Well - as I finish off writing this latest posting (apologies for the delay) I'm still shocked that the United Kingdom has just voted to take us out of the European Union and I can't help feeling a sense of loss. Substantial change is inevitable but let's hope it's not all negative for I don't intend to let it all stop any of our enjoyment of travelling to Europe and to our beloved Italy. Perhaps we should think of having our UK base in Scotland? - it's a serious thought!
For what seems like ages I've enjoyed getting to know Commissario Guido Brunetti, the Venetian detective whose exploits have been written about in the deliciously readable novels of American crime author Donna Leon.
Though a completely fictional character, Brunetti is the sort of bloke I think I would have enjoyed meeting in person. Not only has he always shown himself to be "individual" and principled in his approach to crime and its detection in the enigmatic city of Venice, he's proved interesting in other ways too; in his dealings with ridiculous bureacracy and a corrupt Italian state; in his connections with some of his dubious colleagues; in his complex relationship with his University lecturer wife Paola; in facing up to his snooty aristocratic in-laws and as a father of two children who grow up during the course of the twenty or so "whodunnit" tales penned by Leon. And I haven't even mentioned his varied hobbies which include reading classical literature. In all of these things he's been a delight and I dread to think of him finally retiring when there will still be crimes to be solved, but no more stories to be told. None of of the aforementioned is focussed on here however, for this posting is about Guido Brunetti's love of food!
Although I probably knew it already, when we started to visit Italy seriously a few years ago and then bought a place there more recently, I soon discovered that it's a nation obsessed with food - the buying of it, its preparation and cooking and of course the eating of it. When Italians come together to talk and chat - in the the street, in a bar, at meal times at home, or almost anywhere for that matter, they talk about food and work matters rarely get a look in. It's not surprising therefore that in Italian detective novels - the world of food figures strongly. Another of my favourite Italian crime detectives, Inspector Montalbano, who's the central figure in the novels of Andrea Camilleri, spends alot of time cooking meals using fresh ingredients in his sea front house in the fictitious Sicilian town of Vigata, and many an hour leisurely eating in local bars and restaurants. Commissario Guido Brunetti on the other hand seems to have less time available for cooking and taking meals, but still he never misses the opportunity to snatch a tasty tramezzino (sandwich) accompanied by an espresso when walking from one part of Venice to another. Lunch times eating at home are also often a stolen luxury in many of the stories. According to Leon "to Italians eating well is not an achievement or a cause for self promotion and pride - it's simply something you do twice a day in a manner that will provide as much physical pleasure as possible". Brunetti certainly seems to live up to that mantra in the novels. Be it a great lasagna made by his mum (Through the Glass Darkly) or a recipe for ravioli con funghi that Paola teaches her daughter to make (A Noble Radiance) - the food prepared and served in the novels engenders in the reader a wish to savour it and that possibility, I recently discovered, has become more of a reality than one might have thought!.
A few months ago, whilst staying with an elderly lady friend in Philadelphia, I came across a book on a coffee table entitled ""BRUNETTI'S COOKBOOK" - a collaboration between Donna Leon and cook Roberto Pianoro (Atlantic Monthly Press 2009). I had no idea it had even been written so I spent several hours one rainy afternoon that weekend exploring its contents. A few weeks later, after returning home to Lincolnshire, a parcel arrived and there inside it was a copy of the same book my friend had ordered for me. Heaven!
The book includes an introduction by Donna Leon, Roberto Pianaro's recipes and extracts from the appropriate novels. There's some interesting commentary about the changing nature of Venice and how the decreasing native population, coupled with the incessant drive to serve the tourist industry, is all having a dreadful impact on local shopping in the city and the availability of fresh produce and food shops in certain areas. The author bemoans the fact that one street she used to visit every day to buy food is now flooded with tourist tat shops selling garish Chinese made carnival masks, fridge magnets and cheap Murano glass. Leon does however comment on the enduring Rialto food market calling it one of the glories of the city. Seasonal products of the best quality along with fresh sea food, meat and everything you can think of is all for sale in this amazing mileu right in the heart of Venice. Anyone who hasn't experienced it should put in on their visit list next time they visit the city.
I couldn't finish this posting without reproducing one of the recipes from Brunetti's cookbook and having a go at both preparing it and eating it for this short posting. Well having a go is a bit of an exaggeration on my part as my partner Jon does all the cooking in our house. But what have we chosen I can hear you asking? Jon and I are both soup fans so we've chosen ZUPPA DI LENTICCE CON PANCETTA (lentil soup with bacon) which is described in the novel "Uniform Justice". My mouth is watering as I type this sentence and the thought passes through my mind - how could one possibly not enjoy a dish with a title like that? As Jon cooks the dish I can hear him bemoaning the fact that the recipe is unspecific in its method - but that's the nature of Italian recipes - they allow for a little bit of imagination and flexibility - there are no Delia Smith prescriptions here!
Here is the extract from the novel quoted in the cookbook.
"Brunetti arrived before the children did, so he opted to keep Paola company while she finished preparing the meal. As she set the table, he lifted the pots lids and opened the oven, comforted to find nothing but familiar dishes: lentil soup, chicken smothered in red cabbage and what looked like the radiccio di Treviso.
'Are you bringing all your detective skills to bear in examining that chicken?' Paola asked as she set glasses on the table.
'No, not really,' he said, closing the oven and and standing upright. 'My investigation has to do with the radicchio, Signora, and whether there are perhaps traces in it of the same pancetta I detected in the lentil soup.'
