February2013
The Literate
Epicures met at the Newtown Bookshop to discuss and enjoy recipes from The
Canal House Cooking Volume 7 – La Dolce Vita. This tome celebrates
the fall harvest and holiday season with Italian recipes, some classic, some reinterpreted
Canal House style. My apologies in advance, it seems my phone decided the photos of the dishes were so delicious looking it ate them. I am trying to get my teenage tech wiz to retrieve them from my elusive SD card file, but until then you will have to rely on my pitiful descriptions.
We began with a Canal House recipe that is not in this particular
cookbook, but one I had been looking for an excuse to make. The Potted Crab and
Meyer Lemon recipe originally appeared in a spring 2012 issue of Bon Appetit
magazine, but since it was a Canal House recipe I decided to make it as a bonus
dish in addition to the Jam Tart that is in La Dolce Vita. This is a dish that
everyone enjoyed and I will make again. It was easy to put together, only 4
ingredients, and a fantastic result that was served over toast points. Very
rich and lemony it is a perfect started for any time of year.
Margy made the Minestrone and she also commented that it was very
easy to make. She had difficulty finding Romano beans and ended up substituting
green beans which was a great option. She also substituted vegetable stock for
the beef stock to make it truly vegetarian. This is a great soup that
definitely highlights the wonderful veggies and one could easily substitute
veggies of the season.
Janet made the Chick Peas with Stewed tomatoes. She also commented
on how easy it was to make with readily available ingredients. She did caution
that the recipe calls for canned San Marzano tomatoes, and one must check the
label to make sure they are the real thing. It seems there may be imposter
canned tomatoes labeled San Marzano that aren’t really from Italy, it is worth
searching the aisles of the supermarket for the far superior imported ones.
This was a delicious dish that appealed to the vegetarians and meat eaters
alike.
Brenda made the Meatballs with Mint and Parsley. Ground pork,
ground veal and “a slab of prosciutto” were the meats that were mixed with
ricotta, eggs, parmesan, mint and parsley. The sauce was made by deglazing the
pan with white wine and then adding heavy cream. Brenda was a Prosciutto virgin
before this recipe, but will definitely be incorporating it in future recipes.
She was hesitant about the cookbook, not really sure the recipes were of
interest, but she ended p loving the book. We all agreed the meatballs had a
lovely texture and flavor and the mint added a nice flavor without being overwhelming.
Gerry made the Stuffed Onion Piedmontese. She also mentioned that
they were easy to make with the prosciutto and breadcrumb stuffing and that the
same stuffing could be used in other veggies. She was very pleased with the
recipe, her family really enjoys onions in all forms and this one didn’t
disappoint. A wonderful side dish that will be made again.
Marian made the Cheesecake from Rome’s Jewish Quarter. Lemon and
zest, cinnamon, only 3 Tbsp of sugar and ricotta combined to make a delicious
cheesecake with a slightly different texture than what you may be familiar
with. It took lots and lots of bowls and lots and lots of folding, but the end
result was worth it! A great way to end an Italian meal.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I also made the Jam Tart. The short
crust was enhanced with a few tablespoons of white wine and was easy to work
with. A good quality jarred jam worked nicely in the short crust, though
homemade would have taken it over the top. This was not a complicated recipe,
and is an easy way to add a homemade dessert to a weekday meal.
Everyone enjoyed the Canal House Cooking Vol 7 cookbook and will
go back to it when the mood for Italian strikes.
Our next cookbook is Edwardian Cooking: 80 Recipes Inspired by
Downton Abbey's Elegant Meals. With the huge popularity of the series, many of
us are really excited about cooking from this book for the March meeting. Yours
truly has already made 3 recipes from it and they have all been wonderful!
