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Honey, you crack me up!
I learned to cook Italian from my nonna (I'm named after her), who could not read or write, so what use were recipes? She taught me to sniff and smell and touch and feel for freshness when shopping. I hate buying ricotta cheese in the plastic containers now - it's all sealed in plastic including the top - I can't smell it to check it. From her, I learned to cook by touch and taste and sight and smell. I panic when people ask me for "the recipe" for something I've made. I have no idea, and I'm not being deceptive - I just put on some music and create when the mood strikes. Honestly, it never turns out exactly the same but it's always delicious. And I remember the time I spent with her.
I do refer to Marcella Hazen when I want to cook fish, however - and I recommend her cookbooks to people who want to learn to cook Italian food.
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"One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision." Bertrand Russell, The Triumph of Stupidity
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