Marcella Hazan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcella Hazan
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| Born | Marcella Polini April 15, 1924 Cesenatico, Emilia-Romagna, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | September 29, 2013 (aged 89) Longboat Key, Florida, U.S.A. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | University of Ferrara |
| Genre | cookbooks |
| Notable awards | James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Spouse | Victor Hazan (1955–2013; her death) |
| Children | Giuliano |
Marcella Hazan (born Marcella Polini; April 15, 1924 – September 29, 2013) was a famous Italian writer. Her books taught people in the United States and the United Kingdom how to cook traditional Italian food. Many chefs and food writers thought she was the most important person in Italian cooking.
Contents
About Marcella Hazan
Marcella Hazan was born in 1924 in a town called Cesenatico in Italy. She studied natural sciences and biology at the University of Ferrara and the University of Padua. She started her career as a science teacher.
In 1955, she married Victor Hazan. He later became a well-known writer about wine. A few months after they married, they moved to New York City.
Learning to Cook
Marcella had never cooked before she got married. She wrote in her 1997 book Marcella Cucina:
"... I had to feed my husband. He was young and worked hard. He could handle most problems in life, but not a bad meal. In Italy, I wouldn't have thought about it. My mother cooked, my father cooked, both my grandmothers cooked. Even the farm girls who cleaned could cook. But in my New York apartment kitchen, there was no one."
She started by using cookbooks from Italy. But she soon realized that she remembered the tastes from home very well. This helped her make the same dishes herself. She found that some of her cooking methods were her own ideas. But most of them were like what traditional Italian cooks did.
Her Cooking School and Books
Marcella Hazan started teaching cooking lessons in her apartment. In 1969, she opened her own cooking school. It was called the School of Classic Italian Cooking.
In the early 1970s, Craig Claiborne asked her to share recipes with the New York Times. He was the food editor there. Her first book, The Classic Italian Cook Book, came out in 1973. It was later adapted for British readers and won an award.
She wrote another book, More Classic Italian Cooking, in 1978. These two books were later put together into one big book called Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking in 1992. Her 1997 book, Marcella Cucina, won two awards. It was named Best Mediterranean Cookbook and Best International Cookbook. Marcella wrote her books in Italian, and her husband translated them into English.
Marcella's Cooking Style
Marcella Hazan's cookbooks focus on true traditional Italian cooking. They do not use American or British ideas. Her recipes use ingredients that are common in Italian homes. She made some changes for ingredients not easy to find outside Italy.
Her recipes are also made to fit an Italian meal. This means two main courses, followed by a salad and dessert. Marcella liked to prepare food by hand. She also preferred cooking on the stove, not in the oven. Even so, her recipes could be simple. One of her most popular recipes was just a chicken roasted with two lemons inside it. Her famous recipe for Italian tomato sauce is often mentioned by the New York Times.
Cooking Tips from Marcella
Marcella Hazan suggested these cooking tips:
- Choose vegetables that are in season. Plan your whole meal around them.
- Soak vegetables in cold water for 30 minutes before cooking. This removes any dirt. Cook them until they are soft, but not mushy. This gives them a rich flavor.
- When cooking onions, put them in a cold pan with oil. Then heat them gently. This helps them release their flavor slowly. It makes them taste milder than if you start them in a hot pan.
- Some types of pasta, like tagliatelle, are best made fresh at home. But others, like spaghetti, should be bought dried. Pasta should always be carefully matched to its sauce.
- Olive oil is not always the best for frying. For dishes with delicate flavors, use a mix of butter and vegetable oil.
- Never use garlic presses.
Marcella often started her recipes by describing how the food is eaten in Italy. Or she would share her own memories of it. For example, her recipe for coffee ice with whipped cream starts like this:
"Granita di caffè con panna was a welcome sign that Italian cafés used to put out in summer. On a slow afternoon, it was one of the best ways to pass the time. You would watch life go by as you let the granita crystals melt on your tongue, spoonful by spoonful. Your mouth would feel like an ice cave filled with the smell of strong coffee. Sadly, granita has mostly disappeared. But you can easily make it at home. With a food processor, it's even easier than it used to be."
Marcella Hazan also helped make balsamic vinegar popular in the USA. She later felt bad about this because she thought people used too much of it.
Her Impact and Legacy
Craig Claiborne said that "No one has ever done more to spread the message of pure Italian cooking in America." The food critic Jeffrey Steingarten once visited the Hazans' home in Venice for a cooking lesson. He believed that Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking would become the most important Italian cookbook for a whole generation.
In 1998, Marcella Hazan stopped teaching at her cooking school. She and Victor moved to Longboat Key, Florida. There, Marcella found that she could not get some Italian ingredients she used to find easily in New York. So, she decided to write a cookbook for people in the same situation. This book was called Marcella Says ..., published in 2004.
Marcella Hazan also taught classes at the French Culinary Institute. In 2003, she was made a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity. This is a special honor from Italy.
Marcella Hazan passed away on September 29, 2013, in Longboat Key, Florida. Her son, Giuliano, is also a well-known cooking writer and teacher.
Awards and Honors
Marcella Hazan received many awards for her work:
- Maria Luigia, Duchess of Parma, Gold Medal (Italy)
- James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America, 1986
- Silver Spoon Award from Food Arts magazine, 1992 (with Victor Hazan)
- Golden Cheese Knife, 1997 (Italy)
- James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, 2000
- Cavaliere della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity), Italy, 2003
- Lifetime Achievement Award, International Association of Culinary Professionals, 2004
