Cooking With Ideas

Her Bombay Kitchen

I "met" this cookbook in a recent issue of Saveur, a magazine which fluctuates from absolutely swell to, well, not so swell. Anyway, there was a recipe in that recent issue drawn from My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Ichaporia King and I made it the very night the Saveur arrived. It was a version of sauteed greens -- which turned out to be quite hot and lively. Tasty. Now I have recipes for other such greens -- one drawn from Madhur Jaffrey, another from a cookbook called Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet. And notions about other cultures' versions of sauteed greens. Yet, these greens drove me to buy the book when I saw it shortly thereafter in a bookstore. That, an uncontrollable impulse, and the fact that the cover uses colors similar to those from my blog. (Yes, this blog. Yes, the colors are sort of like spices. Or so I thought when I chose them.) Once I brought My Bombay Kitchen home, I discovered that this was the best sort of cookbook -- one that I would immediately cook from. One that I wanted to read. One that I learned from. Several recipes are about to become house favorites -- most crucially a version of devlied eggs and a watercress salad with cucumber, avocado and mango in a ginger vinagrette. Called "Italian Eggs," the deviled eggs are most definitely NOT italian in any sense I have ever experienced. And I live in Geneva, where Italian American is, I suspect, unrelated to Italian. In any case, these eggs are evidence for the author's argument that Parsi cooking is a sort of cooking which absorbs and transforms cultural encounters -- what she calls, I think, mosaic cuisine. King is an independent scholar and anthropologist who comes to food with an eye to culture -- and the impending disappearance of one she loves, her own. And that culture is Parsi, one associated with the history of Zoroastrianism. This is a religion of circa 140,000 to 150,000 members globally which long predates Christianity (and indeed likely influenced much of Christianity) -- and which is associated with the prophet Zoroaster (aka Zarathustra). Originating in Persia (later to be known to us all as Iran), these folks migrated to an island off of India a long long time ago and eventually to the mainland of India where they came to be known as Parsis. Their history in India has been both splendid and complicated -- including their connection with British imperialism. (Who knew, for example, that Homi K. Bhabha, the cultural theorist was Parsi? or Rohinton Mistry? I, for one, missed the fact that the film Earth which focuses on the partition of India is about neither Hindu nor Muslim, but Parsi. Great movie, by the way.)

So: a cookbook with "Italian Eggs" which involve chilis and coriander, Irish Stew which involves ginger, and salads which originate, well, perhaps in Southern California, where King lives and where she inspired the Parsi New Year's at Chez Panisse. A cookbook which has led this religious studies scholar on a search for books on Parsis and Zoroastrianism. A cookbook by someone who, via the web, becomes a new friend. A cookbook worth spending time with.

I am away from home for a month or more -- and I already miss home. The newest thing I miss is my copy of My Bombay Kitchen. The other things I miss -- well, you'll have to guess.

For an interview with the cookbook author, click here. For an unrelated (I think) site on parsi cuisine, click here. For more on Zoroastrianism, including some additional cuisine sites, click here.

Murder on the Menu -- Again!

How many books CAN there be with the same title? I have read several with the title "Murder on the Menu." (For earlier reviews of books of this title, click here.) And now, I have read another. Indeed, when I saw this one sitting there on the shelf claiming to be worth $6.99 I was suspicious. Had I read this before? No -- its copyright is 2007. Never heard of its author, Miranda Bliss. And its cover looked unfamiliar -- sort of romance novel meets kitsch with a cartoony blonde woman with spikey go go boots on the cover. "Includes recipes for a full-course gourmet meal" and "A Cooking Class Mystery" both appear on the front. It's a Berkley Prime Crime Mystery. I knew all this when I shelled out the $6.99 (plus tax).

What does this have to do with cats sitting on a bookshelf? Not much. Nada. Nothing. No cats in Bliss's mystery that I can remember, though as soon as I saw her book I knew it would be utter fluff. I was right. The book was an ok if relatively unstimulating read. Most crucially, I am not the sort of mystery reader who often catches the murderer before the novel ends. In fact, I more often miss the solution even when the fair play clues are pretty well represented. This time, though, I got it pretty easily early on. So, for those of you who truly love a puzzle, you may wish to skip this particular Murder on the Menu.

