Oh, joy - a food critic decides to write a cook book! The phrase "like a lamb to the slaughter" pops into my mind for some reason. The book in question is Matthew Fort's Eating Up Italy - I assumed it must be a cook book because it was in the cookery section at the bookshop, but actually it's as much a travel journal as a cook book.
It's a book about the story of a voyage on a Vespa, with recipes. Not so much a cook's tour as a gastronomic journey. Fort is a connoisseur of all things Italian: fine wines as well as regional recipes (and their variation from village to village, household to household). And he's definitely on a mission to explain to the rest of us about all things Italian, so it's appropriate that he's on a Vespa for his jaunt.
A Vespa may be fine for Jamie Oliver (whose control of the thing is much admired by Fort), but it's not so suitable for a self-proclaimed "balding and bespectacled" middle-aged man. Never mind, that's part of the fun.
Fort's kick-off for the book was to journey from Calabria to Turin, symbolically following the unification of north and south Italy. He writes with real passion and a love of his subject, and tackles the cultural differences between the regions.
As I read the book, it made me want to jump on a scooter and head off to do the same trip. However, not having the time to do so, I had to rely on Fort's evocative writing and cook the recipes he included.
The recipes are simple but well-written in their methodology, and I came across some that I'd never seen before. I also like the detailed explanations that Fort incorporates in the book, such as the discussion on the introduction of rice to the Italian diet - was this achieved by Alexander the Great or the Arabs? Who knows?
Strictly speaking, I don't think this is a "chef's" book, but it is written with passion and is extremely informative on all things gastronomic and Italian. Read it, and you will be tempted to try cooking the Pastiere (an Easter cake - delicious), or ricotta gnocchi with snail ragu. And many more.
The only thing that worried me about the book was the picture of Sophia Loren (or the Cheeky Girls' mum), with hairy armpits, championing a tin of anchovies held over her head. But, to end in true food-critic style, I'll give it 16.5 out of 20 (without slaying the decor, a slightly obscure flavour combination by the chef or a dodgy waiter).
Peter Robinson is chef-proprietor, King's Arms, Stow-on-the-Wold
Eating Up Italy: Voyages on a Vespa
Matthew Fort
Fourth Estate, £16.99
ISBN 1-84115-347-8