Two things I love- Italian food and mysteries. And Donna Leon has found a great combination with Brunetti’s Cookbook.
Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti series is one of my current favorites, and for those who’ve read the books, you know why she needed to add a cookbook. If you haven’t read the books, let me tell you a bit about them. Brunetti is an inspector for the Venice Questura, so the mysteries are basically police precedurals, not the food-based cozies that are so popular now. But the descriptions of Venice transport you there, and the food is just mouth-watering, whether he’s eating at a neighborhood trattorio or at home where his wife, Paola, cooks delectable multi-course meals. That’s not to mention the pastries, the wine, the coffee.
In Brunetti’s Cookbook, Roberta Pianaro has brought these dishes to our dinner table, with Leon interspersing the recipes with excerpts from her novels and essays about food and Venice. It’s a marvelous cookbook to actually sit down and read, not only to cook from.
So far I’ve tried two of the dishes, the Zucchini Risotto with Shrimps and the Pancakes with Spinach and Ricotta. The pancakes by the way are more like crepes, I’d say, and then you wrap them around the filling. Both were delicious! They were a little time-consuming though, not work-day meals. It’s actually rather amazing that I haven’t tried one of the pasta dishes yet. I will, don’t worry, and a couple of the desserts sound perfect for me, especially the Oven-Baked Apples with Confectioner’s Custard and Cream. Yum!
Brunetti’s Cookbook doesn’t include any photos of the food, but there are some cute illustrations. I think it works better that way. I don’t think photos would really have fit the way the book is put together.
Forgive my photos of the Pancakes with Spinach and Ricotta. I don’t quite have food photography down yet. Trust me, they tasted better than they look.
Pancakes
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- 1 oz butter, melted
Place the flour eggs and salt in a bowl and mix. Add the milk, a little at a time, and finally the melted butter. The resulting blend should be a farily liquid, lump-free cream. (If not, use a whisk to remedy.) Leave to rest, covered, for 1 hour.
Place a non-stick frying pan 9 inchese in diameter over a hight heat and add 1/3 cup of the batter, spreading it over the entire surface. After a few seconds the pancake will start to set. Turn it with a spatula ad continue cooking on the other side, very briefly. It only takes a few seconds to cook. Continue in the same way with the rest of the batter. Arrange the pancakes, one on top of the other, on a plate. When cold, wrap them in clingfilm to stop them from drying out.
With Spinach and Ricotta
- 12 pancakes
- 2 packages frozen spinach
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cups shallots, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 9 oz mild ricotta cheese
- 1 cup fresh cream
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Thaw the spinahc and squeeze well to get rid of excess water. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the shallots with the salt and a bit of water. Add the sspinach and cook until any excess liquid has evaporated. Leave to cool, then stir in the ricotta. Divid the mixture into 12 portion, spread on on to each pancake and roll them up. Place them side by side in an ovenproof dish, add the cream and Springkle with the Parmesan. Put into a hot oven (475ºF) and bakd for about 20 mintues. The pancake rolls should be golden in colour . Serve hot.
David and I both gobbled them up. Amd I have to say the reheated leftovers were just as good.
I borrowed this from the library, but I am definitely going to be buying my own copy.
Category: Cookbook
Venice in February is hosted by Snow Feathers and Dolce Bellezza.
Weekend cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Amazon | IndieBound | Website
Published May 4, 2010
288 pages
Book source: Library
Those pancakes look delicious!! I need to take a look at this cookbook. I often borrow them from the library and then decide whether or not to purchase.
Putting on the TBRs! I love Venice! Just to be clear I’ve never been (lol!) but I have read Hemingway’s Across the River and into the Trees. Very evocative. This series sounds like that too…in terms of transporting you there. 🙂
They look so healthy!
You got the same china as my parents 😀
I love my china. You can tell I use it daily from the chips on the edges.
What a unique concept for a book — recipes and a mystery. I love it! I also love the looks of those Spinach Ricotta Pancakes. Bon Appetite!
PS I lie the new blog layout 🙂
Yum, cheese and spinach is one of my favorite combos. I’ll have to try those sometime.
I keep meaning to make a start on the Brunetti series but haven’t got to them yet. Those pancakes look very tasty!
Oooh…they look yummy…great job!!!
The cover of that book is enbiough to have me eating Italian for a month! Those pancakes look too good….
oh, the spinach ones look so good…
I was in Venice last spring and I love, love love that place. and yet oddly, have not read Leon’s books. I know I have one here somewhere….
Those do look like crepes, and that means they look delicious!
OMG those dishes look delicious. I don’t know this series but I’m going to check it out.
I’m having a love affair with spinach at present. The combination of cheese and spinach definitely works for me. Hubby and I are visiting Italy later this year. This sounds like a good book for me to investigate.
My mouth is watering and I’ve been drinking wine which normally keeps me from getting hungry. I think I need this book.
The pancakes look like a combo of pancakes and crepes. What could be better. Even if you didn’t put anything inside!
What a fun book. I love the cover — so evocative of the place. Those pancakes look delicious!
The book looks like a great cookbook. I don’t mind illustrations, I think it adds to the charm of a cookbook. I’ll have to check this book out. The pancakes look fantastic.
This sounds like a fun and unusual approach to a cookbook!
Not sure how I missed this in February (could it have been report card time?), but these recipes look wonderful! Love the cookbook, too, so thank you for reviewing it and participating in Venice in February. xo