Dishing on Italian cooking

MELISSA LYTTLEMarcella Hazan's new book is a memoir of her years as a food author and cooking teacher. (MELISSA LYTTLE)

Author and cooking teacher Marcella Hazan did for Italian food what Julia Child did for French. Her "Classic Italian Cook Book," published in 1973, took American cooks beyond spaghetti and meatballs to such iconic dishes as pork cooked in milk, chicken roasted with two lemons, and Bolognese sauce. She went on to write six more books with the aid of her husband, Victor. Now 84, the opinionated Hazan spoke recently about her new memoir, "Amarcord"; why she avoids Italian restaurants; and what we still have to learn about Italian cooking. (A lot.)

Q. Why a memoir, and why now?

A. It was not my idea. The publisher asked me to do this book. He said, "Oh, Marcella, I have a good idea. You have to write your memories." I said "What! I'm tired. I wrote six books already." But he was very convincing.

Q. How has Italian food in the US changed since you began writing cookbooks?

A. The food became better. After people learned about al dente, now the pasta is not too cooked. They started giving portions that are not so big; before they gave a family portion for one person. But usually I don't go to Italian restaurants. One restaurant has one dish right, another has another dish right, but the other dishes are not.

Q. What has changed for the worse?

A. Unfortunately, sometimes people want to use the fused food. Italian and Chinese or another different nationality. Why do it? In Italy, we have something like 1,000 recipes codified. There are enough there that they don't have to look elsewhere.

Q. You introduced balsamic vinegar to the US.

A. It's going to kill me that I brought it in this country. A very tiny little bottle of balsamic vinegar, it costs $185. In an Italian restaurant, if you ask for olive oil and vinegar, now they only have balsamic. But it's not real.

Q. What is the biggest mistake we still make in cooking Italian food?

A. Too much garlic! Too much ruins everything. We say in Italy that what you keep out is as important as what you put in.

Q. If you were going to offer one piece of cooking advice, what would it be?

A. Simplicity. Try to have a good, fresh ingredient and don't ruin it by adding too many things. Bring out the flavor of that ingredient.

Q. Looking back, what do you think of your life?

A. I am amazed. Everything happened to me. I never thought to teach, I was asked. I never thought to write a book, I was asked.

Q. Do you believe in fate?

A. I don't know. Maybe. [Laughs.] DEVRA FIRST