Book excerpt: What could be welcoming in your kitchen than a big warm pan full of lasagna, a pot of braised short ribs or a casserole dish holding fragrant mussels, tomatoes and herbs? When you think of comfort food, the first cuisines that comes to mind is Italian and nobody knows that better than Mary Ann Esposito, host of the longest-running television cooking show in the U.S., Ciao Italia. In Ciao Italia Slow and Easy, Mary Ann tells us how to slow down, take it easy and fill the kitchen with Italian slow-cooked goodness. By braising, baking, roasting and simmering, she gives readers a treasure trove of wonderful dishes like -stove top lasagna with artichokes -prosciutto-wrapped chicken baked in parchment -tomato braised short ribs with rigatoni -pasta shells stuffed with a ragu of pork and cream -one-skillet chicken supper with tomatoes and green beans -layered polenta pie with mushrooms and sausage -mussel, potato and tomato casserole Ciao Italia Slow and Easy is filled with Mary Ann's sensible advice, knowledgeable asides about the history of Italian cuisine and, most of all, a sure sense of what tastes good.