On the foodie front, what can I say? There is a Scottish chef and a character (who serves as the amateur detective) who is doing the books for the restaurant the chef is striving to create -- a place called Bellywashers, apparently a scottish term. There are, indeed, ten recipes at the end of the story -- including one for a sort of cookie which is apparently edible for people but actually intended as a dog treat (and thus named after a Japanese terrier that appears in the book named Doctor Masazuwa). Without spoiling the plot, I can reveal that the main character cannot cook, the restaurant is more or less ancillary to the plot, and the recipes for a gourmet meal are more like recipes for reasonably quick approximations of dinner fare. (Though there is a lavendar pound cake that looks intriguing.)

All in all, not my fave in this genre, but it might work as airplane reading. Even then, though $6.99 seems steep. Once in a while I find a book that says 35 cents on its cover (and not at a yard sale but in the 35 ents is its actual original price). Where have those days gone?

So, Miranda Bliss -- fun and fluff but, alas, not so blissful a read.

For a review of Miranda Bliss's prior book, Cooking Up Murder, click here.

murder mystery
culinary mystery

All Over Creation

Once in a while, a total stranger recommends a book to me and I go off and read it. That's how I came upon the novel All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki -- and a whole new category of books to list on Cooking with Ideas. (The new category is Food Fiction. Otherwise the categories remain the same -- cookbooks, murder on the menu for culinary mysteries, books on food for non-fiction.) It's not that I did not know that there are loads of novels related to food that are not murder mysteries. It is just that I had not read one that inspired me to add the category. Now I have. How did this happen? I was having a pedicure at Dermatechnologies in Geneva -- and left with a list of three or four books to read. Two were by Ozeki. So, the next time I was in the Geneva Public Library, I picked up the only Ozeki book that was on the shelf -- All Over Creation. And I am glad I did.

The book is set in Idaho, for the most part, and on one read is about potatoes. On another read, the book is about farming. On another -- post-WW II Japanese war brides -- or environmental activism -- or reproductive politics -- or generational difference -- or religion -- or genetics -- or . . . Ozeki is quite skilled in weaving all this together into a novel that is not didactic but does educate (in the best sense of that word). She makes evident what many argue but fail to make clear -- that all these political and cultural themes are entangled. Not just in the minds of the left -- but in people's daily lives. And not just in the lives of those who are obvious -- but in the lives of all sorts of people. In Ozeki's prose these people come alive -- and are not just connected in a sort of 6-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon kind of connection but in a way that is somehow oddly convincing. The book is quite persuasive about the potential of unexpected alliances as well -- leaving the reader to wonder about the positive -- and scarey -- possibilities that come from such connections. I was left asking such questions as: is theatrical activism really consequential? what happens when ecological activism seems pro-life? can we rise above cynicism (or at least move beyond it)? are the echoes of WW II in all of our lives eternal? does difference matter? In the latter regard, of course, the trope has to do with identity-based differences such as those of race, gender, ethnicity and whatever -- as well as ecological diversity in other-than-human spheres. Does monoculture risk apocalypse? And is commodification hostile to diversification? Is the righteousness of the activist risky? Where does our certainty come from?

The book is also about loss -- and remembering. And not just the loss of aspects of nature when we lose plants or animals from our repertoire -- or the remembering of heirloom tomatoes or flowers. There are other losses -- including the deaths of young and old -- that shape who we are and who we might become. There are analogies between Alzheimer's in one character and losses of cultural memory as well. How we archive what we know and what we wish to know --ecological and otherwise -- is central. There are ways we give things up to the richness of freedom as well -- and somehow such loss must become a gain. A call to this obligation is, I think, part of Ozeki's intent. As is the call to (re)consider who "we" are -- as Americans (for she calls this into question as well), as global citizens (a common phrase which contains more than we usually notice), as gendered and classes and nationalized persons. As individuals and as communities. As families of origin and affinity -- in this land of conservative backlash and the time of war.

