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Cucina
Ebraica:
Flavors of the Italian Jewish Kitchen
By Joyce Goldstein.
Photographs by Ellen Silverman.
Chronicle Books www.chroniclebooks.com.
Hardcover. 208 pages $29.95
An abiding love of Italy and all things Italian inspired
Ms. Goldstein, a renowned chef and cookbook author, in her
compilation of this fascinating celebration of good food,
culture and history.
It was during a sojourn in Italy that Ms. Goldstein taught
herself to cook, asking questions in restaurants and at
the markets and requesting recipes from friends. Years later,
a determination to make the Passover seder in her San Francisco-based
Italian restaurant as authentically Jewish Italian as possible
started her on a quest to identify Jewish Italian foods
and flavors, a love which has culminated in the publishing
of this special cookbook. "This book does not pretend to
be a comprehensive study of the food of the Italian Jews.
Instead, it is a personal selection of some of my favorite
Italian Jewish recipes, those that I thought the home cooks
of today would be interested in preparing."
Cucina Ebraica is an extremely beautiful book, well-laid
out with a wealth of mouth-watering photographs. It comprises
an Introduction, 10 recipe sections - ranging from Antipasti
Appetizers and Minestre Soups to Salse Sauces and Dolci
Desserts - and a Bibliography, Index and Table of Equivalents.
Each recipe section starts with an informative and interesting
account of how that particular type of food is prepared
and served in the Italian Jewish way, and each recipe comes
with its own history (see the Pepperoni
Ripieni Peppers Stuffed with Eggplant
recipe below). For instance, to quote
from the introduction to the Verdure Vegetables section,
the largest section in the book, "In the old days, most
Italian Jewish meals were based around grains and vegetables,
so it is not surprising that vegetables make up the largest
chapter in this book...Because vegetables were readily available
and generally inexpensive, an extensive repertoire of vegetable
recipes evolved. Cooks loved to take these humble ingredients
and make them festive and filling. ..Such dishes were often
the centerpiece of the meal, and rivaled the huge roster
of vegetable-based pastas, risotti, and savory pies that
the Italian Jews also favored."
Recipe for Pepperoni
Ripieni Peppers Stuffed with Egglant from Cucina
Ebraica
The Introduction to Cucina Ebraica is well-worth reading.
As well as recounting the Ms. Goldstein's personal odyssey
into the realm of Italian Jewish cuisine, it chronicles
the history of the Jews in Italy through the over 2000 years
of their life in Italy, and tells about the recipes and
why they are uniquely Jewish.
Savor the Italian countryside in this unique cookbook, a
delight to all the senses.
Joyce
Goldstein is the acclaimed author of many award-winning
cookbooks, including The Mediterranean Kitchen, Back to
Square One, and Kitchen Conversations. Her culinary expertise
shone at her famed Mediterranean-style restaurant Square
One, and she is now a consultant to other restaurants on
recipe development, menu planning, and chef training. A
cooking istructor for more than two decades, Joyce Goldstein
continues to teach at cooking schools across the country.
She lives in San Francisco, Californina.
Ellen Silverman is a New-York based still life photographer
who specializes in food photography. Her work has appeared
in several cookbooks and is regularly featured in many home
and food magazines. Available through eluna.com and major
booksellers.
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