------------- Deliciously simple Venetian dishes from the London restaurant Waterstones
Book of the Year 2012 -------------- Tucked away in a backstreet of London's edgy Soho
district POLPO is one of the hottest restaurants in town. Critics and food aficionados have
been flocking to this understated bàcaro where Russell Norman serves up dishes from the back
streets of Venice. A far cry from the tourist-trap eateries of the famous floating city this
kind of cooking is unfussy innovative and exuberantly delicious. The 140 recipes in the book
include caprese stacks zucchini shoestring fries asparagus with Parmesan and anchovy butter
butternut risotto arancini rabbit cacciatore warm duck salad with wet walnuts and beets
crispy baby pizzas with prosciutto and rocket scallops with lemon and peppermint mackerel
tartare linguine with clams whole sea bream warm octopus salad soft-shell crab in Parmesan
batter with fennel salad walnut and honey semifreddo tiramisù fizzy bellinis and glasses of
bright orange spritz. With luminescent photography by Jenny Zarins which captures the
unfrequented corners the bustling bàcari and the sublime waterways of Venice POLPO is a
dazzling tribute to Italy's greatest hidden cuisine.