The book uses religious themes in some ways; hence, its first words (the title of a section) are "in the beginning," evoking Genesis. And it has seven sections, like the seven days (including that oh-so-lovely day of rest, even if it is repressive desublimation) to the Jewish and Christian creation narratives. In this, the novel becomes a bit of a midrash, perhaps. Here are Ozeki's opening words:

It starts with the earth. How can it not? Imagine the planet like a split peach, whose pit forms the core, whose flesh its mantle, and whose fuzzy skin its crust -- no, that doesn't do justice to the crust, which is, after all, where all of life takes place. The earth's crust must be more like the rind of the orange, thicker and more durable, quite unlike the thin skin of a bruisable peach. Or is it? Funny, how you never think to wonder. (p. 3)

What Ozeki does is help her reader wonder. Of course, she has a point of view -- and the richness of that point of view lies, in part, in her (and/or her narrator's) capacity to tolerate -- and indeed benefit from -- paradoxes and puzzles, tensions and cotnradictions. One thing I really like is that the main character also fails to grow, to be tolerant, and fails in a myriad of other ways -- and while redemption may indeed arrive for her, the nature of that redemption is never entirely obvious and certainly never trite. The novel hovers at the edge -- a very small pinch of eremiad, a dash of apocalpypse, and more than a smidgen of hope. Perhaps this is where we all live?

I am not a farmer. Never have been and never will be. I love food -- but I do not live close with it in any substantial daily way. I buy it and I cook it and I read about it and I blgo about it. I talk about it and. . . but I do not base my livelihood upon it, nor do I live with the complexities of growing it. Ozeki helps remind us of the costs of such distance. And she reminds us as well of the costs -- and benefits --of closeness. The novel made me see differently the farm where I just picked up half a lamb (raised there and butchered for me and an anonymous other who bought the other half). It made me listen differently to the man who raised the lamb I intend to eat -- as he described moving the sheep from one section to another on a thirty six day cycle of grass feeding. It made me think about french fries, and life. And, it was an oddly comforting read for such a worrying one. No redemption -- just hope.

For a bit of bio on Ozeki, click here. For a very smart interview with Ozeki which I read only after writing this and discovered was quite sympatico, click here. For another interview, click here. And watch this blog -- we may have an interview with Ozeki coming up.

Ruth Ozeki
environment
environmental activism

Eating Above the 49th: Inn on the Twenty

The 49th parallel, of course, is the longitude (or is it he latitude? I can never keep those straight) between Canada and the U.S.; it is the de facto (and maybe even de jure?) border – which now requires a passport (mostly for getting into the U.S.). So, restaurants above the 49th are in Canada (duh! But I grew up in the non-globally literate U.S. so the clarification seems warranted.) The Inn on the Twenty is in a little town named Jordan near Niagara on the Lake. A number of years ago we wandered into Jordan and discovered a lovely garden store – and this restaurant/inn. (The garden store is called the Copper Leaf and now has a branch in Niagara on the Lake as well. It was not open when we were in Jordan, alas. But we got garden gloves in NOTL.) In any case, we’ve never stayed at the Inn on the Twenty, but always wanted to eat there, so recently we did. Turned out to be ok, but not as swell as we had hoped. Some parts of the meal were terrific but the price tag was a bit high for what we got.

Here’s what we had: the amusee bouche which was a bird’s nest filled with calamari salad; an asparagus/leek puree (soup) to start (part of the inspiration to make such soupat home; for more on that click here) , with a bit of blue cheese and pear in it; a “Big Game Terrine” which we shared; and two entrees. The first entrée was Beef Rossini (for me) and the second was Ontario lamb three ways. The beef did not quite live up to expectations,having been described by the waiter as his second favorite thing on the menu – the first being the lamb, which reportedly was great. I had a taste of the lamb liver – expecting to despise it –but it was actually quite good. So good, in fact, that when I recently picked up my half lamb that I purchased I did, indeed, take along the liverm thinking that perhaps I would figure out how to cook it.

For the Inn's current menu, click here.

DRINKS: We went a little over the top and had an Amarone which was price-y. The waiter poured it into a decanter, announcing that it needed to breath. It did. His too-quick pour into the decanter did not do the trick, alas, and it was still a bit rough even when we eventually started drinking it. Turned out to be wonderful though—wish it had breathed more in the pour. The flat water was ok and the espresso dandy.

SERVICE: Well, the waiter did reach across us occasionally to deal with items on the table and poured the wine too quickly to allow it to breath. But, on the other hand, his service was not intrusive – and neither too slow nor too fast.

