Ciao Italia (1992)

Mary Ann Esposito grew up Italian in Buffalo, hanging homemade pasta up to dry and watching her parents grind pork for sausages. She then spent 10 years in Italy, where she learned that not all sauces begin and end with tomatoes. The recipes collected in Ciao Italia, and featured on her public-TV series also titled Ciao Italia, draw on her experience in both these worlds. Since Italian fare serves as comfort food for all sorts of Americans whose names don't end in vowels, it is gratifying to have this selection of favorites from families that are serious about food. B+