Mid-Century Culinary Lore
Originally published in Italy in 1928 as Talismano della Felicita, Ada Boni’s Talisman Italian Cook Book was, as far as I can tell, the cook book that launched Italian cuisine into the forefront of the American mainstream. There really doesn’t seem to be a cook book published in America before this one that had as …
Another deceptively simple brunch dish from Ada Boni’s The Talisman Italian Cook Book (USA trans. 1950). I actually learned a new technique preparing this dish by incorporation flour into the egg batter for the omelette. Something I had never seen up to this point in my life. The result was almost imperceptible but I feel …
This Sicilian Easter dessert is a combination of sponge cake and sweetened ricotta. Definitely for the ones with a serious sweet tooth as this hit my upper echelon of sugar tolerance. I won’t go into great detail about the history of this cake because there is already an incredible account here. Ingredients Sponge Cake:5 egg …
I mean the name says it all. But this dish still makes it onto the list. Easy to execute and full of flavour, perfect for a week night dinner. Ingredients 1 lb spaghetti3 onions, chopped1 lb mushrooms, chopped3 cups canned tomatoes1 tsp salt1/8 tsp pepper1 lb Italian sausage (Hot or Sweet to preference), chopped4 black …
What do you call a dessert crepe without any flour? Why, a sweet omelette of course! Because that’s exactly what it is. I was rather curious about this one because…well, an omelette is always savoury isn’t it? I guess not is the answer. It kind of acts as a dessert crepe but there is that …
I suppose it should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed my posts on Ada Boni’s “The Talisman Italian Cook Book” that I love pasta. I also seem to gravitate towards the Sicilian end of the Italian cuisine spectrum. Hence, this pasta which combines the vibrant flavours of caponatina with spaghetti is really …
Reminiscent of the British ‘Scotch Egg,’ these Italian Eggs Hunter Style are breaded, deep fried and then served in a salty-sour beef broth and caper dressing. Pretty delicious as brunch dishes go. So good, in fact, I’d call this dish restaurant quality. Ingredints 4 hardboiled eggs1/2 cup bread crumbs1 egg, beaten3 tbsp olive oil1/2 cup …
Perhaps because we are less likely to host grand brunches or experiment with our own breakfast routine, I am inevitably attracted to brunch recipes in my cook book collection. A delightful surprise is that Ada Boni’s The Talisman Italian Cook Book actually has a fairly ample ‘Eggs’ section in her cook book. Surprising, because I …
I am endlessly fascinated by vintage recipes that somehow seemed at the time relevant enough to find themselves in fairly authoritative cook books and yet seem to have no other artifact of their existence or origin aside from that very book. Enter “Pizza di Scammero” from Ada Boni’s The Talisman Italian Cook Book. Boni’s pizza …
Chocolate pudding? Chocolate pudding! This chocolate pasticciera cream is a delicious made from scratch chocolate pudding that acts as the perfect vehicle for anything you’d like to pair with it, in this case some absolutely luxurious Amareena cherries. Ingredients 3 tbsp sugar3 egg yolks3 tbsp flour1/2 tsp vanilla2 cups milk1 tbsp butter2 oz dark baker’s …
