“NO KETCHUP ON SPAGHETTI”
The complete guide on how to shop, eat, and cook like an Italian
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📖 AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE!
Bring Ale’s authentic recipes into your kitchen.
👉 Order your copy today!
Discover the true essence of Italian cuisine.
This book is a journey through Italy’s extraordinary agri-food heritage, celebrating PDO, PGI, and TSG products that define authenticity. More than just pizza and pasta, Italian cuisine is an endless universe of flavors, traditions, and stories—it would take a lifetime to taste them all.
Inside, you’ll find a collection of recipes that highlight both hidden gems and iconic classics: from Scampi alla Busara, Crescione, and Mondeghili to beloved staples like Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, Cannoli, and Focaccia.
Enriched with a foreword by Alessandro Schiatti and invaluable tips from renowned masters of Italian cooking—including Aurelio Barattini, Christina Conte, Gabriella Gasparini, Manuela Mazzocco, Barbara Pollastrini, Vincenzo Prosperi, Amy Riolo, and Mario Rizzotti—this book is both an invitation and a guide to savoring Italy, one recipe at a time.
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⭐ Editorial Reviews
Clarissa Burt – Award-winning international media personality, producer, director, author, public speaker, supermodel
“Ale Gambini is the Queen in the Kitchen and the way she cooks Italian food is King! This marriage makes for quite a noble pairing! Ale brings authenticity to her kitchen straight from her Grandmother Fernanda. Her Italian traditional cooking is passed from generation to generation, thrilling all of those who feast at her table.”
Genny Nevoso – Executive Director, Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West
“I wish to praise Ale Gambini for delivering yet another great cookbook, one that goes beyond sharing recipes. No Ketchup on Spaghetti offers simple yet effective culinary education on what authentic Italian food truly is. Ale’s relatable approach breaks down misinterpretations of our culinary heritage and helps readers create definitive Italian dishes that honor her greatest inspiration, her grandmother Fernanda. A perfect complement to the work of Italian organizations promoting certified, authentic Italian food in the U.S.”
Ornella Fado – TV Host & Producer, Brindiamo! Channel, Italy
“Ale Gambini’s No Ketchup on Spaghetti is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand authentic Italian cuisine in America. This delightful guide will make you feel like an expert on Italian food!”
Mary Kovach, Ph.D. – Author and Italian-American scholar
“I love Ale Gambini’s new book No Ketchup on Spaghetti! As an Italian-American woman raised in a predominantly Italian-based family, my mother and grandmother thrived in the kitchen. They shared their love through food, and I can feel the same passion in this book! It’s more than a cookbook—Ale brings readers into the intricate world of Italian cooking that most Italian Americans would not otherwise know.
For example, who knew to look for certifications that protect the authenticity of Italian food sold in U.S. stores? Ale also explains the difference between Italian and Italian-American cooking—chicken parmesan is expected in the U.S., but it’s not authentic; Cotoletta alla Milanese is the real dish. I especially love the Dos and Don’ts section—fantastic tips every Italian American or traveler to Italy should read.
Ale also gathers the best advice on ingredients from top Italian chefs who share their secrets. Finally, she includes more than 30 amazing recipes that are easy to make, filled with her contagious Italian spirit, and absolutely delicious. Ale knocked it out of the park with this one!”
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Press Coverage
We the Italians
ItalyUSA
La Cucina Italiana USA
Magnifico Food
Authentico
Shoutout LA
Inform
Cut Press / Mercur Press
Primo Chef
Tiramisù World Cup
TGCOM24
© Copyright 2020-2025: No Ketchup On Spaghetti (Alessandra Gambini) – Maurizio De Togni
L.A.-based Italian food writer Ale Gambini brings to life the traditional flavors of Milan and Northern Italy, lovingly passed down from her beloved Nonna Fernanda. Nearly a century of authentic recipes are presented with clear, step-by-step instructions, using only the freshest and finest ingredients native to Lombardy and beyond.
This book celebrates the staples of Milanese cuisine, including Risotto alla Milanese, Ossobuco di Vitello, and the iconic Panettone, alongside other timeless dishes that capture the heart of Northern Italian cooking.
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Reviews *****
Such a great collection of real, authentic recipes!!!
Easy to follow and very well written. I love the personal connection between the author and her grandmother, it makes the experience unique and relatable. Bass Clef (USA)
As an Italian who grew up and lived near Milan for the first 30 years of my life, I can say that Ale’s cookbook captures the cooking of my region with incredible accuracy. Now that I live in North America, I appreciate this cookbook even more because it features a kind of Italian cuisine that hasn’t gone mainstream yet, therefore probably adding a number of new Italian dishes to people’s repertoires. Ale’s collection is a unique gem in the vast offering of cookbooks on Italian cooking – assolutamente raccomandato 🙂 Paolo (Canada)
Italian recipes easy to make. A real celebration of taste. Ale Gambini reveals the secrets of the authentic Italian dishes, techniques and amazing tips. Grazie. Caterina (Italy)
Amazon.com (US)
Amazon Europe: (IT, FR, ES, DE) and UK
A Queen In The Kitchen is published by SuperOttO publishing:
ISBN-13: 978-0692669099.
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Goodreads Author
If you love to read as much as I do, please check my book on Goodreads .
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[Thoughts on the Table – 48] Introducing Ale Gambini and her Cookbook: A Queen in the Kitchen
When it comes to Italian Food Bloggers, Paolo Rigiroli is definitely one of my favorite. Born and raised in Milano, he lives in Vancouver (Canada) and writes about food in his blog Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu. In this blog he explains the difference between what is known as Italian food and the food of Italy. Between the different articles, he publishes recipes, especially the simple and traditional ones. He’s also the author and host of Thoughts on the Table, a podcast about food and food culture, as well as Italian food around the world. Recently I had the honor and pleasure to be his guest and chat with him about my new book “A Queen In the Kitchen”.
Check this out!!!
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© 2013–2025: Alessandra Gambini – A Queen In The Kitchen – BLAD – Maurizio De Togni