A century after her birth, Marcella Hazan’s legacy shines anew

In 1970s America, to many people, Italian food meant lasagna and red-sauced spaghetti, a Chef Boyardee vision blanketed in a pile of cheese that might have been shaken out of a green canister.

Then Marcella Hazan came along.

The Italian-born cookbook author is credited with opening America’s eyes to the nuances of Italy’s regions and their cuisines, including the pungent cheeses of her native Emilia-Romagna and the herb-laden dishes of the Ligurian coast. She helped introduce home cooks to ingredients that now seem everyday: balsamic vinegar, pesto, fresh pasta, extra-virgin olive oil.