Travel with Cook's Country and savor the homey comforts of Little Italy, an array of neighborhoods throughout the nation where Italian immigrants set down roots, and from those roots produced some of the best eating you'll find anywhere. To fill our Italian-American table, we tested, tasted, and adapted our way through countless takes on beloved fare to discover what makes each a knockout, from meaty lasagna to eggplant Parmesan. Along the way, we scoured the country to uncover less common (but no less delicious) dishes like Chicago's Chicken Scarpariello and Brooklyn's Prosciutto Bread, even coaxing some heirloom recipes from the families behind their landmark restaurants.

Italian-American cooking sparks fierce passions. Cooks may never agree on whether the best style of pizza come from New York, Detroit, or St. Louis (you'll find recipes for all three kinds in these pages). But we hope you'll all find a place on your table for our drop meatballs, which stay tender without falling apart, our ricotta gnocchi (finally, a foolproof method), and a make-ahead tiramisu that rivals any restaurant's. This is the food we never tire of--simple, hearty weeknight meals, baked pastas and roasts fit for Sunday dinner, and a baker's assortment of rustic breads and sweets.