SETTING: Jordan is a sweet little town in Ontario. It has one short street that is quite touristy in a nice sort of way. Parking is easy and the houses are intriguing. Jordan is quite near St. Catherine’s and to Niagara on the Lake where, of course, the Shaw Festival offers loads of plays, some of which are swell (including, in 2007, George Bernard Shaw's 1898 The Philanderer; for the full text of the play, click here).

ON THE WALLS: Can’t remember – but the view out into the garden was nicel.

BATHROOM REVIEW: On her return, the anonymous bathroom reviewer uttered: “two to three sheets (out of five). I’ll tell you why later.” Ok, this was a chi chi restaurant and – well, the bathroom fell below expectations. A huge wastepaper basket reminded the user that the restaurant was not small and intimate but huge – and leading to huge waste. And the paper for blowing one’s nose was too much like the toilet paper. . .

OVERALL: Not as good as one wished for the price tag and we likely will not return, but I am still glad I tried it. I would definitely NOT recommend the beef. The soup, the game terrine, and the lamb, though, got good reviews. Try the Oban Inn for a more modestly priced and, for me on this trip at least, a preferable dining experience; click here for a review.

LOCATION: 3845 Main Street, Jordan, Ontario Canada L0R 1SO
PHONE: 905-562-7313
WEBSITE: www.innonthetwenty.com

Inn on the Twenty
Niagara On the Lake

Pasta Pasta Pasta

So, there I was again at the Rochester Public Market and right before my very eyes was some wonderful dry pasta in the inside portion of the market. I bought lemon basil fettucini -- and for the very first time in my life, some orzo. In fact, I bought .4 lb. of colorful orzo -- fire roasted red pepper, porcini mushroom, saffrom. It was Pappardells's Pasta, a Denver outfit, distributed in various upstate NY locales, including the Markey and elsewhere, by Artistic Eats of Rochester, NY. Both came in lovely little paper bags. I served the lemon basil fettucini with a bit ofparmesan and not much else (ok, some basil chiffonade). And I recently used the orzo to make a beautiful salad, discovered on Epicurious. Trust me --this is a perfect potluck salad -- and it lasted several days because you can add more tomatoes and feta on the second day to extend it. A hint: only add toasted pine nuts to the portion you eat on day #1 -- add the rest day #2 -- otherwise the pine nuts go a but mushy. Mostly, though, my hint is this: make it on a slightly too warm summer evening and eat it on the back terrace overlooking a lake.

The recipe for the salad you ask? Try clicking here. Or, if that fails:

(1) Cook the orzo in chicken broth. Cool it --and be careful to do every thing you can to avoid it becoming gummy. Rinse it with cold water. Put it in a shallow bowl and stir occasionally. Pray. Then (2) add to the orzo (depending on how much orzo you have): cubed feta cheese; halved cherry tomatoes (I used heirlooms of various colors which went well with the various colors of orzo); sliced green onions; and chopped basil (loads). (3) Then I made some vinagrette -- lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper. (The recipe called for some chopped fresh oregano --and mine had somehow fallen to the back of the refrigerator, leaving me to assume that I did not have any. I went forward anyway. Worked fine.) The honey is the secret ingredient. Loved it. The propprtions are 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1/2 cup olive oil. I cut the olive oil way way back.

And here's what I got:

Minor quibble? There are no directions for how long to cook the pasta so you have to watch and taste. I suppose all cooks should do so anyway -- or know how long to cook such things -- but I ended up with slightly too al dente fettucini. The orzo, though, was perfect.

oasta
orzo
Artistic Eats

Oban Inn

The Oban Inn is located in Niagara on the Lake in Ontario Canada and we dropped in for lunch recently. The restaurant is Tony de Luca's. The site is beautiful, the food delicious, and the day was lovelyl. You can do no wrong eating lunch at the Oban Inn. It was the best meal we had on our trip. What did we have?

We began with the soup of the day, which was an inspirational asparagus soup and a warm risotto 'croquette' served with fennel and blue cheese. The croquettes had a wonderful texture -- crunchy exteriors and soft, melting interiors. (These are great things to do with risotto leftovers too.) We then shared a baby spinach salad with Ontario sheep's milk feta and roasted pearl onions. The feta was just the perfect -- not too salty and softly accenting the spinach. Then, we had tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and asparagus crepes. The tagliatelle was not my favorite -- a tiny bit too chewy for my preference, but tasty. The meal was perfect otherwise.

