A big Italian family supper — a Sunday spread with pasta, red sauce “gravy” studded with meats, and more — defines the chef Joey Campanaro’s welcoming new book, “Big Love Cooking.” The meal comes in a late chapter, after you’ve explored biscuits dappled with sausage and cheese, spaghetti with clams (and anchovies), chicken cacciatore, halibut with pesto, and even sesame green beans, a keeper of a recipe that tracks more Asian than Italian, with the addition of oyster sauce and chile paste. Mr. Campanaro, a native of South Philadelphia and the chef and an owner of Little Owl in the West Village, seems to be right at your elbow, thanks to the easygoing, chatty text. If not Mr. Campanaro, maybe it’s his mother or grandmother reminding you to make “juicy bread … right?” to go with the Italian seafood stew. And if you have forgotten about veal Marsala, put it back on the radar and follow Mr. Campanaro’s finely tuned recipe.
“Big Love Cooking: 75 Recipes for Satisfying, Shareable Comfort Food” by Joey Campanaro with Theresa Gambacorta (Chronicle Books, $29.95).
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