Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams St
Join Leah Koenig in celebrating her latest cookbook, PORTICO: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen. Leah will be joined by Smitten Kitchen‘s Deb Perelman for a conversation about the Eternal City’s historic Jewish community and its uniquely delicious cuisine. The lively talk will cover Roman Jews’ 2000-year old history, introduce you to Rome’s iconic (fried artichokes!) and lesser-known Jewish delicacies, and highlight the chefs, makers, and home cooks keeping these foods alive today. Sample a variety of dishes from Portico grab a glass of wine to toast la dolce vita, and get your copy of Portico signed in person. This event is created in partnership with The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life and Powerhouse Books.
In PORTICO: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen (WW Norton & Company), author Leah Koenig celebrates la cucina Ebraica Romana, one of Europe’s oldest Jewish communities, with more than 100 simple, deeply flavorful, vegetable-forward recipes. Existing for more than 2,000 uninterrupted years, Rome’s Jewish community has been shaped by hardship and determination to become a resilient, deeply knit entity with a uniquely beguiling cuisine.
Portico showcases the Roman Jewish kitchen’s elegantly understated vegetables, saucy braised meats and stews, rustic pastas, resplendent olive oil-fried foods, and never-too-sweet desserts. Home cooks can explore classics of the Roman Jewish repertoire with Stracotto di Manzo (a wine-braised beef stew), Pizza Ebraica (fruit-and-nut-studded bar cookies) and Carciofi alla Giudia, the quintessential Jewish-style fried artichokes. Along with recipes, the book features an in-depth look at Rome’s Jewish history and introduces readers to the people who keep Roman Jewish food alive today, transporting readers to the bustling streets of the Eternal City. Portico is a cookbook for anyone who wants to dive more deeply into Jewish foodways or gain new insight into Rome.
