Cutting live crabs, slow roasting a pork shoulder and skinning a bone-in eel don't usually call to mind "easy" cooking, but Gray and Rogers, cofounders of the River Cafe in London (and authors of the River Cafe cookbook series), include the above culinary tasks in their follow-up to 2004's Italian Easy
. The authors have compiled a collection of 150 regional Italian recipes, haphazardly divided into chapters such as Mozzarella, Tomato Pasta and "Fish with...." The odd organization obscures a strong collection of appealing and time-conscious regional recipes such as Fried Eggplant, Basil and Tomato; Orecchiette, Tomato, Ricotta; Sea Bass Baked in Sea Salt; and Chocolate and Coffee Sorbet. Full-page color photos and a list of Italian food suppliers make the book somewhat user friendly, yet basic information such as serving sizes (listed away from recipes) and curiously placed headnotes, which warn of unusual ingredients or difficult preparation (placed at the end of instruction), are counterintuitive. (June)
