At last, the ultimate book on pasta from the master of Italian cookery! Pasta's huge variety of shapes, textures and flavours makes it the perfect basis for every kind of meal, from sophisticated dinner parties to simple suppers at home.

In his exciting new book, Antonio Carluccio shares his love of Italy's favourite food, providing innovative and exciting recipes for soups, main courses, salads and even desserts.

To begin, clear and detailed instructions are given for making fresh pasta, opening up a whole new range of possibilities from making your own basic egg pasta to adding unusual colours and flavours like spinach and squid ink.

Over 100 inspirational recipes for both fresh and dried pasta follow, ranging from the simple and traditional like Spaghetti Al Aglio, Olio E Peperoncino (with garlic, oil and chilli) and classics with a twist like Trofie al Pesto di Erbe e Noci (with walnut and herb pesto) to the truly unusual and luxurious, such as and Trullo di Zitoni (a deeply savoury baked lamb, herb and mushroom pasta pie). Also featured is a wealth of ideas for varying the basic recipe to produce numerous different dishes, according to taste and seasonal availability.