Cooking through Life

Cerulli

Copyright © 2018 Emma Cerulli

Interior Graphics Credit: Emma Cerulli

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-4834-8027-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-8026-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018901561

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/05/2018

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world -J.R.R. Tolkien

For my family.

Preface

As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.

― Ernest Hemingway, a Moveable Feast

While some children dreamt of one day donning a cape and mask or wielding a fire hose, I imagined myself in front of a blazing hot stove tending cauldrons of bubbling concoctions. This idea sprang from spying on my Nonna as she prepared the meals that would bring the whole family together almost every week. Over a lace and plastic covered kitchen table, the family sat recounting their adventures, faces and noses blushing with every sip of homemade wine. I, along with my brother and cousins, partook of cocktails of seven up tinted pink with drops of wine. We ate more than we could, laughed until our sides split and went home with leftovers to enjoy throughout the week.

There was something magical about her kitchen; always welcoming, full of tasty treasures waiting to be snapped up by the kids. Sunday dinner began with bowls of deep red velvety tomato sauce tossed with penne and sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese. Followed by succulent baby back pork ribs and sausage cooked for hours in the tomato sauce until falling apart. Salads of sun-kissed romaine lettuce and tart apples, both from the Eden my grandfather grew in the back yard, tossed with red wine vinegar made with leftovers from the huge demijohns in their basement cantina. Everything tasted better in that kitchen.

As I grew, so did the desire and creativity within me. I watched cooking shows while other kids watched cartoons. I tried my hand at many recipes, often failing miserably. Some friends still remember my ill-fated concoctions to this day. Most thought this was a passing phase; that I would grow out of it and try a more conventional path. Alas, I spent as much time as I could, noting would be forgotten recipes from my Nonna and Zia Lina. I would help them make gnocchi and watch as they canned tomatoes using an oil drum over an open fire in the back yard. With every passing day my path was cemented thanks to the patience and love of a wonderful family and the woman who cooked this way inspired by tradition and necessity.

Once the desire was sparked, the flame was lit and the fire roared. With the support of my family, I found my way to culinary school. It was a turning point in my life, teaching me independence and hard life lessons that continue to serve me well. My eyes were forced open to this awe-inspiring culinary world, an adventure that I expect to be on for the rest of my life. A seductive parallel universe of art, aroma and flavour beckoned me, and I dove in.

While my culinary experience was once limited to classic Italian, I was now exposed to other cultures and ways of enjoying foods. I was interested in how dishes came to be, their history and legend. This anthropology of food became my clearest focus. I discovered interesting facts about food travelling across oceans, bringing different cultures together, like India and Italy. When one thinks of basil, one thinks of Italy right? Well, basil was first cultivated in India over 5000 years ago. Go figure! I needed to know if the magic I felt in my Nonna’s kitchen was found in other kitchens, from other cultures. I soon understood that no matter where you found yourself in the world, if you had a great meal with people you loved, you were living the magic.

In 1390, King Richard II published one of the first cookbooks, The Forme of Cury, written by the master cooks of his royal kitchen. On this elaborate scroll were recipes conceived by the Escoffier’s of the era. Recipes like Sauce Madame, a dish of goose stuffed with quince, pears, grapes and garlic with a sauce containing galangal which is a root much like ginger, used in Indonesian and Thai cuisine.

The use of exotic spices and nuts were essential to the dishes of the royals, even almond milk, cinnamon and black currants in omelettes. One could imagine the head chef in his whites sitting in the centre of the spacious kitchen with fires burning around him, watching the dance of his cooks as he scribbled recipes. This masterpiece is proof that every culture has something crucial to offer and it has been a part of what has shaped this modern culinary world.

While these pages are not written in Elizabethan hand, nor contain recipes of live duck, they are sprinkled with multi-cultural bits. This book is a compilation of recipes cooked during various stages of my life: Some from those days spent with my family, some from the restaurants I cooked at and some from catering luxurious affairs and even some from teaching children and adults how to properly brandish a chef ’s knife without hospitalization. These dishes are some of my favourites, like the Calamari Alla Luciana which transports me to a special place every time I make it. You will find new takes on traditional classics, mash-ups of cultures and just great food. My wish is that you will cook some of these simple and enticing dishes for your loved ones and although you won’t be in my Nonna’s kitchen, I am sure you will create magic of your own.

Recipe Guide

Below are a few tips and tricks to better follow the recipes and get the best results.

My oven is always set in °Fahrenheit.

I use extra-virgin olive oil in most of my dishes.

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper are must-haves, none of that iodized or pre-ground stuff.

