Mother Sauce

“If you buy this book for the recipes, you'll be one happy cook and eater. But spend a little time with Mother Sauce, and you'll discover that there's a deeper story in the pages. It's a tribute to the mostly anonymous women who immigrated from Italy and adapted the food of their homeland to what was available in America. In the process, they created some of our most beloved dishes.”
 —Real Simple

“Filled with techniques inspired by cucina povera—the frugal, resourceful way of cooking that Italian grandmothers have perfected over centuries. It’s not just about stretching ingredients; it’s about coaxing deep, layered flavors from humble staples and making every scrap count.”
 —Martha Stewart Living

“Recognizable, unelaborated Italian American classics with easily sourced ingredients and uncomplicated preparation. . . . True comfort food.”—Publishers Weekly

“The best elements of Italian cooking blended with American ideas and transmuted into culinary creations of their own. . . . The book has the basics covered, from Sunday’s spaghetti and meatballs to stromboli, penne alla vodka,
and fettuccine alfredo. Readers will also find dishes not seen in other collections, like creamy lemon spaghetti, mini meatball sandwiches, or Quinn's brother’s Easter lamb, covered and marinated in a garlicky, herbaceous honey-vinegar blend. Italian classics have a place here too, for those looking for variations on carbonara and amatriciana. Quinn’s irresistible cookbook  concludes with an array of desserts, ranging from light to luscious, from granita and sweet taralli to orange olive-oil cake with ricotta frosting and tiramisu.”—Booklist

“Lucinda pays loving tribute to the Italian women who stubbornly kept the food traditions of the old country alive in American kitchens. An indispensable collection of Italian American classics.”—Giada De Laurentiis

“Mother Sauce is a superb, inspiring cookbook drawn from generations of family wisdom. . . . These recipes come from the heart and will find their way into your own repertoire.”—Jody Williams, chef and coauthor of Via Carota

“Lucinda Scala Quinn is a legend in the culinary field, and I have been inspired by her work for years. I am thrilled and tantalized yet again by her newest offering of heartfelt, straightforward, family recipes.”—Nicole Rucker, chef and author of Fat + Flour

“While there may be other cookbooks preserving Italian-American cooking, no one gets to the heart of this storied cuisine with more passion and perspective than Lucinda Scala Quinn. Using her own very personal family history, spanning five generations, countless relatives and dishes, she puts into focus the creation and evolution of our country’s most beloved recipes. MOTHER SAUCE honors the hard-working, often unrecognized, immigrant women whose grit and gumption paved the way for every delicious swirl of pasta in Sunday gravy, meatball sub and cacciatore we have come to know and adore. With Lucinda's expert guidance and generous approach in the kitchen, these classics are sure to be passed down again and again.”—Gail Simmons, Food Expert, TV Host and Author of BRINGING IT HOME

“Lucinda has a mastery of her craft and is a true custodian of tradition in the American foodways, one deliciously made its own by Italian women.”—Camille Becerra, author of Bright Cooking