The Rambling Epicure

11/10/2019

If there were times whole oceans rose up in her old eyes, well, we knew why; thoughts about a life that might have been. But she never let tears wet her bosom for long – she moved on – in acceptance, in grace, loving her life, her family, her kitchen.

The kitchen and her heart went dark in the year of The Bicentennial. So broken by grief was I, I ran away to avoid the wake. I couldn’t bear to say goodbye. I keep every day for saying goodbye by firing up the stove for cooking up a cauldron of Koshari, frying up a mess of onions in good olive oil for M’jadara, closing my eyes and conjuring up Nana in her kitchen, persimmons in ceramic bowls, hard candies and oranges and apples for anyone who might drop by. We learn so much from watching. We celebrate the nurturing women in our lives by nurturing ourselves and others. We nourish ourselves. We eat.

--Leo Racicot

by Leo Racicot Along with an uncanny mastery of seven languages perfected while she was a scholarship student

13/08/2019

Post No. 3A. A Taste of Naples: Neapolitan Culture, Cuisine, and Cooking, by Marlena Spieler. Chapter 3. Recipe for cook-along: Peperonata Napoletana/Braised Red and Yellow Peppers with Tomatoes. Cook along with other members of the group and discuss the results using these plentiful summer vegetables.

You can follow this in our sister group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/725605220836962/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

13/08/2019

I’ve flirted with historic cooking for years, but somehow, the relationship never took off. I would get frustrated by arcane language and ingredients and turn to something more familiar and easier to cook. Cynthia Bertelsen’s new book, A Hastiness of Cooks, has provided the catalyst that just may spark a beautiful relationship.
--Margie Gibson

Book Review: A Hastiness of Cooks by Margie Gibson I’ve flirted with historic cooking for years, but

07/08/2019

While waiting for the return of full, stable Wifi in my neighborhood, I suggest we launch the reading of Marlena Spieler's book by following a seasonal recipe the ingredients to which most all of us would have access: zucchine alla scapece from her book A Taste of Florence. Let's follow it together and discuss the results in our sister group, Mastering the Art of Food Writing, just like one does in a regular cook-along.

31/07/2019

The Rambling Epicure Book-a-Month club will be reading Marlena Spieler's A Taste of Naples: Neapolitan Culture, Cuisine, and Cooking from August 5 to September 5. Get your copy now and join us. Discussions take place in the form of daily posts in our sister group Mastering the Art of Food Writing wall. See you there!

Goodreads writes: "In other places, it might seem trite or cliché to say that love is an essential component of cooking, food, and dining. But in the shadow of a still-fuming Vesuvio, the love of everyday life is palpable in Naples: that passion for life is the spirit that guides Neapolitan cuisine. You can taste it in everything.

"To truly know Napoli and Neapolitan food, you must not stay within its city limits. The entire region may be called Campania, but it is also: Napoli. The entire region shares similar characteristics, especially in its cuisine, and its surrounding areas also grow so much of what feeds the city, bringing pleasure and sustenance to the table and to life.

"In this tantalizing tour of the culture and cuisine of Napoli, Marlena Spieler reveals the tastes, sights, and sounds of the city and surrounding area (including its islands) in gorgeous detail. Using her own experiences and conversations with others, both tourists and residents alike, she offers us the rich history of this unique culture and cuisine, telling the story through recipes, history, and traditions, especially the special dishes and celebrations that follow every Neapolitan throughout the year. Open its pages and step into a sensory tour of this unique city."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/725605220836962/

25/07/2019

Pistachio and lemon ricotta cannolo.

25/07/2019

Describe the perfect picnic.

25/07/2019

A new series of articles on The Rambling Epicure, A Literary Culinary Journal: The Four Courses of the Apocalypse, by Leo Racicot, who tells endearing stories about his friendships with Julia Child and M.F.K. Fisher along with a few funny stories about his first cooking adventures.

Remembrance of Food Past: The Four Courses of the Apocalypse by Leo Racicot One of the glaring ironies of my