1.   A cook only needs so many Italian cookbooks, and the avalanche of years past has finally shrunk to a trickle.

2.   Consumers who grew up in Italian homes, eat in Italian restaurants or read Italian cookbooks are buying it.

3.   Dozens of Italian cookbooks have recipes for peas and prosciutto, a delicious and traditional side dish.

4.   In Italian cookbooks, the rules for risotto are quite flexible.

5.   Leeks have a place in Italian cookbooks, too.

6.   Many classic Italian cookbooks indicate considerable cooking times.

7.   Q. I have an Italian cookbook that has recipes for cardoons.

8.   There were already Italian cookbooks, of course, and good ones.

9.   When Linda West of Glendale requested recipes for preparing calamari, a couple of readers sent along selections from different Italian cookbooks.

10.   Yet the flood of Italian cookbooks seems unstoppable, while finding a good Thai cookbook is about as easy as finding dried shrimp in your local supermarket.