Norman Russell

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 bacaro 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; tiramisu; fizzy bellinis and glasses of bright orange spritz. With luminescent photography by Jenny Zarins, which captures the unfrequented corners, the bustling bacari and the sublime waterways of Venice, POLPO is a dazzling tribute to Italy's greatest hidden cuisine.

The latest cookbook from the award-winning author of POLPO Russell Norman returns to Venice - the city that inspired POLPO - to immerse himself in the authentic flavours of the Veneto and the culinary traditions of the city. His rustic kitchen - in the residential quarter of the city where washing hangs across the narrow streets and neighbours don't bother to lock their doors - provides the perfect backdrop for this adventure, and for the 130 lip-smacking, easy Italian family recipes showcasing the simple but exquisite flavours of Venice. The book also affords us a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of the city, its hidden architectural gems, its secret places, the embedded history, the colour and vitality of daily life, and the food merchants and growers who make Venice so surprisingly vibrant. Praise for Polpo 'POLPO does what a great cookbook should do: it makes you urgently want to cook and breaks new territory' Daily Telegraph 'Wonderful ... the dishes are simple, with relatively few ingredients, but they're inspired' Evening Standard 'Delicious' Daily Mail