Dear Francesca
Hi Lamington,
you might want to look out for a book called Dear Francesca. It was published in the UK by a Scottish-Italian woman who is part of a dynasty of food purveyors in Edinburgh. The book features her family recipes, and as such includes the kind of simple foods that Italians actually eat at home, such as pasta with lemon and butter etc, as well as the more usual classics. The format of the book is to pass on the cooking knowledge to her student daughter, so it's a nice book to have if you're getting your head round the classic processes of Italian cookery. The store is called Valvona & Crolla, their website is attached which shows the book.
http://www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/. Maybe one day it will find its way to the States!
I would also highly recommend Marcella Hazan, she really gives you the details of the process that make all the difference.
happy cooking
Plum
