“A slow fire”, the cooking novel that tells the importance of lightness (and love)

We had left them while writing messages in chat and email: then Fabio (who for months had hid under the false name of a woman, Maria) e Francesca, they continued to exchange recipes, confidences and courtships only virtually. Now the single Roman engineer and the Milanese librarian married and with two children protagonists of Lord, they return to the bookstore to tell how their love and cooking story continued: they do it in In Slow Focus (Feltrinelli), the sequel we all expected written by journalist Elena Dallorso with the engineer and producer Francesco Nicchiarelli.

“This follow-up was requested by the readers,” says Francesco Nicchiarelli. In Slow Focus it will not disappoint them nor will it disappoint those who do not know the first part: it is written so that it can also be read by itself and, just like Lordship, it is difficult to break away from it because it happens – once again of everything – and is told in a light and never predictable way, as we need now.

This time Elena Dallorso and Francesco Nicchiarelli asked their characters to face the complex transition from virtual to real life. By a strange coincidence, or perhaps a sign of fate, in In Slow Focus Fabio and Francesca find themselves in the same city and in the same kitchen, in Rome, and from here their story starts again (together with the emotional upheavals). “The passion for cooking – says Elena Dallorso – can give birth or consolidate a love, but at the same time it is very high the risk that everything will blow up because the kitchen is a very, very, delicate space. Fabio and Francesca realize it immediately: they are two people who have found a common language on the web talking about recipes but then, when they really find themselves together in front of the stove, a place where everyone has their obsessions and ways of to do, they have to face tensions because one tries to override the other ». “From here – continues Francesco Nicchiarelli – the idea of ​​the title was born: In Slow Focus it is a warning not to raise the flame because building a relationship, as with many well-made dishes, requires time and patience».

You can understand why by leafing through the pages of the book, once again full (also) of recipes, as always tried by the authors (great cooking enthusiasts). In Lordship the symbol dish was i tonnarelli with cheese and pepper, in a Slow fire instead they are two: the rice balls and the cipuddata. The first of Francesca – sober, always elegant, precise, one of those who want to keep life under control but this time it seems to wobble -, the second is to Fabio, who in this new chapter of history appears more pompous and pedantic than ever, but also much more passionate. «Rice balls and cipuddata – says Elena Dallorso – are like two approaches to life: cipuddata is an aggressive dish for the sense of smell and more, while rice balls are an ethereal thing. It is the recipe of Japanese mothers: light and genuine, simple ». Because lightness is important, and it’s not just a woman thing.

“Male friends – continues Francesco Nicchiarelli – they ask me why they should read the book as men, thinking it is for women only: I answer that they should do it not only because it is a book that tickles the curiosity of those who are passionate about cooking, but also because this book can help them understand concepts related to love which otherwise would be difficult to understand. Often we males don’t realize that the approach with a woman also passes through non-programmable elements, and therefore from lightness. This discovery can be interesting and productive ». «Lightness is fundamental: it is not stupidity, it means giving things the importance they deserve. This is what we have built our history on»Concludes Elena Dallorso. A beautiful, contemporary story that makes you smile and that teaches us not to take ourselves too seriously because life can change at any moment. We will see her again soon on TV: the story of Fabio and Francesca is about to become a series.