The illustrious group was chosen by Cooking Light magazine as part of its year-long 25th anniversary special, naming a total of 100 of the best cookbooks from the past 25 years.
Among Italian tomes from Lidia Bastianich and Jamie Oliver is Efisio Farris's Sweet Myrtle & Bitter Honey: The Mediterranean Flavors of Sardinia, published by the Arcodoro chef/owner in 2007.
Sardinia is one of the last frontiers for Italian cooking in America. Bottarga, the island’s dried, briny mullet roe, has popped up on high-end cheffy pastas in recent years, but the long, rich history of Sardinian cuisine remains foreign to American palates. Let this book be your delicious introduction."
Not listed: Any cookbook by a Housewife of New Jersey. Hard to believe.
