A 30 year old note brings up the question. Also, an old menu that you have never seen, Danny Kaye's favorite pasta and a great source for Indian ingredients.
I love reading La Briffe. Your commentary is beautiful and relatable. I appreciate the many other food writings I see and read, but, frankly, sometimes I find them repetitive and almost tiring. But I never feel that way about yours. Thank you, Ruth!
Louis and Danny's Joy and your correspondence-Brightening this morning! Your commentary on the politicization of food is so clear and right on. It very much helps locate why half the country is swept away by the ravings of a dictator-racism, both conscious and unconscious. Sharing delicious food from a myriad of foreign place opens so many new doors for the heart and mind. Thank you for stirring the pot in such a beautiful way.
I could go on & on, but the ideas surrounding food as politic are myriad & important. We like to believe in an open mind, open heart & open conversation about politics & life. That they all influence one another is not a mystery ; it’s truth’
As a first generation American with mixed heritage, I think about this topic A LOT. Thank you for this piece, it's thoughtful, and beautifully written.
Ruth, thank you for recommending Pure Indian Foods. I purchased the mango puree and some other items, and I'm thrilled with everything I got. The products are high quality and arrived beautifully packaged.
I can't remember which of all your books tells the story of your first dinner at Danny Kaye's home but it's one of my favorite stories. I remember how you enjoyed the food that evening. Thank you for the recipe.
For me, the best La Briffe yet! As a lover of all manner of foods in their home-country and immigrant forms, as well as their hyphenated American cousins, your commentary resonated. I enjoyed the menu backstory too, and will whip up some Danny Kaye pasta soon. Alas, I won't be able to get my hands on that gorgeous mango puree here in Portugal. If anyone knows a comparable European supplier of quality Asian ingredients, I would be thrilled to know about it.
"When we ask, 'What is American food?' we are not asking what’s for dinner. We’re asking who we are." This is so well-said! I have a multi-ethnic family and live in a multi-ethnic community. Thank you for this thoughtful piece.
I vividly remember the Sept 2007 issue of Gourmet and swooning over the vibrant images and recipes. That issue still sits in my collection and as I pulled it out, the pages immediately opened to the oil stained recipe for Mixote de Carne (Beef with Guajillo Sauce Baked in Banana Leaves). This will be the perfect antedote to another snowy, gray weekend. Thanks to you and others, I think the banana leaves will be much easier to find than when I first tried this recipe 15 years ago.
That lemon pasta recipe looks terrific. Thank you for posting. I can't wait to try it. If you are a lazy cook like me, there is some good dried egg pasta ( like this: https://www.formaggiokitchen.com/tagliatelle-250g ) coming out of Italy these days (which probably wasn't easily available when Danny Kaye was making the dish) that has an extra level of texture and toothsomeness that I could never get from homemade pasta. If you are even lazier and live in Los Angeles, Angelini Osteria has a similar recipe on their menu called Tagliolini Limone made with lemon, cream and parmigiano reggiano cheese. https://www.angelinibeverly.com/menus
I love, love, love your writing. It is filled with warmth, humor and some great recipes. In these contentious times food helps to unite we humans. Thanks.
When my kids were in elementary school there was always the "bring your ethnic cuisine" potluck, and I was always stuck. We are truly American mongrels and had many laughs trying to figure out what to bring! My mom suggested we bring hot dogs, that most all-American food. I had one Irish grandmother so I created "Irish Chicken", chicken breast strips with a potato flake crust. My children, now adults, still laugh about how we didn't really have an ethnic cuisine to share, but almost every kid loves chicken with a carb coating, Irish or not.
I love reading La Briffe. Your commentary is beautiful and relatable. I appreciate the many other food writings I see and read, but, frankly, sometimes I find them repetitive and almost tiring. But I never feel that way about yours. Thank you, Ruth!
Louis and Danny's Joy and your correspondence-Brightening this morning! Your commentary on the politicization of food is so clear and right on. It very much helps locate why half the country is swept away by the ravings of a dictator-racism, both conscious and unconscious. Sharing delicious food from a myriad of foreign place opens so many new doors for the heart and mind. Thank you for stirring the pot in such a beautiful way.
I could go on & on, but the ideas surrounding food as politic are myriad & important. We like to believe in an open mind, open heart & open conversation about politics & life. That they all influence one another is not a mystery ; it’s truth’
As a first generation American with mixed heritage, I think about this topic A LOT. Thank you for this piece, it's thoughtful, and beautifully written.
Ruth, thank you for recommending Pure Indian Foods. I purchased the mango puree and some other items, and I'm thrilled with everything I got. The products are high quality and arrived beautifully packaged.
I can't remember which of all your books tells the story of your first dinner at Danny Kaye's home but it's one of my favorite stories. I remember how you enjoyed the food that evening. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for continuing on with La Briffe. I can never get enough of your writing!
For me, the best La Briffe yet! As a lover of all manner of foods in their home-country and immigrant forms, as well as their hyphenated American cousins, your commentary resonated. I enjoyed the menu backstory too, and will whip up some Danny Kaye pasta soon. Alas, I won't be able to get my hands on that gorgeous mango puree here in Portugal. If anyone knows a comparable European supplier of quality Asian ingredients, I would be thrilled to know about it.
"When we ask, 'What is American food?' we are not asking what’s for dinner. We’re asking who we are." This is so well-said! I have a multi-ethnic family and live in a multi-ethnic community. Thank you for this thoughtful piece.
I vividly remember the Sept 2007 issue of Gourmet and swooning over the vibrant images and recipes. That issue still sits in my collection and as I pulled it out, the pages immediately opened to the oil stained recipe for Mixote de Carne (Beef with Guajillo Sauce Baked in Banana Leaves). This will be the perfect antedote to another snowy, gray weekend. Thanks to you and others, I think the banana leaves will be much easier to find than when I first tried this recipe 15 years ago.
I instantly recognized the woman from "Delicious!" What an unforgettable character!! Many thanks for showing me the inspiration behind it!
That lemon pasta recipe looks terrific. Thank you for posting. I can't wait to try it. If you are a lazy cook like me, there is some good dried egg pasta ( like this: https://www.formaggiokitchen.com/tagliatelle-250g ) coming out of Italy these days (which probably wasn't easily available when Danny Kaye was making the dish) that has an extra level of texture and toothsomeness that I could never get from homemade pasta. If you are even lazier and live in Los Angeles, Angelini Osteria has a similar recipe on their menu called Tagliolini Limone made with lemon, cream and parmigiano reggiano cheese. https://www.angelinibeverly.com/menus
Pasta dish sounds fabulous... a "go to" this week!
I love, love, love your writing. It is filled with warmth, humor and some great recipes. In these contentious times food helps to unite we humans. Thanks.
I still very much enjoy the lemon pasta often and the memories.
When my kids were in elementary school there was always the "bring your ethnic cuisine" potluck, and I was always stuck. We are truly American mongrels and had many laughs trying to figure out what to bring! My mom suggested we bring hot dogs, that most all-American food. I had one Irish grandmother so I created "Irish Chicken", chicken breast strips with a potato flake crust. My children, now adults, still laugh about how we didn't really have an ethnic cuisine to share, but almost every kid loves chicken with a carb coating, Irish or not.