The Italian Slow Cooker

Italian food has always been immensly popular. Whether for company or family, no meal hits the spot like a long-simmered stew like Osso Bucco with Red Wine, or Chicken with Peppers and Mushrooms, perhaps with a side of Creamy Polenta. The trouble, of course, is finding the time for these soulfully flavored dishes, especially during the week. But with The Italian Slow Cooker, every cook who can spare 10 minutes of prep time can leave the house for work (or retire for the night) and return to a meal that tastes as though it had been coddled all day by an Italian grandmother.

Michele Scicolone, a respected authority on Italian cooking, shows how fresh ingredients and a few simple steps can lift dishes well beyond the usual "crockpot cooking," while keeping all the plug-it-in-and-walk-away convenince. In addition to providing scores of Italian classics that beg for a slow cooker (Turkey Meatball and Escarole Soup; Meat and Mushroom Ragu), Scicolone shows how a slow cooker can make "stir-crazy" dishes like polenta and risotto without any stirring at all. The slow cooker can also turn out moist meatloaf and perfect cheesecakes that don't crack. The full-color photos by Alan Richardson (of Hello, Cupcake! fame) do full justice to the rustic beauty of the food.