The First “Written” Recipe

“The Columella Salad“, named for its author, Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (370-404 AD), a Roman farmer. Columella penned the first book of recipes starting with a garden salad. This salad is the perfect side dish and fits easily on any modern menu. Published by www.antiquitynow.org“

The Antica Pesa (The Antique Scales)- a trendy celebrity restaurant in Rome that takes its inspiration from recipes by Columella.

Fourth generation Chef /owner Simone Panella developed his recipes in his  family’s restaurant.  Among the honors and awards, Antica Pesa received the prized Michelin star in 2012 and still listed in the Michelin Guide.

Antica Pesa  was the location for collecting taxes on wheat using scales It was also a grainery and soon became a meeting place for the locals who drank coffee and enjoyed local snacks and fresh baked bread. This former Vatican tax post was converted into the eatery by 1922.  Fourth generation owner and executive chef, Simone Panella said “His recipes are his own. But, in these modern times, he had to change the recipes to become more lighter.”
This is our philosophy at Simply Splendid Food as  we strive towards healthy eating.

GOOD RECIPES:  Make GOOD CHEFS!
There is a myriad of recipes out there. Some are good, some are so-so.

We often use our mom’s recipes like Lidia Bastianich of Lidia’s Italy : American-Italian dishes.

These ladies are adorned with pearl necklaces. An homage to Julia Child!

Julia Child Brought French Recipes To America

Julia Child was most likely the first American female to graduate from the prestigious French Cordon Bleu cooking school.  The Cordon Bleu  boasts of having the highest level of culinary experts to train young chefs and foodies alike. Even though they have their roots in France, you can now  find a “Cordon Bleu Culinary Schools almost anywhere around the world in countries such as Peru and Australia. Their reach is far and wide.

FIRST TV  COOKING SHOW – Another First
Julia Child was the first to host her own cooking show on TV. You can see that Julia Child is getting a workout whipping those eggs on her TV show (no food processor invented yet) . She even shows you how to fix a ruined sauce on TV. Watch now…

Her cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” has now gone through 34 printings (with new plates), shows the popularity of her recipes.

Dad’s HOLLANDAISE SAUCE Recipe
When I came home from school on the weekends, I looked forward to Saturday morning and great smells from the kitchen. Dad would get the mixing bowl out and start whipping egg yolks. I never saw him with a cook book. He used a dash of paprika and classic white pepper and salt. You could not distinguish the paprika – only the very slightest hint. Each bite would linger as I slowly ate my Eggs Benedict. One thing I learned about the paprika is that the key to a good recipe is when you follow a good rule of “less is more“!

MASSIMO BOTURRA – ANOTHER FIRST

Some recipes come by accident when you have to improvise or you can experiment with different flavours. Great new creations (recipes) are in the making when you allow yourself to take a chance.

MASSIMO told us this story at a book signing in TORONTO at George Brown College’s culinary class of chefs.

BON APPETITE!

..in memory of Julia Child.