SPQR: Modern Italian Food and Wine

This cookbook and wine guide is indeed like “a slow-paced passeggiata,” or stroll, along the ancient Roman roads of Lazio (Via Appia), Umbria (Via Flaminia), Emilia Romagna and Lombardia (Via Aemilia) and Liguria and Toscana (Via Aurelia). Lindgren, the wine director and co-owner of San Francisco restaurants A16 and SPQR, begins each chapter with a description of the regions’ wines, including grape types and producers. Accarrino, the executive chef of SPQR, provides authentic locally inspired recipes. SPQR, an acronym that stands for the Senate and the People of Rome, is a proclamation of Roman democracy. History and travel enthusiasts will be pleased with the wealth of information this book provides. Accarrino admits that his approach to cooking “uses techniques that may be somewhat unfamiliar to home cooks,” but explains, “only by challenging yourself to learn new techniques and methods do you become a better cook.” Smoked trout with warm potato salad and horseradish gelatina requires readers to fashion a stovetop smoker, then cook trout sous vide, in vacuum-sealed pouches. Ambitious and adventurous home chefs will be big fans. (Oct.)