briciole

green cabbage with honeynut squash and chestnuts / cavolo cappuccio con zucca e castagne

jump to Recipe fall flavors combine to make a delicious side dish (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Crying in H Mart a memoir by Michelle Zauner. In August 2018, the author had an essay published in The New Yorker magazine1 with the same title. It starts like this: Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart. For those of you who don’t know, H Mart is a supermarket chain that specializes in Asian food. The "H" stands for han ah reum, a Korean phrase that roughly translates to "one arm... Read more →

shishito peppers with cheese / peperoni shishito col formaggio

jump to Recipe sweet and crunchy with a note of cheese (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Family Tree by Susan Wiggs1. The novel follow Annie as the life she thought was perfect shatters (physically, as she is the victim of a major accident, and emotionally, as the accident happens on the heels of her discovering her husband's infidelity) and is slowly rebuilt. I don't think the publisher's description "powerful, emotionally complex story" applies. However, if you enjoy stories about second chances, family and small towns you may like this novel. pretty in... Read more →

mixed vegetables with thyme / verdure miste al timo

jump to Recipe mixed vegetable with thyme (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge1. In post-war Paris, a woman is found murdered in the basement of the building where Paul and Julia Child live, and the murder weapon is a knife from Julia's kitchen. If this brief introduction sounds intriguing, you'll probably enjoy the book. I'm afraid I didn't find the novel believable.2 The narrator, a young woman named Tabitha, lives with her grandfather not far from the Childs and befriends Julia. He grows a... Read more →

winter squash and beans / zucca e fagioli

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] a simple pairing with a lot of flavor (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) This is my interpretation of a traditional dish from Italy. The first recipe I read uses black-eyed peas (fagioli dall'occhio) so that's what I used in my first version, together with some Musquée de Provence squash I found at the farmers' market. I then read other recipes which referenced "white beans" (fagioli bianchi). I had some Zolfino bean1 (fagiolo zolfino), an Italian heirloom variety, so I used that. For my final try, I used locally grown organic Yellow Eye beans, which... Read more →

savoy cabbage with egg and cheese / pipetto (verza con uovo e formaggio)

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] version with purple savoy cabbage (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Pipetto1 is a comforting side dish from Crema (a city in Lombardy, northern Italy): savoy cabbage with a mix of spices (noce moscata, pepe nero, cannella, chiodi di garofano), egg and cheese, perfect for winter. I found different recipes for it and below is my rendition. pretty purple variety of savoy cabbage (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) As the photo shows, I have made the dish with both green and purple savoy cabbage and both were excellent. version with green savoy cabbage (ceramic... Read more →

spinach pie with pine nuts and raisins / tortino di spinaci con pinoli e uvetta

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] a lot of dark leafy greens go into this dish (2nd version) (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Undercooked by Dan Adhoot1. The book is described as "a collection of hilarious essays about how food became one man’s obsession and coping mechanism, and how it came to rule—and sometimes ruin—his relationships." It was the first time I listened to an audio book read by the author: it was interesting, and in this case, a necessity, I think. I am afraid I didn't find the essays hilarious, rather... Read more →

Turkish-style celeriac (celery root) / sedano rapa stile turco

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] a comforting dish with winter vegetables (dish by @fem_pottery, placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Cold weather makes me crave comforting dishes, with a solid flavor. This is my rendition of the Turkish dish Zeytinyağlı Kereviz, where kereviz means celeriac (also called celery root) and zeytinyağlı describes the cooking method, in olive oil. Celeriac is a beautiful root vegetable with a mild celery flavor and a sweet note when cooked. It is hard to miss when displayed at the farmers' market. (The photo above is from a few years ago.) As I was experimenting with... Read more →

farrecchiata: polenta di roveja

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] a personal take on a traditional Umbrian dish (dish by @fem_pottery, placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Our current Cook the Books Club selection is The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller1. The novel tells the story of Olivia Rawlings, pastry chef in an exclusive club in Boston, who, after losing her job, takes refuge in the town of Guthrie, Vermont. The connection to Guthrie is her friend Hannah, who lives there with her husband. Olivia is hired as pastry chef at the local inn and quickly gets involved in town's activities.... Read more →

quinoa atamalada / quinoa "tipo tamale"

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] flavorful quinoa served in a ceramic dish by @fem_pottery (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) In looking for a recipe that features quinoa1 I found one with an intriguing name: atamalada2 "tamale-like." What I like about this dish is that the quinoa is flavorful but not strongly so and accompanies well other dishes, like roasted vegetables, which I am preparing often these days. perfect as accompaniment to roasted vegetables (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) I was also intrigued by the use of aji amarillo paste3 and set about making my own. some of the... Read more →

roasted eggplant with tomato sauce and yogurt / melanzane arrosto con sugo di pomodoro e yogurt

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] eggplant and tomatoes: summer on a plate (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) The combination of eggplant and tomatoes is a favorite of mine. A summer dish I particularly enjoy is my version of parmigiana di melanzane, where I roast the two main ingredients and use two types of cheese1. A few years ago, I made a Persian dish that brings together eggplant and tomatoes with yellow split pea1. Eggplant is a popular vegetable in the Middle East, as baba ganoush lovers may know. Recently I discovered a couple of eggplant recipes from Afghanistan, including... Read more →