Easy Tasty Italian

Magical Flavours to transform everyday food
Laura Santtini

Publication Date: October 2009
Price: £20

Easy Tasty Italian is about making everyday cooking taste sensational – in her new book Laura Santtini, of Santini’s famous restaurant in Belgravia, reveals the secrets of umami and other magical ingredients and shows how the simplest flavour combinations add magic to everyday cooking. Contemporary and empowering – once you’ve read Laura Santtini’s book and learnt the secrets of transformation in the kitchen, your cooking will never be the same again!

Easy Tasty Italian shows how to make the most of the powers of umami, the recently identified fifth taste, and how to use simple techniques to transform everyday ingredients into sublime dishes with minimum effort.

In the first part of the book, Laura reveals the secret ingredients of her larder and gives recipes for her intense flavour combinations – the marinades such as red wine, porcini and anchovy, rubs such as pink peppercorn, rose petal and salt, and pastes like parmesan and prosciutto – that give her food sparkle. She also shows how procedures such as pounding, chopping, slicing and beating yield mouth-watering extras that can be used to transform dishes.

Finally, cooking methods are described under Air, Water, Fire and Earth and, with each one, Laura gives a treasury of delectable recipes. Throughout, suggestions are given for transforming basic recipes – so a carbonara sauce might be uplifted with artichoke and saffron or a smooth vegetable soup might have scorched almonds stirred through.

Simple, original and unexpected, this cookbook will become your new best friend in the kitchen.


The Author
Laura Santtini is a writer who cooks. Much of her passion for food comes from her Italian grandmother, as well as her parents who launched the renowned Italian restaurant Santini’s in Belgravia. Famed for being Frank Sinatra’s all-time favourite, Santini celebrates 25 years this year and remains synonymous with authentic Italian food, premium quality ingredients and simple understated designer surroundings. Laura’s early career was in PR, with Lynn Franks, then at MTV Europe where she worked with international stars all over the world. Laura moved to Milan where she was a freelance event producer. In 2002 she returned to re-launch Santini following her father’s retirement.


For further information and review copies please contact Clare Lattin on 020 7839 9462 or email Clare@quadrille.co.uk