Cookbook Club: Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy's Greatest Food, with Recipes

Let Cookbook Club Host Annette Tomei introduce you to the rich traditions of Italian pasta.

You'll receive cooking tips, shopping help, advance prep techniques, and the experienced enthusiasm of a renowned teacher, historian, and traveler.

Click here for a full Cookbook Club FAQ.

Meets on Zoom, Tuesdays, July 8 and 22, 7:00-8:30 pm Eastern Time

Many pasta books focus on sauce; Missy Robbins, chef-owner of NYC’s Lilia and Misi, starts where it all begins: with the pasta itself. The first hundred pages of this substantial 400-page book are dedicated to making and shaping pasta—eleven doughs, dozens of shapes, and a wealth of historical and regional context. You'll find familiar forms like fettuccine and agnolotti alongside lesser-known ones like Ligurian trofie and Friulian cjalsons, each explored with care and authority.

What follows is a mix of regional Italian dishes and personal interpretations—think speck and rye dumplings from the north, or spaghetti with ramps, lemon, and ricotta salata. One key section, “Cook Pasta Like a Cook,” captures Robbins’ practical, experience-driven approach, reminding us that great pasta depends not just on craft but on timing, pasta water, and intuition at the stove.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.