DRINKS: Niagara on the Lake is, of course in a wine region. This restaurant lives up to -- and beyond -- that. We had Henry of Pelham's Cuvee Catherine Rose, made in the champagne method, and a Kir Royale (they do both the classic and other versions). The Henry of Pelham got such rave reviews we tried (and failed) to get some before we left Ontario. The cocktail was swell too.

SERVICE: The service was quietly efficient and gracious. Indeed, we did not directly tell the waitress we were sharing the salad. She simply heard us decide this while standing patiently awaiting our order, and it arrived very nicely divided.

SETTING: We sat on the porch, right at the window, and watched gardeners working on plantings. (Niagara on the Lake, as my partner noted, is a place where you do not even need a garden tour -- walking from one place to another you simply pass beautifully developed gardens.)

ON THE WALLS: My memory says some posters with pictures of vegetables or fruit and the lovely word "Verve."

BATHROOM REVIEW: Down the hall a bit into the Inn, and we particularly liked the faucets which are the same as those going into our new bathroom.

MINOR QUIBBLE(S): I like kids. I really do. But I also like a bit of quiet some times, and alas, the family seated near us was loud in general and then had a baby whose noise might have (ok, it might not have too) led me to walk outside with her both for her sake and for ours. My main issue was that therr were alternate placves to seat the family, perhaps?

OVERALL: Hurrah. We spent about $100 CDN and it was worth it (unlike our experience, say, at the overpriced Inn on the Twenty in Jordan where we also ate on this trip. For more on that, watch for an upcoming review.) We intend to check out De Luca's Cheese Store and Deli next visit. (For a review, click here.)

WEBSITE: For the Oban Inn and Spa click here. For Tony de Luca's restaurant, click here.
LOCATION: 160 front Street, Niagara on the Lake
PHONE: 905-468-7900 for the restaurant. 905-468-2165 for the Inn and Spa.

For an interview with Tony de Luca, click here. (Really, you should. Some of the questions are great!) For restaurant reviews, try here or, for those listed on his site (including commennts from diners) here.

Oban Inn
Niagara on the Lake
Tony de Luca

Cafe DeWitt

Cafe DeWitt is one of those places I have walked past for decades on my way to the Bookery II. And the menus on the chalk boards have always been intriguing. So, today, when our first choice was not open for lunch, we wandered over the to DeWitt Mall and finally had lunch at the Cafe which specializes in breakfast, lunch, brunch and dessert! The Cafe is a veggie friendly place. What we had was, all in all, a swell lunch. I would return. What did we have? One of us had the Andalusian Gazpacho and a half "black forest" sandwich involving smoked ham, gruyere, cucumber, and organic mesclun on sour dough bread and my companion had a soup called greens "dijon" which turned out to be a pea soup with dijon mustard in it, accompanied by a half garden sandwich. We followed up with dessert -- a pavlova with lemon curd, whipped cream and sliced strawberries and a lavender creme bruleee. (The pavlova was absolutely great; the creme brulee quite good.) The Cafe is deservedly known for its desserts.

DRINKS: They have Izze soft drinks and other soft drinks, espresso and coffee of various sorts and tea.

SERVICE: The service was quite swift and non-intrusive. The waitress clearly knew the person beside us and their conversation made it seem a friendly place.

SETTING: The Cafe is sort of in the middle of the hall of the DeWitt Mall, so it feels sort of like an indoor sidewalk cafe in the midst of Ithaca. Not too high falutin' but nice. And all the wonders of Ithaca people watching.

ON THE WALLS: Other than the chalk board menus, the most notable feature of the whole place is the line of fish tanks along the back wall (with plates, for example, amidst the fish).

BATHROOM REVIEW: The bathroom is around the corner closer to Bookery II. It is adequate (and in fact I like the honey comb tile on the floor) but not terrifically attractive.

OVERALL: My one comment: isn't it interesting how famous the Moosewood is but how many people are actually sitting around the corner happily eating at Cafe DeWitt? Now that I have eaten there, I know why.

ALSO REVIEWED AT: Various sites, including here and here. Also see their mention in the 2005 Best of Ithaca here.

