briciole

onion and fava bean soup / zuppa di cipolle e fave

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] simplicity at its best Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the novel Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus1 which tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a research chemist in California in the early 1960's, who becomes the host of a cooking show. Rowing plays a role in the book, referred to mostly as a a source of physical discomfort, if not downright suffering. I thought I would balance out that perspective with a photo I took recently while rowing on Richardson Bay (an arm of San Francisco Bay). I captioned it: for this... Read more →

honeynut squash and red beet soup / zuppa di zucca e barbabietola rossa

jump to Recipe festive colors and bright flavor Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Midnight Chicken by Ellen Risbridger1, a cookbook with stories. The most exciting thing for me related to this book is that I was able to get the electronic version from the library (biblioteca). I am still not sure how I got the various pieces to work, but one day, I clicked on a link in an email and pretty soon I could open the book in my e-reader. I don't think this is the best solution for cookbooks (seeing as the kitchen is not the... Read more →

romanesco broccoli soup / zuppa di broccolo romanesco

jump to Recipe comfort soup for winter evenings (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food From 31 Celebrated Writers, edited by Natalie Eve Garrett 1, a collection of short pieces focused on food memories, some joyful, some painful, all interesting. Each writer shares a moment or an aspect of their life, describes the food associated with it and provides the recipe. It is a pleasant read, a reminder of our deep connection with food which crosses nationalities and cultures and brings us together as humans. In the years... Read more →

tromboncino squash soup / zuppa di zucchetta

jump to Recipe creamy delight (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) In the year of COVID, in the summer (and now fall) of fires, I am clinging to cooking and reading to keep my balance. Among my to-read books, I recently chose a novel by the late Swedish author Henning Mankell (without Kurt Wallander2 as protagonist): The Man from Beijing.1 The book opens with a horrific mass murder in a remote Swedish village. Judge Birgitta Roslin, who is connected to some of the victims, gets involved the case, whose roots go back in time and space to the construction of the... Read more →

slow-roasted heirloom tomato gazpacho / gazpacho di pomodori semisecchi al forno

bright colors and flavors (napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO) A soup lover like me1 was excited to get a copy of Soup Swap: Comforting Recipes to Make and Share2 the new cookbook by Kathy Gunst3, Resident Chef for NPR's "Here and Now." If the idea of hosting or attending a Soup Swap Party sounds appealing is because it is: the book provides suggestions and tips for a successful event. Rest assured, though: you don't need to be planning a party to enjoy the book. Its recipes are dedicated to soup lovers of all sizes and flavors: they include vegetarian, vegan,... Read more →

arganak: Armenian chicken soup with meatballs / zuppa armena con polpette

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] soup with surprise (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) The 25th country of our World Culinary ABC1 is Armenia and the book I just finished reading is Still Writing by Dani Shapiro.2 The two events are connected because the book made me want to cook a special soup for the author and the list of traditional Armenian soups made me choose arganak: "chicken soup with small meatballs, garnished before serving with beaten egg yolks, lemon juice, and parsley"3 (tuorli, succo di limone e prezzemolo). Sounds appealing, doesn't it? The title of the... Read more →

sweet potato (kumara) and winter squash soup / zuppa di patata dolce (kumara) e zucca

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] an inviting bowl of soup (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) The 23rd country of our World Culinary ABC1 is New Zealand (Nuova Zelanda), a country we visited 11 years ago. I have a trunkful of great memories from the trip and only a thimbleful of space here, so the following is just a taste (assaggio). Karekare2, the beach made famous by the movie The Piano (North Island). We kayaked in many places, including the Kenepuru Sound (one of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island) and Lake Manapouri4 (South Island). The... Read more →

crozets

done with cutting crozets For me, the current selection of our Cook the Books Club, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais, was a movie before it was a novel. Ten minutes into it, I started fidgeting. Five minutes later, my husband and I agreed it was not worth watching further. Nothing happened in that quarter of an hour to make us wonder what would happen next. With that history, I approached the book with caution and was pleasantly surprised. It is much better than the movie, at least until the midpoint: the story, the characters (particularly the protagonist's mother) and the... Read more →

zuppa di spinaci / spinach soup

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] a soup bright in color and flavor (cranberry-flax ciabatta by Beck's Bakery, linen napkin from La FABBRICA del LINO) The ninth stop of our World Culinary ABC1 is Egypt (Egitto). My original plan was to make ful medames2 again, this time using the traditional small fava beans, which I found in a newly discovered store in the Bay Area. Then two things happened: 1) I read about Moloukhiya3 soup, and 2) my spring CSA share at Redwood Roots Farm4 started. This soup features the leaves of a type of jute (Corchorus olitorius)... Read more →

vermicelli di riso fatti in casa / homemade bun rice noodles

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] western-style broth meets eastern-style rice noodles The eighth stop of our World Culinary ABC1 is Vietnam. To celebrate our virtual visit I made bun rice noodles from scratch. Making an Asian pasta had been on my to-do list for a long time. Having found a detailed recipe from a reputable source2, I went to work: the process was interesting and the result quite nice. The original recipe calls for a pound of rice flour, but I applied the rule I repeat in each of my pasta posts3 and quartered the quantities. Please,... Read more →