Mama D's Old-Fashioned Italian Cooking

D'Agostino, aka Mama Dchef of her son's Minneapolis restaurant, author of four cookbooks and a cooking teacheroffers her version of Italian home cooking: simple, hearty recipes prepared with basic equipment and easily purchased ingredients. Soups are practical and nutritious (stracciatella soup is cooked in 10 minutes; spinach and bean minestra is a quick one-pot meal). Highly seasoned, lightly dressed salads and vegetable dishes emphasize legumes and leafy greens (lentil salad, dandelion stew), while roasted meat dishes are flavorful and unpretentious (veal roast with carrots and potatoes). Recipes for fresh ravioli and homemade cannoli encourage cooking from scratch. But too many recipes are for familiar American casseroles (e.g., macaroni-and-chicken pie) to interest experienced cooks. D'Agostino flavors these dishes repetitively with ``Italian seasonings''garlic, oregano, tomatoes and grated Romano cheese. She advises us to save leftovers and ``taste, taste, taste , '' in this sensible, if uninspiring, cookbook. Better Homes and Gardens Book Club selection. (Feb.)