Like the Italian cooking from which it takes its inspiration, Nigellissima is a celebration of food that is fresh, tasty and unpretentious. Nigella serves up 120 irresistible recipes that are simple and speedy, elevating everyday eating into no-fuss feasts.

Italian food has colonised the world. Nigellissima shows us how and why in these delicious dishes - from telephone-cord pasta with Sicilian pesto to quick Calabrian lasagne, from Sardinian couscous to Venetian stew, from Italian apple pie and no-churn ices to panna cotta and sambuca kisses - in a round-Italy quickstep that culminates in a festive chapter of party food, with an Italian-inspired Christmas feast as its mouth-watering centrepiece. From the traditional to the unfamiliar, here are recipes to excite the taste buds and the imagination, without stressing the cook. Nigella's gastronomic heart is in Italy and she conjures up, with passionate relish, the warmth, the simplicity and the directness of Italian cooking with an Anglo-twist. Illustrated with gorgeous photographs to instruct and delight, Nigellissima shows how we can all bring the spirit of Italy into our kitchens and onto the plate, pronto.