Cesare Casella doesn't pull people from burning buildings, but he does something almost as heroic: He re-creates in New York City - at restaurants Beppe (recently sold) and Maremma Trattoria Toscana - Italian food in all its simple glory.

Yet Casella's Basic Gnocchi are anything but basic. They incorporate two egg yolks, a whole egg, nutmeg, ricotta cheese, and grated parmesan cheese, along with flour and potatoes. His Fast Fresh Tomato Sauce is as advertised, but the gnocchi recipe takes hours as I struggle to unstick the soft dough from the cutting board.

When we finally sit down to eat, I understand Casella's warning that the recipe "makes a lot." I pop five or six morsels into my mouth and push my plate away. All that cheese and egg makes them incredibly ­filling.

Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali
(Ecco, $35)
Mario Batali is a one-man brand. His name appears on everything from silicone spatulas to pepper mills. In his trademark orange clogs, he's hosted three different television shows. But Batali is primarily a chef and a restaurateur. And he exhibits all the signs of being a chef in this cookbook, meaning he uses restaurant techniques that are either unwieldy or unnecessary at home.

Batali's gnocchi recipe concludes with instructions to cook the gnocchi in advance, shock them in ice water, and then toss them with canola oil. Precooking may be necessary at Babbo, Batali's flagship New York City restaurant, which seats 90, but not for a recipe that serves four as a main course. I point out these instructions to Paolo, who looks grim and makes the sign of the cross.