marco canora salt to taste cookbook

The key to confident cooking lies not in following intricate recipes but rather in mastering a select handful of truly appealing yet straightforward dishes that invite experimentation and improvisation to reflect the seasons and the cook’s own palate.

In Salt to Taste, Chef Marco Canora presents a tempting repertoire of 100 soulful recipes that embody this philosophy perfectly: food that is comforting and familiar but with a depth of flavor and timeless appeal that mark the dishes as true essentials of the contemporary table. Each meticulously written recipe offers insightful lessons drawn both from memories of his mother’s cooking and his years as one of New York’s most respected chefs, guiding the way to a delicious dish every time. Extensive chef’s notes suggest ways to streamline the process and enhance the savory results, marrying the precision of the professional kitchen with the warmth of home cooking.

Marco Canora is renowned for his ability to spotlight the flavors of produce at its peak in earthy yet sophisticated meals. His passion for seasonality shines through in these recipes for the food he cooks at home. His takes on Farro Salad (with both a summer and winter version to choose from), Yellow Pepper Soup, and Asparagus Risotto perfectly capture the taste of vegetables in their season. Italian country cooking is well represented with exceptional renditions of classics like Pappardelle with Duck Ragù and Short Ribs in Barolo, and classics like Veal Piccata and Linguine with Clam Sauce reach their apogee in his confident hands and make ideal weekday standbys.
Those looking to elevate their cooking from merely good to truly spectacular will find much here to inspire them, while those in need of culinary coaching will find that creating greatness is well within reach. With a little forethought, care, practice, and observation, any cook can quickly gain the confidence to “Salt to Taste.”

“Marco Canora’s intuitive sense of the delicious is renowned throughout chef circles, but this magnificent tome takes it to the home, simplifying his cooking into a beautiful, lyrical melody. The photos are inspirational, and the recipes pull me toward the greenmarket and then back to the kitchen every time I open the pages. His words are my new poetry.”—Mario Batali

“I have always considered it the greatest compliment when people taste my food and say, ‘This reminds me of…’ because it harkens back to a time that was both happy and meaningful to them. Leafing through Marco Canora’s Salt to Taste was like traveling back in time to my first trip to Italy. His dishes reminded me of the excitement and wonder I felt while discovering its distinct regions and tasting its timehonored recipes.”—Thomas Keller