WEBSITE: Nope, they do not have one!
LOCATION: 215 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca NY (in the DeWitt Mall)
PHONE: 607-273-3473

Ithaca
Moosewood

College Food -- Much More than Mystery Meat

When I think of my years in college and the food, I think of the cafeteria in the basement of the dormitory (now they call them reidence halls; when did THAT change?) where we lined up and obtained such delicacies as mystery meat and pepperoni lasagna. And, I think of the coffee shop across the hall from the cafeteria where I got many of my meals -- a turkey club on toast and a chocolate milk shake.Explains a lot about my freshman year (now called first year). But that's not all there is to college food. Indeed, college food can be as distant from my recollections as that basement cafeteria is from the (pictured) dinign hall of New College, Oxford.

A while back, I received a copy of Ralph Ayres' Cookery Book as a gift -- it is a beautiful book, with a front cover picturing a pear hanging from a tree as well as a lettuce. It comes with an introduction and glossary by Jane Jakeman, descibed on the fly leaf as ""the author of crime fiction and ghost stories" and editor of "the award-winning Kidder's Receipts, an edition of an eighteenth-century recipe book published by the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. . . " Ayres was head cook at New College in the ealy eighteenth century -- and the book offers beautiful reproductions of manuscript pages as well as botanicals and pictures of relevant food stuffs (I know, redundant -- but its true, the pictures and the book are beautiful). I learned several things from this book, including the notion that snipes are real; for many years I believed them to be a figment of somewhat mean children's imaginations. I also learned (in Jakeman's glossary) that the term "small beer" means:

home-brewed ale very weak in alcohol, commonly drunk at breakfast and by children because water was often unsafe. It usually contained cottage-garden or rural flavourings such as herbs, nettles and heather, not hops. My grandmother inSouth Wales brewed a small ale which she called 'heb beer,' flavoured with nettles, until the 1950s. It was greyish in colour, rather sweet, and said to 'clear the blood.' She was from a rigidly teetotal Methodist family, but this was considered a perfectly acceptable drink.

I had believed it to be some sort of diminishingly snarky Britishism.

More seriously, in Jakeman's introduction she writes of differences between early 18th century cuisine and what today's cooks might know or do. . . buut the main reason for this lovely gift is the pictures -- and the reminder of the importance of the everyday every day.

Oxford
Richard Ayres
history of cooking
culinary history

Red Dove Interview

The Red Dove Tavern opened recently in Geneva on Castle Street. Here's a bit of insight from the owners.

Bibliochef: Hi. Rumors were flying about the Red Dove Tavern well before you opened it. Can you tell us how you came to open it in Geneva? Why Geneva? Why now? Why the Red Dove Tavern?

Giulietta: Rune & I were in Buffalo for a family wedding and decided to take a little side trip to the Finger Lakes. We heard about the wine industry in this neck of the woods and wanted to check it out and spend a few relaxing days in a beautiful setting. So, we did and fell in love with the area. We came back several times on vacation and eventually started researching property. We found that we could sell our tiny row home in Philadelphia and buy a property here and live out our dream of running a restaurant in a beautiful part of the country. We weren't getting any younger so we decided the time was right.
Geneva was particularly attractive to us both because of the beauty of the town itself and the colleges. We had a particular concept in mind and it seemed as if a college town might be a good place to give it a go. We also realized that the wine industry was booming here and it might be a good time to buy property and start on our business plan.
Our concept is simple. We are a BAR. Many people come in expecting a fine dining establishment but we stress that although we loosely coin our food upscale, it is only upscale compared to typical bar food. But, we strongly stress that we are a bar with very good food. In many parts of the country and across the ocean a place like the Red Dove would be called a "gastro pub". Basically, this is a term for a tavern with emphasis on food and fine drink. Many people also get scared off by the term bar. Many don't quite understand getting quality and unique cuisine in a bar setting but it can happen and that is exactly what we set out to do. Once people get past the laid back atmosphere and chalkboard menus they savor the culinary experience that they get at The Red Dove and come back.
We have chalkboard menus because our menu changes very frequently. We also have a wine list (wines by the glass appear on our boards) and the list showcases wines from the area and beyond. Our food takes an international twist and thus our wines should reflect this.
Lastly and most importantly, we have an amazing, friendly, smart staff that believe in what we do here at The Red Dove and enjoy the friendly, laid back atmosphere we've created. One of the nicest compliments we continually get is how sweet, accommodating and smart our staff is. That makes us happy.

