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. This dish has become something of a signature at Polpo. Whenever we take it off the menu to add some seasonal variety or to trial a new dish, there is an outcry from regulars. It is a simple recipe with only three main ingredients. The sweet, hot cooking juices from the pork coat and wilt the bitter radicchio leaves, and the hazelnuts add a good crunch. A compelling combination.

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. His highly caffeinated sentences tripped over one another, offering abundant rephrasings, clarifications and reformulations."

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Norman and Verdigel were due to travel to Venice on Tuesday for a celebratory trip after the publication of Brutto. He died on Thursday evening. 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.

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. It was the book he was most proud of,” she said. “He’s been so happy since it came out, so full of life. That book is testimony to how much he loved Italy and its spirit, and how he and his photographer Jenny Zarins could capture that. Slice the pork belly and place in the bowl with the radicchio and hazelnuts. Splash over the red wine vinegar and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Scrunch the salad together with your hands so that the dressing mixes through and the radicchio warms and wilts. Prosciutto and butternut squash with ricotta salata In a large mixing bowl, gently combine the octopus and potatoes with the garlic, parsley and chilli flakes. Season with salt and pepper and dress with olive oil and lemon juice. Broad bean, mint and ricotta bruschette The Guardian described Russell as "a macchiato-sipping, cigarette-smoking caricature of an anxious restaurateur"Turn the oven up to 240C/gas mark 9. Put the sliced onion into a roasting tin and place the pork belly on top, skin-side up. While the oven comes up to temperature, score the skin of the pork with a very sharp knife or a razor blade. You could use a clean Stanley knife from your toolbox. 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. 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. It is important that you buy your sliced prosciutto from a good Italian delicatessen. The slices should be so thin that you can almost see through them. You will also get your ricotta salata here – it's a salted, firm variation of the normally soft cheese and is perfect for grating. In 2014, he presented The Restaurant Man, a six-part primetime documentary for BBC Two. His second book, Spuntino: Comfort Food (New York Style), won the 2016 Guild of Food Writers award for best food and travel.

Toast or grill the slices of bread so that they are crunchy on the outside but still have a bit of give when squeezed. Rub one side of each slice a few times with the cut side of the garlic clove so that it melts into the bread's hot surface. Drizzle with some olive oil. Remove the squash from the oven and while still warm put on plates, drape over the thinly sliced prosciutto, grate over the ricotta salata and drizzle with a little olive oil. Sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds for texture and a little added crunch. Zucchini, basil and parmesan saladRussell first book POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (of Sorts) won the inaugural Waterstones Book of the Year prize in 2012. His second book SPUNTINO: Comfort Food, New York Style won the Guild of Food Writers Award in the Food and Travel category. We would compete to see who knew the city best,” she said. “We would race each other to see who knew the fastest route – the secret, local shortcuts – to different places.”

Verdigel and Norman travelled to Italy at least once a month, she said. Norman loved Venice in particular. For our very first Waterstones Book of the Year, we wanted a book that reflected publishing’s response to the growing threat of the internet. A book that showcased fine production standards, something beautifully-written, a volume unafraid to celebrate the niche and showcase that to a much wider audience. This stunning brand-new cookbook offers outstanding recipes from Russell Norman's acclaimed new restaurant, Trattoria Brutto, alongside an ode to one of Italy's most beloved cities, Florence, and specifically the bohemian district of Santo Spirito.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 Norman has died aged 57 following a cardiac arrest. BBC Saturday Kitchen star Norman was known for starting the Polpo chain of restaurants, as well as spin-offs Spuntino and Polpetto. He had a real sense of hospitality, as well as joy, intelligence, generosity and an eye for detail. He had a magpie tendency: he would take inspiration from restaurants in Italy, New York and London and bring them all together.” Brutto ma buono - ugly but good. This is the food of Florence - rigorously simple, few ingredients, exceptionally good. 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.