A luscious cookbook of little known Venetian specialties from one of London's hottest restaurants, accompanied by luminous photographs. He was highly intelligent, very beautiful and just a really good man,” he said. “I have so many memories of sitting with him and our friends in tiny Venetian bars, drinking Aperol spritz and talking to the people who owned the bar after all having had a good lunch. He was a great friend to so many people.” Remove the octopus from the cooking water and allow it to cool. Cut the cooked and cooled octopus into bite-sized pieces, discarding the eyes, beak and the mush inside the head. Remove the skin. Rinse the cut pieces in clean water.

Russell is survived by his partner, Dr Genevieve Verdigel, an art historian specialising in the Italian Renaissance, and three children. Ricotta is readily available from Italian specialists and even in good supermarkets now. This dish is a joy to prepare. I don't know about you, but podding and skinning broad beans is one of my favourite kitchen pastimes. No, really, it is. Norman was due to eat at the River Café on Friday night with his friend the restaurateur Ruth Rogers. She said: “Russell Norman was a friend to us all in the River Café. He made London a better city for food, inspiring and encouraging a love of Italian food. We shall miss him.”Core the radicchio and remove all the leaves, tearing the larger ones in half. Place in a large mixing bowl. Use the warm pork fat and juices to dress the radicchio salad with the toasted and chopped hazelnuts. Travel the length of the country and in almost every town, there’s a chic little trattoria or osteria that owes a debt to Norman’s vision. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the squashes in half and remove the seeds and the hard stalk. Now cut the remaining halves into large bite-sized pieces. Scatter them on to a roasting tray and splash on a good amount of olive oil, add a good pinch of salt and pepper and the torn sage leaves. His highly caffeinated sentences tripped over one another, offering abundant rephrasings, clarifications and reformulations."

Verdigel and Norman travelled to Italy at least once a month, she said. Norman loved Venice in particular. He loved seeking the offbeat place; the places frequented by the locals and in which you feel like you are escaping from the conventional worldview.” Cut the peeled potatoes into bite-sized pieces, put into a pan of water, bring to the boil and then simmer until cooked. Be careful not to overcook – they should not disintegrate. Drain and set aside. This recipe is so simple it is almost embarrassing, but it is one of my favourite uses of butternut squash. When squash is roasted it takes on a remarkably sweet flavour and a delightful velvety texture. And when combined with the salty tang of the ricotta and prosciutto, this dish really sings.

Retailers:

Polpo set a fine standard for a subsequent Waterstones Book of the Year winners, and also established a precedent for us in celebrating titles that mirror our own independence and enthusiasm. Remember that your pizza will benefit from being placed directly on to a hot baking sheet or pizza stone within a preheated oven – our pizzas take no longer than 5 minutes. At 250C/gas mark 9, yours will take about 6-8 minutes.

Finally, please don't worry about getting totally round and even bases for your pizzetta. In fact, it's much better if they are not; you'll get some lovely bubbling and occasional charring. He lived in Italy for a year so that, he said, he could “learn to cook like a 90-year-old Venetian granny” for his third book, Venice: Four Seasons of Home Cooking. His latest book, Brutto: a (Simple) Florentine Cookbook, was published this month. First you need to soften up your octopus. You do this simply by freezing it and then thawing; this breaks down the toughness in the cellular structure of the flesh. In a very large pan, simmer the octopus in unsalted water on a medium-low heat with the fennel, onion, celery and parsley stalks until tender enough to push a fork easily through the flesh. This should take no more than 1 hour.However, one of the main reasons that I love Polpo is because it's a 'small plate' place, where you mix several dishes between everyone. But while I love eating out that way, it's certainly not very easy to recreate at home. I have managed to put together mezze meals before with the help of a friend or two, but it's always rather stressful. So while I'm very happy to try out a lot of the recipes in this book, I think I'll enjoy leaving the complete Polpo experience to the experts... This is easily one of the most popular dishes on the summer menu at Polpo. The bright colours are such strong indicators of the flavours that are to follow, but despite the assertiveness of the ingredients, it is still a subtle and delicate combination. Including Russell's captivating stories and insider advice, Brutto is a proudly fuss-free recipe book to use every day, wherever you are, and an joyous tribute to Italy's greatest rustic cuisine. Read more Details