Bibliochef: We'd love to hear about your experience in the world of food before your arrival here in Geneva. Can you fill us in? How did you come to be in the restaurant business?

Giulietta: Rune cooked at two very popular Philadelphia taverns- Johnny Brenda's and the Standard Tap. Both restaurants have been written up in national cooking magazines like Bon Appetit and Gourmet. I have a business/financial background working at the University of Pennsylvania as well as cooking at Johnny Brenda's on the weekend.

Bibliochef: How did you come to name it the Red Dove Tavern?

Giulietta: We wanted to pay tribute to Arthur Dove, Geneva local artist. (For more on Dove, click here or here.) But, we wanted to jazz up the name a bit instead of just The Dove Tavern......once we found our current space and eyed the red neon that wraps the room we toyed with The Red Dove Tavern and it stuck.

Bibliochef: How did you choose your menu? If I came in today what would you recommend I try? Are there things we should expect in the future?

Giulietta: Our menu at the moment is a collection of comfort food, international favorites and simple, classic dishes. We wanted some casual fare to match the atmosphere but some unique additions to surprise diners and set us apart from many other local restaurants. Rune and I both come from the simple is better school of thought. We also enjoy cuisine from other parts of the world. I think our menu reflects much of this.
We do wish to expand our menu and we will. We shop the market for what looks fresh that particular day or week. We are about quality not quantity or serving so-so product. We enjoy cooking seasonally. We buy whole chickens and cut them up and use the entire animal for stocks and other dishes. We use this same sort of philosophy with most everything we do. In the future, things like tuna tar tare, meatloaf sandwiches, seared scallops, a braised lamb sandwich will grace our boards at one time or another. Also, oysters, soups, fish specials, and more entree type dishes! Keep checking!
We also do Sunday brunch! [An editorial addition: rumor has it they use Dustin Cutler's normal bread -- indeed, his briioche -- for French Toast.}

Bibliochef: Can you describe a day at the Red Dove?

Giulietta: We are still so new that we're getting used to our days! We get in around 8 AM and start cooking! Rune and I both spend the whole day in the kitchen prepping, cooking and brainstorming. Our amazing staff (which includes my mom) get in around 10 and then from 11 on we cook, pour drinks, and feed the people of Geneva! Our kitchen closes at midnight and then we call it a day!

Bibliochef: I know you have some "signature" drinks and a few wines. Will you be growing your wine and beer lists?

Giulietta: We have a wine list. We normally do 6 by the glass (3 red/3 white) and have about 15 wines to choose by the bottle and the list is continually growing. The beers will stay six on draft but we will rotate taps and introduce some new beers. Also, all of our signature drinks are made with Red Jacket juices. We have gotten a great response from people who love the use of fresh, local juices.

Bibliochef: What are the most important things you have learned since opening the Red Dove?

Giulietta: We've learned many things (the list is long). Rune and I LOVE what we do. We believe in it, stand by it and enjoy every aspect of our day. We've learned the life is short and that we are lucky to have an opportunity to do what we love no matter what.

Bibliochef: I know you did a lot of construction and refurbishing of the interior before opening. Can you tell us about that process? Any before and after pictures you want to share?

Giulietta: We worked our tails off. We bought our property May 4th, 2006 and worked around the clock for a year with the help of some good friends. When you walk into the red dove EVERYTHING you see is something we've done. Only some shelves behind the bar were here previously. We built the bar, brought the back bar up from Philadelphia, laid the hardwood floors and finished them, plastered the walls (the list goes on and on......). A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the building of the red dove and some very dear friends lent hands whenever possible. The space is small but works for us!

Bibliochef: And now for some questions that, in one way or another, I ask everyone I interview! In your imagination, who would you most like to walk into your restaurant and order something? Why?

Giulietta: That would be my (Giulietta's) father. My father passed away in October, midway through us opening the Red Dove. He was diagnosed with lung cancer a month after we moved to Geneva and he never had an oppurtunity to see us open and share in the fruits of our labor. He was our biggest fan and our sharpest critic and will always be a big part of the spirit of the red dove. Both Rune & I miss him dearly. To have him walk through the doors, pour himself a beer and order a big bowl of steamers would make us very, very happy.

