Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen

by Leah Koenig

One of Food & Wine's Best Cookbooks of Fall 2023

A captivating tour through Rome’s centuries-old Jewish community with more than 100 simple, deeply flavorful, vegetable-forward recipes. “Naming the book Portico is my way of saying, ‘Welcome. I’m glad you are here.’” A leading authority on Jewish food, Leah Koenig celebrates la cucina Ebraica Romana within the pages of her new cookbook. 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. Leah Koenig’s recipes showcase the cuisine’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, of course, Carciofi alla Giudia, the quintessential Jewish-style fried artichokes. A standout chapter on fritters―showcasing the unique gift Roman Jews have for delicate frying―includes sweet honey-soaked matzo fritters, fried salt cod, and savory potato pastries (burik) introduced by the thousands of Libyan Jews who immigrated to Rome in the 1960s and ’70s. Every recipe is masterfully tailored to the home cook, while maintaining the flavor and integrity of tradition. Suggested menus for holiday planning round out the usability and flexibility of these dishes. A cookbook for anyone who wants to dive more deeply into Jewish foodways, or gain new insight into Rome, Portico features the makers and creators who are keeping Roman Jewish food alive today, transporting us to the bustling streets of the Eternal City while also making us feel―as we cook and eat―very much at home. 100 full-color photographs

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Jewish, Italy, Reference

336 pages, Hardcover

Published August 29, 2023

Reviews

[Dodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Portico is not a typical cookbook; it transports the reader to Rome's Jewish Ghetto with Leah Koenig as a tour guide. Kristin Teig's stunning photographs of Rome and of the food complete the setting. Koenig includes Jewish history of Rome and her visits to Roman kitchens for family recipes. She shows the oldest kosher bakery in Rome and restaurants she visited as well. I definitely want to visit after reading Koenig's descriptions. I liked cooking from this book, too. One of my favorites is the Spinach Frittata with Raisins and Pine Nuts. Not only did I learn a new technique for making a frittata, but also the flavors were amazing. I'd been accustomed to cooking frittatas on the cooktop and flipping the pan while covering with a plate--for me a cumbersome process. Koenig's clear directions for cooking the frittata in the oven are much easier. The unexpected brightness of lemon combined with the creaminess of mascarpone accented with parmesan and oregano is delicious. Pine nuts and raisins add texture and depth. I had to try Mint Tea with Roasted Peanuts because I couldn't imagine what it would taste like. Rome has a significant population of Libyan Jews who resettled there when they were no longer welcome in Libya. This tea is one of their traditions. The peanuts are roasted and dropped into a glass. The steeped tea (a combination of black tea, green tea and fresh mint) is sweetened and poured atop the peanuts. As the tea sits in the glass, the texture of the peanuts changes. It's fun, and I'm glad I tried it, but I think I will try the tea without the peanuts next time. It's a winning combination.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a love note to the Roman Jewish people. It was wonderful for me to learn about the history, diversity, and resiliency of Rome's Jewish community. Most of the recipes are very approachable and the author offers lots of substitutes for ingredients that might be harder to come by.

The only reason this isn't 5 stars is that the recipe layouts drove me nuts. I also really enjoyed the gorgeous photos and stories of the community included throughout the book, but wish there had been more photos of the food itself. I do think I'll be making a lot of these recipes and I look forward to eating it all!

Updated to 5 stars: I decided to update this to 5 stars because even though the layouts still make me crazy, everything I've cooked so far has been incredible. I know I'm going to be coming back to these recipes for a long time.

[Kate]

Made the minestrone, artichoke frittata, and bocca di dama almond flour cake. Especially interesting headnotes. I really don’t know much about this part of Rome (or really any part of Rome).

[Book Post Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Reading, not just cooking from Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen, it feels like Leah Koenig has visited all those Roman kitchens and cooks, whispering in our ears or teaching us fascinating history, photographer Kristen Teig by her side, capturing not only the recipes of Roman Jews, as they are put on the table, but the people, their stories and the city itself. Teig’s pictures remind us that there is always something beautiful or interesting around every Roman corner." -Arthur Schwartz

Read the full review here: https://books.substack.com/p/review-a...

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you distill Europe’s most ancient Jewish cuisines into a single volume without compromising their richness? Ask Leah Koenig, who has assembled recipes that paint a complete portrait of Rome’s cucina ebraica, from long-rooted favorites like concia and pomodori a mezzo to the spiced and garlicky cershi and tbeha of the Libyan diaspora.
Katie Parla

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book...the recipes are enticing, the pictures are stunning, and the commentary is so interesting. My only wish is that such a book had existed before I traveled to Rome in 1983, on my first trip abroad. Even though I had read guidebooks, I had almost no information about the former Jewish Ghetto, and I was dissuaded even from going to Trastevere, having been told that it was a dangerous neighborhood at the time, and perhaps it was for a young woman tourist on her own. After a couple of incidents of unwanted and aggressive attention, I took the warning seriously. Now, after reading this cookbook I am absolutely ready for fourth Italian sojourn, which would certainly include Jewish Rome.

[Ruth Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t make anything but enjoyed reading.

[Judy]

This book is described here - it sounds fascinating!
https://dinneralovestory.substack.com...

[Robyn Rabinowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Lauren Westmoreland · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most informative, entertaining and delicious cookbooks I've ever read. Highly recommend spending your time with Leah!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3*

[Andie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delicious blend of history, culture, and cuisine.

[Andrea Press · Rating 3 out of 5]

may belmont cookbook club. made apple fritters, so good. made stuffed zucchini too. ok