POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts)

Purchased as a gift for an experienced home cook following a recommendation.I wasn’t expecting such fantastic quality and finishing.Recipes are unusual and well describedExpensive but worth the price

As a frequent (every winter) visitor to Venice, I know this food.This book illustrates better than others I have that Italian food is not actually about simplicity. What is realised is that the pairing of ingredients is genius beyond all other world cuisines, but the putting it together remains deceptively simple.The food is relaxed, slow paced and gentle.This book captures the essence of Italian food, and once the Italian life philosophy is understood, then the cooking can begin. What I love about this book is that the essential understanding is written prior to the cooking beginning. Italian food isn't just about the food, and this is captured here perfectly, for those that understand.For a casual cook that just wants an Italian cookbook, there are better recipe books that just give instructions on the food, but for me, this and the Four Seasons book (did everyone get the Vivaldi joke?) are the best food and recipe books I own.I recognise the food - the cicchetti culture - it isn't just Italian food, it's more Italian than that. Only someone that lived this Italian dream, but was enough of an outsider to see it, could have written this.If you sometimes have Aperol spritz in the afternoon, Campari spritz before dinner, Chianti in the evening, and have a Grappa after a meal, then this (these) books are for you (us). We are no longer outsiders alone.

I love this book. The recipes are delicious and it looks gorgeous on my kitchen shelves

This is more than a cookbook, it looks as interesting as ‘Jerusalem’, I am sure it’s a good buy.

Beautiful book - recipes easy to follow and gorgeous! Portions made can be a lot so some recipes need ingredients reduced!

This book is worth buying for its orange cake recipe alone. Unusual, genuinely exciting recipes. Even if you only make a few, it's an inspirational read.

The photography, the actual book construction that shows it’s binding and the recipes that are easy to follow (if you have access to the ingredients!).

A very good book for Italian cooking, with something a little bit different. Just reading it takes you right back to Venice, lovely illustrations also.

Ok

Alles Okay

Så fin bok med fina recept. Och så snygg !!Till ett riktigt bra pris dessutom.

I lost my hardcover edition of this book and I just bought the kindle version because I missed it so much. The subtitle of this book is "A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts)" is perfect because the book contains many recipes that lovers of Italian foods from other regions of Italy will recognize and love, but the many photos of Venice, along with the "Gazetteer" and list of cafes and restaurants at the book's end, will have every lover of that city pining away for it.A visit to Venice notwithstanding, this cookbook is the next best thing. The unfussy, generally easy, and wonderfully delicious recipes evoke not only the flavors of Venice, but capture the languorous atmosphere of the city as well.One thing to note, however, is that the measurements in the book are metric. In the non-digital version, it was easy to make hand-written notes next to the amounts but that is neither as easy nor as practical to do in the digital version. At least not as far as I have discovered.Many of the recipes look deceptive because they seem way too easy. That, in many ways, is the genius of this book. It is the combination of flavors and often the method of preparation instead of the number of ingredients that make these recipes shine.Among my favorites:The Cicheti will up your appetizer game like crazy.- Bacalà Mantecato - I love salt cod and this preparation of it is one that I have thrown all others over for. It's better than any brandade de morue recipe I've made (no potatoes) and it is delicious.- Tuna & Leek Crostini - Guests went crazy over this. It's not beautiful but doesn't matter once you taste it. Using good tuna in olive oil is a must.- Smoked Salmon, Horseradish and Dill Crostini - another total guest pleaser.- Anchovy & Chickpea Crostini - very good and make-ahead.The rest:- Duck, Black Olive & Tomato Ragù - my husband loves duck, so I thought I'd give this a try. Oh, oh, oh. Worth the extra steps. A company-worthy dish if ever there was one.- The Gnocchi - I can't believe I made gnocchi that was so easy and so light on the first try. Why would I ever buy it again?- Basic Tomato Sauce - this is a delicious one. Make a lot to keep on hand for itself and for other recipes.- Walnut Pesto - Oh, my, is this good. If you like bitter flavors, this is your new pesto.- Roast Potatoes & Rosemary - a little bit of additional work is required but it makes for a creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside result. So good.- Cauliflower & Fontina Gratin - A flavor combo made in heavenPick any of the Pizzetta. They are all good and very easy to make. I'd get the book just for these.Desserts - The Blood Orange & Campari Cake made with Greek yogurt and almonds. Need I say more?Drinks - The Negronis, a spritz, a Bellini and the Elderflower Lemonade fully cover my desires in this department.I consider a good cookbook to be one that I get at least three recipes that I want to repeat over and over. This book goes far beyond that. With few exceptions, I eventually want to cook my way through every recipe, and I honestly can't say that about too many cookbooks.

Le meilleur bouquin de cuisine d’esprit italien!Mon préféré en tous cas, qui détrône dans mon cœur celui que j’adore de Valentina Harris.Nous explorons des recettes depuis plus de quatre ans: proportions justes, saveurs franches, simple en application mais résultats toujours surprenants, nets, purs... à recommander!