Riso: Undiscovered Rice Dishes of Northern Italy

Course by course, region by region, and food by food, the nuances of Italian cuisine have gradually been revealed to the American palate. We've become acquainted with pasta, polenta and now, in this volume by Vitale and Lawley, with rice. While many recipes here are indeed excellent--from rice soup with leeks to bittersweet rice salad, melon and prosciutto risotto, and rice in dark butter to a rice cake with Grand Marnier--to call these ``undiscovered'' is chancey, considering the not-so-new discovery of Italian risotto by Americans and the plethora of cookbooks recently published about Italy's culinary breadbasket: the fertile north. At the volume's outset, the authors lend some valuable advice about ingredients and tools. However, their commentary about the dishes is unfortunately slim and their comments about wines are inconsistent: while ``The hearty flavors of this risotto call for a robust wine; you might try a Barbera from the Piedmont region'' is helpful counsel, ``A good bottle of Carema will enhance your Risotto alla Milanese'' doesn't give sufficient information. Moreover, ingredients available in Italy and America do vary, and a book for the American market should reflect the differences. The black olives called for in a recipe for rice salad with onions, black olives and fresh tomatoes are most likely not the common--and flavorless--canned, California Mission olives found on supermarket shelves. (Oct.)