Sharing a meal together with friends and family is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Serving food made to share is not only a welcoming and enjoyable way to eat, it’s also clever and economical by stretching a meal to feed many. It is the Italian way of life.

This book showcases recipes from well-known Italian cook, Liliana Battle and includes traditional and modern-day interpretations of Italian dishes you will love. There’s everything here from pasta, meat, fish, vegetables, breakfasts, antipasti, pizzas, pies and tarts that can be mixed and matched and laid out on a table to make a mouth watering display of food to share. No feast is complete without a show-stopping dessert, and Liliana’s sweets certainly steal the show!

Best of all, these recipes are just as easy to make as they are to eat with lots of handy hints for making food in advance, freezer tips and how to make new meals from leftovers.

So get your family and friends together, and in true Italian spirit cook up a storm and pile it in the center of the table so that everyone can dig in. The enjoyment of sharing a meal together creates memories that last a lifetime.

Liliana Battle grew up in a Southern Italian family where food was generally made by hand, grown from the land, and shared with others. After appearing on MasterChef, she published her popular debut cookbook Easy Home Cooking Italian Style, celebrating recipes passed down through her family. Her recipes feature on sites such as ninemsn and LifeStyleFood, as well as her blog (www.lilianaskitchen.com).

Liliana runs a catering business “Liliana’s Kitchen” and a food product range. Her passion is in teaching the art of making fresh pasta by hand. She is also ambassador for Taste of Harmony, celebrating diverse cultures through food, and is an advocate for the family table and bringing people together through home cooked meals.