Bibliochef: What’s the absolutely best meal you have ever had? What made it the best meal?

Giulietta: Cafe Beppo which is a restauraunt in Imperia, Italy where Rune and I went on our honeymoon. We had calamari and then linguini and clams (both things we have on our menu at the dove). The day was gorgeous, the dishes were excellent and we had amazing wine to wash it all down. I can still taste it! To us, it's always about quality and company. Nothing else matters!

Bibliochef: What music, films, books related to food and/or food would you recommend? Why?

For Giulietta: Big Night! The absolute best foodie movie I have ever seen! ESPECIALLY the last scene! [For more on Big Night,click here.] For Rune: The book Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Full of reality, humor and a wonderful sense of Bourdain's passion for what he does.

Bibliochef: What do you eat for comfort food?

Giulietta: What don't we eat for comfort?????

Bibliochef: Do you have a favorite restaurant in the Finger Lakes?

Giulietta: Madderlake- Scott and Laura believe in what they do, do it with passion and are pioneers in this area. We enjoy spending our night off there!

Bibliochef: What am I not asking that I should?

A is For. . .

When I was growing up, A was for APPLE in every children's book. Ok, I like apples, but it is almost summer. Say, late spring -- and the A's I have in mind are not apples. Nor are they grades at the bottom of well written and well argued papers. They are Asparagus and Artichokes. So, today, A is for asparagus --and artichoke.

Let's begin with artichokes -- alphabetical and, to be honest, I cooked them first, for a Memorial Day picnic a while back. I used 3 packages of 12 small artichokes -- peeled, trimmed and bisected them and roasted them for 25 minutes in a 400 degree oven. (What you see is 72 artichoke halves floating in acidulated water.) Then, into a bowl they went, along with some other things. What else? Three fennel bulbs, shaved into small slices on my mandolin. Two packages of frozen edamame beans (already removed from the pod) -- boiled for 3 minutes. And then all this was tossed with a dressing made from lemon juice, olive oil, fennel seeds, lemon peel, parsley and shallots. Yes, this came from Epicurious (a Bon Appetit 2004 recipe); for details click here. And for a picture of what the completed salad looked like, check out the second picture.

And then a few days later, Asparagus from the Rochester Public Market. Three lovely bunches. Local and lovely. Once home, we washed it -- and stuck it upside down in glasses -- and a vase -- to wash out the tips. Then, the search was on -- for a recipe for asparagus soup. Not my search -- but eventually I too benefitted from the choice of a delicious soup recipe. It too originated with Epicurious -- but got modifed some along the way. As you see, the genius sous chef sliced a cup of shallots; we also took the tips off about 2 bunches (the recipe calls for 2 lbs.) of asparagus -- using a few tips and most of the stems for the soup itself. The remainder of the tips became garnish. Here's how to make the soup: melt 1/4 cup of butter; saute the shallots until soft; add 2 tsp. ground coriander seed and the asparagus and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add 28 ounces or so of vegetable stock and bring to a soft boil. Boil along until the asparagus is sort of soft. (Not mush,. just soft enough.) Then, puree in batches in a blender and pour through a seive. You'll discover just how much roughage is in asparagus -- use a soup ladle to swirl the glop which emerges from the blender around in the seive, pushing as much liquid as you can through. You'll have some beautiful green stuff left to toss away, alas, but your goals is to make sure it is DRY-ish. Once you finish doing seiving the soup, reheat it, while very briefly boiling the asparagus tips. (And I mean brief -- you do not want them even barely squishy. Think blanching them possibly.) To plate the soup, I piled up a few asparagus tips, put about a tablespoon of lemon goat cheese (described below) on it, and ladled away! Beautiful. For the original March 2006 Bon Appetit recipe, click here.

The lemon goat cheese is my substitute for the lemon creme fraiche or sour cream the recipe calls for. To make it, use a 4 ounce log of soft goat cheese (because we had it), some milk to make it runnier, grated lemon peel from two small (organic) lemons, and juice from 2 lemons. Basically, just keep tasting until it is lemon-y enough for your taste.

And serve this soup with a lovely salad. Just enough for dinner.