'A nose as good as that,' she said, coming over and placing the tip of her finger on it, 'could effectively put an end to crime in this city.' She lifted the lid from the soup and stirred it round a bit, then said, 'You are back early.'
And the recipe from page 108 of Brunetti's Cook Book.
Serves 4
2 cups of dry green lentils
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot finely chopped
3 slices of bacon, finely chopped
a pinch of finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 fresh chilli
2 pinches of salt
2 crushed beef bouillon cubes
croutons, to serve
Tip - go easy on the chilli if you are not a fan of "hot" food.
Wash the lentils. Heat the oil in the pan or casserole and fry the shallot and bacon gently with the fragrant herbs, the chilli and the salt. Add 6 cups of hot water, the crushed stock cubes and finally the drained lentils. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 45 mintues. Once cooked, place half the contents in a bowl and blend the remaining half by hand with a whisk or egg beater. Return the other half, set aside in the bowl, to the blended mixture and continue cooking, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and serve the soup with croutons.
We've had a lot of fun trying out and eating recipes from the book and I can thoroughly recommend getting hold of a copy if you want to have a go too.
CIAO & KBO - UNTIL NEXT TIME - IAN
Please take a look at some of the many postings that form this blog. Subjects range from Italian locations and special places we have visited and topics and drawn from Italian history, architecture, art history decorative arts. Whilst there is an emphasis on Umbria and Tuscany other areas are covered too. Thanks!
For what seems like ages I've enjoyed getting to know Commissario Guido Brunetti, the Venetian detective whose exploits have been written about in the deliciously readable novels of American crime author Donna Leon.
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| DONNA LEON - AMERICAN AUTHOR OF THE GUIDO BRUNETTI CRIME NOVELS ALL OF THEM SET IN VENICE |
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| THE FIRST OF THE DONNA LEON GUIDO BRUNETTI NOVELS WHERE MUCH OF THE STORY UNFOLDS IN THE RENOWNED VENETIAN OPERA HOUSE |
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| A NUMBER OF ACTORS HAVE PLAYED THE ROLES OF GUIDO & PAOLA BRUNETTI IN FILM VERSIONS OF THE NOVELS IN THE BOOKS MANY OF THEIR INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS TAKE PLACE ON THEIR APARTMENT TERRACE OVERLOOKING THE GRAND CANAL |
A few months ago, whilst staying with an elderly lady friend in Philadelphia, I came across a book on a coffee table entitled ""BRUNETTI'S COOKBOOK" - a collaboration between Donna Leon and cook Roberto Pianoro (Atlantic Monthly Press 2009). I had no idea it had even been written so I spent several hours one rainy afternoon that weekend exploring its contents. A few weeks later, after returning home to Lincolnshire, a parcel arrived and there inside it was a copy of the same book my friend had ordered for me. Heaven!
The book includes an introduction by Donna Leon, Roberto Pianaro's recipes and extracts from the appropriate novels. There's some interesting commentary about the changing nature of Venice and how the decreasing native population, coupled with the incessant drive to serve the tourist industry, is all having a dreadful impact on local shopping in the city and the availability of fresh produce and food shops in certain areas. The author bemoans the fact that one street she used to visit every day to buy food is now flooded with tourist tat shops selling garish Chinese made carnival masks, fridge magnets and cheap Murano glass. Leon does however comment on the enduring Rialto food market calling it one of the glories of the city. Seasonal products of the best quality along with fresh sea food, meat and everything you can think of is all for sale in this amazing mileu right in the heart of Venice. Anyone who hasn't experienced it should put in on their visit list next time they visit the city.
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| THE RIALTO FOOD MARKET - VENICE |
Here is the extract from the novel quoted in the cookbook.
"Brunetti arrived before the children did, so he opted to keep Paola company while she finished preparing the meal. As she set the table, he lifted the pots lids and opened the oven, comforted to find nothing but familiar dishes: lentil soup, chicken smothered in red cabbage and what looked like the radiccio di Treviso.
'Are you bringing all your detective skills to bear in examining that chicken?' Paola asked as she set glasses on the table.
'No, not really,' he said, closing the oven and and standing upright. 'My investigation has to do with the radicchio, Signora, and whether there are perhaps traces in it of the same pancetta I detected in the lentil soup.'
'A nose as good as that,' she said, coming over and placing the tip of her finger on it, 'could effectively put an end to crime in this city.' She lifted the lid from the soup and stirred it round a bit, then said, 'You are back early.'
And the recipe from page 108 of Brunetti's Cook Book.
Serves 4
2 cups of dry green lentils
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot finely chopped
3 slices of bacon, finely chopped
a pinch of finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 fresh chilli
2 pinches of salt
2 crushed beef bouillon cubes
croutons, to serve
Tip - go easy on the chilli if you are not a fan of "hot" food.
Wash the lentils. Heat the oil in the pan or casserole and fry the shallot and bacon gently with the fragrant herbs, the chilli and the salt. Add 6 cups of hot water, the crushed stock cubes and finally the drained lentils. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 45 mintues. Once cooked, place half the contents in a bowl and blend the remaining half by hand with a whisk or egg beater. Return the other half, set aside in the bowl, to the blended mixture and continue cooking, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and serve the soup with croutons.
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| JON PREPARES THE LENTIL & BACON SOUP |
CIAO & KBO - UNTIL NEXT TIME - IAN
Please take a look at some of the many postings that form this blog. Subjects range from Italian locations and special places we have visited and topics and drawn from Italian history, architecture, art history decorative arts. Whilst there is an emphasis on Umbria and Tuscany other areas are covered too. Thanks!
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