Thursday, October 14, 2010

Cooking with Italian Grandmothers


Last night at 29 South we joined farm to table restaurants across the country in celebration of the debut of Cooking with Italian Grandmothers by Jessica Theroux.  It is a beautiful book...part travel diary, part photo essay, part cookbook.  Jessica is a chef based out of San Francisco and she was rewarded a grant to travel Italy and collect the recipes of its matriarchs.  I am sure it was a grueling experience...amazing food, gorgeous landscapes, and extraordinary women.  I can't think of a better way to spend a year of one's life.

Grandmothers are the bards of a region's culinary heritage.  It is from them that the traditional foods are passed down through the generations. It was an honor to be apart of this national event.  We sold every book, and took orders for more. It was a wonderful evening...4 courses of traditional Italian dishes, each meticulously paired with a delicious wine is hard to beat.  Chef went above and beyond.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.  Here are some of the highlights of the meal.  


Antipasto
Proscuitto with Roasted Peaches and Arugula

Crostini with Chicken Livers and Cipollini

Primo
Rigatoni with Spicy Eggplant and Pignoli

Chianti Brased Veal Cheeks on Chestnut Lasagna

Secondo
Hen Braised with Olives on Creamy Polenta
The other choices for the 3rd course were
Roasted Catch on Truffled White Beans
Wild Boar Sausage on Kale and Ricotta

Dolce
Roasted Forelle Pear with Naked Bee Honey and Pecorino

Lemon Crostata with Olive and Truffle Ice Cream

Bravo Chef!




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