With this book of delectable recipes and hilarious reminiscences, Carmellini and Hyman avoid many common pitfalls of professional chefs offering advice on day-to-day cookery. Even the most dedicated home cook may not have three hours (or three days) to prepare a single dish; fortunately, most of the recipes here take an hour or less, or as the timing note for Caponata Modo Mio puts it, "You can bang this out pretty quickly, especially if you're good with a knife." There are also helpful hints along the way for making efficient use of your time, never shying away from the use of a microwave oven or canned beans if it will save the cook a few hours. No need for fancy equipment or lots of space, either, though Carmellini does suggest getting a meat grinder if one doesn't have "a really copacetic butcher" handy. Short, sweet recipes for grilled country bread and homemade sheep's milk ricotta comfortably rub elbows with Shrimp Meatballs inspired by the intersection of New York's Chinatown and Little Italy and Linguini with Broccoli Rabe Pesto, Oregano, and Peppers. Bacon's warm, lush photographs showcase single ingredients--tender young garlic bulbs, a bundle of herbs--as prettily as finished recipes, further emphasizing the message of simplicity. Lovers of both traditional and modern Italian food will find plenty here to whet the appetite and will enjoy the undiluted and charming New York Italian accent of Carmellini's recipe introductions ("Between the bacon, the clam juice, and the clams, you’re covered in the salt department.") and instructions ("The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky but not sticky—sort of warm and sexy."), though they may find the actual recipes not quite as adventurous as the author's bravado might suggest. Recommended.