Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen with Leah Koenig (at JCC Greater Boston)
Rome is home to one of Europe's oldest and most delicious Jewish cuisines. Shaped by centuries of hardship and a tightly bound community that stands 16,000 strong today, the Roman Jewish kitchen is defined by its simple-but-elegant approach to vegetables, its love of frying foods, its saucy braised meats, and its beguiling desserts. Join award-winning writer Leah Koenig, author of Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen as she shares the history behind the cuisine while preparing the Amaretti (Chewy Almond Cookies) from Portico in an expert presentation-style demonstration.
Attendees will get to see first-hand how Leah bakes her Amaretti and ask questions about how to recreate the popular treat at home or any of the other delicious recipes featured in Portico.
About the ‘Portico’:
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 Rome’s Jewish Kitchen features over 100 deeply flavorful recipes and beautiful photographs of Rome’s Jewish community, the oldest in Europe. The city’s 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 d’Ottavia (the main road in Rome’s Ghetto neighborhood)―and beyond.
About Leah Koenig:
Leah Koenig's writing and recipes have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine's Grub Street, Saveur, Epicurious, Food52, TASTE, Departures, and Tablet magazine, among other publications. She is the author of 6 cookbooks including The Jewish Cookbook (Phaidon), Modern Jewish Cooking and The Little Book of Jewish Feasts (Chronicle). In addition to writing, Leah leads cooking demonstrations and classes all over the world. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two kids.