Make sure your knife is nice and sharp when you cook, this will prevent injuries and help with onion tears.

Kitchen shears are great for breaking apart chickens, cutting herbs and much more, don’t let them just sit in the drawer, use them!

If you are a scatter-brain like me, get the ingredients ready before you start cooking. This will help you to not forget something in your dish.

When buying herbs and lettuce, roll them individually in damp paper towel before refrigerating them. This will help them last much longer and keep them bright.

A damp cloth underneath your cutting board will prevent it from slipping all over the counter.

A Microplane zester is an invaluable tool for zesting, grating and shaving.

If you cook a recipe and decide it needs more of something, go nuts! Don’t forget to note the change in the margin so you remember for next time.

Go through your spice cupboard once every six months and toss the spices that have lost their luster. You would be surprised at how quickly that happens.

I use parchment paper religiously, it makes clean up a breeze and is non-stick.

Get a large bowl out and use it as a garbage bowl, this is a chef’s trick and really helps with time efficiency. You won’t have to constantly run back and forth to the garbage, rather focus on your lovely meal.

When you pan fry or roast, make sure to not overcrowd the pan. Too much will result in a boiled mess, rather than nice and crispy.

Let meat rest for at least 5 minutes, under an aluminium tent after cooking it. The juices will stay locked into the meat and you will enjoy a much nicer meal.

Toasting nuts, seeds and spices helps to bring out their natural flavour.

Season. Everything. It is the golden rule of cooking, you must season at every step of the cooking process. If you wait until the end you might over or under season your dish.

Finally, mostly everything is edible so long as you don’t burn it, or over salt, even if the dish didn’t turn out the way you wanted, it will still be good. It’s ok to mess-up and fumble. That is how some of the best dishes in history were created. I have left blank pages after almost every recipe for you to scribble on. Note what you did right, what you did wrong, what you liked or disliked and what you would change. Use these pages as your very own cooking journal, something to look back on and create memories with.

Little Bites

Light the candles, they will be here soon!

I tear through the house making sure every detail is just so. Wine glasses, check, cocktail napkins, check, hors d’ oeuvres, double check. Ok we are ready.

As my guests enter my home I may look calm, but I am a duck treading water, worried if we will have enough booze, if everyone will show up and most of all if they will love the food. Do I overdo it? Sure, I do. Do my friends appreciate it? Absolutely.

Cocktail parties are stressful enough without having to worry about what you are going to cook. Gone are the days of jellied mayonnaise Bundt wreaths served with crackers and champagne cocktails, instead we have more refined palates. I love making little bites that are snapped up in minutes. Each one of these dainty dishes is exploding with flavours and individual beauty like the Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta with Goats Cheese and Balsamic Reduction, so good it was one of my dishes featured in the Gazette as a new take on traditional classics.

Take a deep breath and a huge gulp of your go-to libation. With a few of these recipes and an arsenal of witty repartee you will be the talk of the town.

Avocado Salad

Baked Camembert with Bacon & Pears

Cajun Arancini with Creole Sauce (Risotto balls)

Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas

Fresh Ricotta with Herbs

Light as a Cloud Salmon Mousse

Memories of Los Amores Pico de Gallo with Homemade Tortilla Chips

Mini Indian Tandoori Bites

Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Fresh Ricotta & Herbs

Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta with Whipped Goat’s Cheese & Balsamic Reduction

Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Smoky Eggplant Dip & Homemade Pita Chips

The Trick to A Perfect Platter

Warm Wild Mushroom Flatbreads

Avocado Salad

Avocados are awesome, aren’t they? Good-for-you fats and a wonderful creamy texture, not to mention the mild buttery flavour, what’s not to like? This is one of my all-time favourites. I try to resist eating the whole bowl, but alas, I have no will power and I will lick the bowl clean. I used to make this salad every day for my clients; they just couldn’t get enough of the stuff. The trick was cutting all the garnishes first, squeezing the limes and finishing with the avocados to make sure they didn’t brown. Mind you I was making this in huge quantities, going through cases and cases of avocados for just one batch!

For this recipe you want to find avocados that are just ripe, still a little firm. If the avocados are too ripe, the dice won’t hold, and you will have a purée. To choose the avocado, pick ones with dark skin and squeeze gently to test the firmness. The ones with a slight give are perfect! Make sure to add the avocados last as they oxidize quickly, turning brown. To prevent the salad from turning brown, put it in a plastic container and press some plastic wrap onto the surface so there is no air touching it, then cover with the container lid. This will last 3 - 4 days in