There are few ingredients in a cook's pantry that beat out pasta-for tastiness, for ease of preparation, for versatility, and for sheer delight. It's irresistible to all and perfect for every occasion. InThe Four Seasons of Pasta,Sara Jenkins and Nancy Harmon Jenkins celebrate the Italian native that has become a beloved American staple. Jenkins and her mom draw on their own background in Italy, where they've lived, cooked, studied, and worked in Rome and Florence, and on a Tuscan olive farm for many years. Today, Sara is a highly accomplished chef and owner of Porsena and Porchetta, two restaurants in New York's East Village while Nancy is a nationally known food journalist and authority on the Mediterranean diet, with a number of prominent cookbooks to her credit (includingThe New Mediterranean Diet CookbookandFlavors of Tuscany). The Four Seasons of Pastabrings together more than 120 recipes focused on seasonal ingredients from supermarkets and farmstands across America, from the gamey meat ragus, chestnuts, and brilliant pumpkins in autumn to summer's explosion of tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Nancy and Sara introduce readers to quick-and-easy weeknight dishes as well as more ambitious affairs while four-color photography brings the recipes vividly to life. Along the way, the two cooks delve into how to cook, sauce, and present pasta, how to make it by hand, and pasta's significant place in a healthy modern diet. The Four Seasons of Pastais an invaluable tool for home cooks seeking to enjoy the quintessential food that's in their pantry all year-round. 'I'm just so excited every time Nancy writes a book-it is always an inspiration, because she goes into each subject with such enthusiasm and depth. And I know that Sara is a wonderfully talented and intuitive chef. It is no surprise, then, Nancy and Sara have together created a beautifully approachable book that captures the vibrancy, traditions and remarkable versatility of pasta.'Alice Waters 'The Jenkinses are a treasure of Italian cooking in America. They are bastions of all that is good- simplicity, freshness and harmony. This new collection strips the philosophy to its most basic elements- dressing pasta based on what is fresh and what will settle your soul. I'll be using it as a calendar.'Mario Batali 'My first trip to Italy years ago was with Sara to visit her mom Nancy at their family home in Tuscany and it changed me forever as a chef so I can't think of two better guides to instruct on how to make pasta at home. The recipes are, of course, brilliant and I love that they bring the reader to lesser known regions of Italy throughout the book.The Four Seasons of Pastawill teach, inspire, and make you want to cook- and eat!'Chef Barbara Lynch, Barbara Lynch Gruppo 'This is the dream team of culinary skill and writing. The delicious sensibility and integrity of the Italian cooking heritage shines through on every page and illustrates why we love this humble yet elegant dough, made simply of flour and water.'Chef Amanda Freitag