With luscious photos of the Italian countryside as tasty as the recipes inside, David Rocco's Dolce Vita is a fail-safe option for some of the best meals you will ever have. Everything in this book is so scrumptious, you will probably have that no-words-mmmm-eyes-roll-back-mmm!-fork-suspended-mid-chew-mmm!! kind of reaction that will cause others to have the I'll-have-what-she's-having kind of response. Yeah. That good.
The nature of Italian cooking is to use (relatively) few ingredients that are paired so exquisitely, the integrity of each ingredient shines through. Something as simple as tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, becomes the most beautiful thing, especially with a drizzle of olive oil. Oh, olive oil, how I love thee. I could easily wander off on an ode to olive oil, but I'll refrain. Point is, the quality of the ingredients matters. Don't plan on being able to disguise those slightly mealy tomatoes in these recipes—save those for a soup where they can hide better.
I truly appreciate Rocco's approach to cooking. Marked by a flexible, imprecise style, his recipes are forgiving. (I get the impression that he's a non-measurer, like myself, although his easy-going style comes from years of experience and centuries of innate Italian knowledge in his veins, and mine predominantly laziness and a mere yearning for that intrinsic mastery.) I decided to make his Risotto alla Puttanesca, and serve it with baked trout and sautéed vegetables. Couldn't find a version of his risotto online, but here's nearly the same thing, as spaghetti.
I wish I could have captured the sounds that accompanied the production of this meal: the splash of the cooking wine into the measuring cup, the sharp, frantic sizzle of the onions, the "applause" of the hot risotto after each ladle of liquid, or the increasingly gloopy shlurp of the thickening risotto.
I love making risotto. When all the other components of the meal are under control, and I can just stand there and stir, and pay mindful attention to the rice, I find it quite meditative and calming to just stir and stir and stir.
Re: the process: he calls for heating the stock, which I had never done before, but obviously makes sense to keep the heat, rather than cool the dish down each time you add more liquid.
Re: ingredients: Some people are iffy about anchovies, and though I wouldn't eat one straight from the can, they contribute a great flavour to a recipe, and if you cook them at the beginning with the onions, they practically dissolve. Another reason to love these small fry: I read this article recently that described how anchovy and sardine populations have increased as we've been overfishing larger, more "desirable" fish, like tuna, and we should give them more consideration. So there you go: a tasty AND environmentally conscious decision.
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