As most Americans know it, cucina italiana is pretty hearty stuff - meat-laden, sauce-doused, and piled high. But that ain't necessarily so in Italy itself - especially in resource-blessed regions like Liguria, where seafood and fresh herbs traditionally dominate. Tom Fosnot of Rocca (500 Harrison Avenue, Boston, 617.451.5151) is not only relying on the under-recognized repertoire of this slice of the Italian Riviera, he's really representing it in all its sparkling simplicity. Take the veal-stuffed zucchini with tomato sauce; what a heavier hand might smother here just oozes with juiciness. Hot-and-sweet scampi bursts with citrus and herbs. And classic trofie with pesto proves as remarkably light in texture as it is robust in flavor.
