Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen

One of Food & Wine's Best Cookbooks of Fall 2023 One of the Boston Globe's Best Cookbooks of 2023 One of Smithsonian's 2023 Ten Best Books About Food A Los Angeles Times Best Cookbook of 2023 A Vice Best Cookbook of 2023 A KCRW Good Food Best Cookbook of 2023 A National Post Best Cookbook of 2023 A WBUR Here & Now Best Cookbook of 2023 One of Wine Country's Ten Best Cookbooks of 2023 A captivating tour through Romes centuries-old Jewish community with more than 100 simple, deeply flavorful, vegetable-forward recipes. Naming the book Portico is my way of saying, Welcome. Im glad you are here. A leading authority on Jewish food, Leah Koenig celebrates la cucina Ebraica Romana within the pages of her new cookbook. Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Romes Jewish Kitchen features over 100 deeply flavorful recipes and beautiful photographs of Romes Jewish community, the oldest in Europe. The citys Jewish residents have endured many hardships, including 300 years of persecution inside the Roman Jewish Ghetto. Out of this strife grew resilience, a deeply knit community, and a uniquely beguiling cuisine. Today, the community thrives on Via del Portico dOttavia (the main road in Romes Ghetto neighborhood)and beyond. Leah Koenigs recipes showcase the cuisines elegantly understated vegetables, saucy braised meats and stews, rustic pastas, resplendent olive oilfried foods, and never-too-sweet desserts. Home cooks can explore classics of the Roman Jewish repertoire with Stracotto di Manzo (a wine-braised beef stew), Pizza Ebraica (fruit-and-nut-studded bar cookies), and, of course, Carciofi alla Giudia, the quintessential Jewish-style fried artichokes. A standout chapter on frittersshowcasing the unique gift Roman Jews have for delicate fryingincludes sweet honey-soaked matzo fritters, fried salt cod, and savory potato pastries (burik) introduced by the thousands of Libyan Jews who immigrated to Rome in the 1960s and 70s. Every recipe is masterfully tailored to the home cook, while maintaining the flavor and integrity of tradition. Suggested menus for holiday planning round out the usability and flexibility of these dishes. A cookbook for anyone who wants to dive more deeply into Jewish foodways, or gain new insight into Rome, Portico features the makers and creators who are keeping Roman Jewish food alive today, transporting us to the bustling streets of the Eternal City while also making us feelas we cook and eatvery much at home. 100 full-color photographs