Zingerman's Class: Roman-Jewish Cuisine

Cookbook author Leah Koenig in the Zingerman's Classroom in Ann Arbor.

"Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen," with presenter Leah Koenig took place Wednesday evening at Zingerman's. In addition to the locally famous bakery, Zingerman's has a teaching center for bakers and cooks offering a wide variety of classes and presentations. Len and I enjoyed the evening. Leah demonstrated three recipes from her recently-published book; we also received small samples of each dish, which we found delicious. The three dishes were:

• Semolina Gnocchi Gratin (Gnocchi alla Romana) -- layered disks of semolina pasta and cheese, baked until golden.
• Sauteed Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins (Spinaci con Pinoli e Passerine) -- a delicious flavor combination with onions, pine nuts, golden raisins, and lemon zest. Len, who normally detests spinach, found it quite tasty.
• Chocolate and Almond Cake (torta di Mandorle e Cioccolata) -- flourless almond and chocolate cake suitable for Passover, and very similar to many other Passover cakes I've eaten.

Images from Leah's Cooking Demonstration

On the table: cheese, egg yolks, butter for the gnocchi recipe.

Chocolate and Almond Cake, Leah's recipe at Real Simple

From the cookbook: a delicious-sounding pastry bar with pine nuts, almonds, and dried fruit.
A specialty of a famous bakery in the Roman Ghetto. Leah told us quite a bit about her experiences in Rome and about this bakery.

Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen

Blog post and original photos © 2023 mae sander

It's Winter: Let's Think of Color

It's dark and grey these days, so I'm trying to think about sunshine and bright colors. In no particular order, here are some photos that I’ve taken over the years while visiting a number of different gardens in various parts of the world. Some of the older photos have faded and the colors aren’t as nice as I would like, but I enjoy thinking of those experiences.

Orchids at Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens, Hilo, Hawaii.       

Water Lilies at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania.

University of Michigan Arboretum, Ann Arbor: The Peony Garden

Morikami Gardens, Florida, 2020.

Korakuen Gardens, Tokyo, Japan, 2008.

Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, showing the Climatron, a Geodesic Greenhouse.

Ganna Walska Lotusland, Montecito, California. (2003)

Lotus in Bloom at Lake Erie Metropark, Michigan.

Brookgreen Gardens, Georgetown County, South Carolina, February, 2020.

Roseraie de L'Haÿ in L'Haÿ-les-Roses, France.
(Image from Wikipedia; I visited there long ago)

Tivoli Gardens, Rome, 1976.
Obviously this photo has faded with the years!

Keukenhof: the largest flower garden in the world. Holland, 1999.

Zen Gardens, Kyoto, 1994.

Photos © 1985-2022 mae sander