To understand this book, you have to understand the author: Eleonora Galasso. She describes herself as a food interpreter and she surely is that. Her life is filled with food from every perspective. Visit her website, http://www.eleonoragalasso.com/about/, and you wonder if she ever has time sleep. She writes, teaches, does pop up secret restaurants, consults, and bops among Rome, Paris and London.
Rome. Rome is home. Raised in Southern Italy she’s been absorbed by food from the start. In this book, cleverly subtitled La Dolce Vita in a Cookbook, Eleonora supplies Roman recipes of every sort for every part of the day. Some recipes are classics, and some are her interpretations of classics and then there are her new ideas that, I think, may be destined to be considered classic.
Consider this dish: Rice and Lemon Sole Timbale with Prosecco Gravy. The picture, one of the perfect shots by David Loftus, surely catches your eye. But the recipe title, talking about Prosecco Gravy, is equally influential. You see this recipe, you read the title, and you are compelled to begin cooking.
The eleven chapters here will take you from your early rising to well-past midnight. Breakfast, lunch, aperitivo, romantic dinners, regular dinners, festive dining, desserts, provisions, and midnight munchies all become page turners. Here are some of the recipe ideas for you to ponder:
Brioche Braid with Chocolate Flakes
Polenta Cakes with Pumpkin and Apples
Baked Sweet Wine Pretzels
Rosetta Loaf with Mortadella, Stracchino Cheese and Homemade Mostarda
Savoy Cabbage Veal Rolls
Chicken Galatine with Cheese-Dipped Grapes
Seabream in Potato Crust
Stewed Rabbit with Grapes and Olives
Slice Veal with Marsala Accompanied by Spinach and Stale Bread
Lemon Tiramisu
Roman Style Meringue with Orange Sauce
These are intense recipes, compounds of multiple flavors and textures to give you what can only be called elegant comfort food. Typically Italian, the recipes often span a dozen ingredients or more. There are intermediate preparation steps and then some final consolidation of components into a magnificent final presentation. Here’s a picture of that Seabream in Potato Crust:
You’ll find the pasta dishes quite intriguing. Not just boiled in water, the pasta appears in dishes like:
- Cappelletti Pasta Cake with Cream, Ham, Liver and Peas
- Baked Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta and Provola Cheese
As the Romans Do will happily challenge you. It’s impossible to just page through the book. You’ll be putting stickies here and there. Where to start will be the only question that might perplex you. Me? Suzi and I are doing the Savoy Cabbage Veal Bundles with mortadella, peanuts, dill, Parmesan, basil, onion, bacon, and sage. We’ll have our feet up, white wine on command, and a plate of these cabbage parcels gleaming in sauce before us.
As the Romans Do has just been published. You should take the hint and do/go Roman.