A new cookbook deserves
the attention of anyone interested in Italian food. Russell Norman’s Polpo [2012] includes Venetian
small-plate dishes (cichèti or cicchètti) served in the wine bars (bàcari) of Venice. Although not
technically a regional cookbook—Norman subtitled his book “A Venetian Cookbook
(Of Sorts)”—Polpo embraces the spirit
of Venetian food.
No doubt Polpo will receive a fair amount of review
because its design exposes the signatures and their stitching normally hidden—some
might say protected—behind a book’s spine. It’s a pretty gutsy move for a trade
book, let alone a cookbook destined to work (and often to get dirty) in a
kitchen. But as Norman points out in a short film located on his restaurant’s
website [polpo.co.uk], if you open the book to any page, the book remains flat
and open.
In addition to an Introduction and Gazetteer (“a short and subjective guide to some of Venice’s wine bars and restaurants”), Polpo covers cichèti, breads, fish, meat, vegetables, desserts, and drinks. Some of these recipes are uniquely Venetian, such as Sardèle in Saór Crostini (Sweet and Sour Sardines on Toast), Baccalà Mantecato (Salt Cod Spread) and Fegato alla Veneziana (Liver Venetian-style). Many of the other recipes come from different parts of Italy or simply have an Italian spirit. However, all of the recipes share a direct approach where success depends in large part on excellent-quality ingredients. Polpo specifies ingredients that are reasonably available in Britain, the cookbook’s country of origin; United States readers shouldn’t have any significant problems finding ingredients over here.
And what of pasta? Not terribly
much, I’m afraid. With its focus on bàcari
fare, the book doesn’t contain many pasta dishes. In fact, Polpo has only a few. One of these is Bìgoli in Salsa. Although Polpo the restaurant makes its own
whole-wheat bigoli in a torchio (here), Norman doesn’t include this
fresh pasta recipe. Damn. Instead, he writes you can “simply use a dried
wholegrain spaghetti like all Venetian bàcari
do.” No doubt this is true.
I’ll admit being
disappointed upon learning that Polpo
does not contain a fresh bigoli
recipe. I needed a drink to lift my spirits. Thankfully Polpo does include a good Spritz recipe. Norman writes a “Spritz is
a mixture of white wine (sometimes sparkling Prosecco is used), a bitter such
as Campari or Aperol and a splash of soda water. The garnish should always be a
slice of lemon and sometimes an olive too.” Wait! Always a slice of lemon? (And not an orange slice!) And sometimes Prosecco?! Norman continues:
“[o]f course, there are many ways to make this drink and you will always find
someone with a strong opinion telling you that it must be made this way or it
should only ever be made like that…Well, this is how we make ours.”
For one:
- Ice
- 1 large green olive, drained of brine
- 75ml white wine—something simple from Veneto like a Garganega or a Pinot Bianco
- 50ml either Campari or Aperol
- Splash of soda water
- 1 slice of lemon
Take a large tumbler and
fill it with ice. Push a large green olive (not one that has been kept in oil)
onto the end of a cocktail skewer and pop it in the bottom of the glass. Pour
the wine. Pour the Campari or Aperol. Add a short squirt of soda water and then
a slice of lemon.
