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... Continue reading

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] crisp, tender, savory: so good! (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) While looking up traditional recipes that use chives (Allium schoenoprasum) of which I get a nice supply from my garden, I discovered Korean pancakes (frittelle coreane) called Buchujeon1 made with garlic chives (Allium tuberosum, a.k.a., Chinese leeks, chinese chives), which also grows in my garden. While chives' leaves are tubular, those of garlic chives are flat. young garlic chives in my garden... Most of the recipes I read is vegan, made without eggs, and I adopted this format. I reduced the quantities to make... Continue reading

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] Earthy and sweet condiment for many uses (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Making a chutney had been on my wish list for a while and the chance materialized recently when, wanting to prepare a savory dish using dates, I came across recipes for Bengali tomato and date chutney (Tomato Khejur Chutney), each one a bit different.1 Below I give you my version, adapted to my taste and influenced by my Italian roots. For my first try, I had tomatoes from the farmers' market. We spent a few days in Central California and visited the... Continue reading

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] a pretty dish to bring to the table While searching for a traditional Italian dish using cauliflower, I found a recipe from Piemonte, whose name references the first prime minister of Italy, Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour (count of Cavour, usually referred to simply as Cavour1). In reading the details, I was intrigued by the combination of cauliflower, cheese, egg (uovo) and anchovies (acciughe) and decided to try it. beauties on display Cauliflower Cavour has an interesting flavor, the cheese, egg and anchovies all providing a note, without anyone being overwhelming), is fairly easy to... Continue reading

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] ready to spoon some? (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the novel The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan1 which tells the story of four women in Kent, UK, during WWII. The food rations in effect at that time play a central role: they affected everyone and cooks in particular, tasked as they were to prepare nourishing and tasty meals with what the rations provided. (Vegetable gardens and foraging enriched the limited availability of ingredients.) The novel's title refers to a BBC program devised to provide ideas on... Continue reading

jump to Recipe [versione in italiano] flavor and color bursting from the bowl (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO) The novel Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman1 is our current Cook the Books Club selection. I enjoyed the story of the friendship between Kate and Miss Cecily and the style in which it is told. It was a reading that satisfied well the need for something light during an intense period. When the story feels like it is sliding under a shadow of predictability, Zimmerman inserts a surprise to keep the reader's interest alive. This happens even beyond... Continue reading