Reflecting on Food - September 2022

“At Elizabeth David’s Table.” Compiled and with an Introduction by Jill Norman, Preface by Ruth Reichl. HarperCollins Publishers. 383 pages. $37.50.
​
I was immediately drawn to this beautiful cookbook before I even opened it because printed on its cover was “With a Preface by Ruth Reichl,” a hero of mine. I have read every book Reichl has written, as well as every magazine piece I can find by this fascinating and prolific woman. Thus, I knew that if she had taken the time to endorse and help put this volume together, it would be worthwhile. And, of course, I wasn’t disappointed.
While I did know a little about Elizabeth David, this book filled in all the gaps and reminded me why she is due all the accolades she has received over the years. Born in England in 1913, David attended posh schools and studied art in Paris in the 1930s. She visited Italy and Greece and lived in Egypt during WWII where she ran a library for the British government. During this time, she was exposed to the fare of these countries, and when she went back to England, she was appalled by the lack of variety in foods available in her homeland.


Tian with Spinach and Potatoes

• 8-11 1/2 ounces potatoes, boiled in their skins
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound spinach
• Garlic
• Anchovy fillets
• 5 to 6 eggs, beaten
• 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan or Gruyère cheese

Peel the cooked potatoes. Cut them in cubes, put them in an earthenware dish (8 ½ inches) with two tablespoons of olive oil and seasonings of salt and pepper. Let them warm in the uncovered dish in a low oven at 300 degrees while you wash the spinach and cook it very briefly in just the water clinging to the leaves. Season with a little salt. Drain and squeeze dry. Chop it roughly, adding a little garlic if you like and half a dozen anchovy fillets torn into short lengths. Stir this mixture into the beaten eggs and cheese. Then add the cubed potatoes.

Tip the whole mixture into the dish, sprinkle the top with a little oil, return it uncovered, to the oven, now heated to 375. Leave the tian to bake for 25 to 30 minutes until it is well and evenly risen.

A few pine nuts make a delicious and characteristic addition to this tian. An alternative to the potatoes is cooked rice. Allow about 1/2 cup uncooked rice, for this size of tian. Makes 4 servings.


Penne with Mascarpone

• 1-pound small pasta, such as shells, pennine, or tagliatelle, cooked and drained
• Butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup mascarpone
• 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• A dozen or so shelled and roughly chopped walnuts

In a saucepan you can serve from, melt a lump of butter and mascarpone. It must gently heat, not boil. Into this mixture put the pasta. Turn it round and round, adding two or three tablespoons grated Parmesan. Add chopped walnuts. Serve with grated Parmesan. Makes four servings.


Tomatoes Baked with Gruyère

• Medium -sized tomatoes
• Gruyère cheese
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cayenne
• Dijon mustard
• White wine
• Garlic clove, pounded

Cut off tops, scoop out the flesh and sprinkle tomatoes with salt. Turn them upside down and leave them to drain.

In a double boiler, melt some Gruyère cheese with pepper, cayenne, a little Dijon mustard, a drop of white wine, and a pounded clove of garlic.

Fill the tomatoes with the cheese mixture, which should be about the consistency of a thick cheese sauce. Bake for 10 minutes in a 375-degree oven and finish under the broiler.


Boeuf à la Gardiane
Beef and Wine stew with Black Olives

• 2 pounds round of beef
• Butter
• Olive oil
• 4 Tbsp. brandy
• 1 cup good red wine
• Salt and pepper
• Bouquet garni of thyme, parsley, and
• bay leaf
• Strip of orange peel
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 cup pitted black olives

Cut meat into small cubes, not more than 1-inch square. Brown them in a mixture of butter and olive oil. Warm the brandy in a soup ladle, pour it over the meat, set light to it, and shake the pan until the flames go out. The flaming with brandy, although not absolutely essential, burns up the excess fat and makes quite a difference to the flavor of the finished sauce.

Add the red wine; let it bubble fast for about half a minute. Season with only very little salt and pepper, put in the bouquet garni tied with thread, turn the flame as low as possible, cover the pan with at least two layers of parchment paper or foil and the lid.

Cook as gently as possible, on top of the stove for about 3 1/2 hours. Ten minutes before serving, remove the bouquet garni and put in the pitted black olives. Taste for seasoning before serving. A dish of plain boiled rice can be served separately. Makes four to five servings.