"St. Joseph's Table Cookbook - 100s of Years of
Old-World Family Cooking"
ORDER YOUR COPIES FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS NOW WHILE SUPPLIES
LAST!
IT'S A FUNDRAISER FOR OUR NEW HOMELESS HOTEL &
CONFERENCE CENTER
THE ST. JOSEPH'S INN
By Bro. Gary Joseph with Linda Grappo Livermore, Maggie
Cervantes,
Socorro Berberian and Angela Chavez
The title suggests hundreds of years of old-world cooking.
However, in actuality this cookbook touches upon thousands of years of ancient
recipes and ingredients still used today by chefs in restaurants and those
creating every-day family cooking at home. In the opening chapter “Appetizers”
connect with the fact that we are still smashing and blending guacamole just
about the same way the Aztecs and Mayans did hundreds of years ago. Also, the
recipe for hummus has been traced to ancient Egyptian records that show the
humble chickpea as crushed, pulverized and eaten for thousands of years.
Most interesting is the chapter on “Breads”. Why? This
wholesome food has always been the “staff of life” tracing as far back as 4,000
BCE. Bread making can be traced, understood and continues to inspire us from
many ancient writings of the Bible - Old and New Testaments as well as other
non-Biblical but historical works. In the tab on “Breads” check out the fact
that the ancient street vendors of Rome sold Castagnaccio, a flatbread made
from chestnut flour and topped it with roasted pine nuts. You will discover
other ancient street vendor foods made today like zepoles San Gennaro-style and
other focaccia flatbreads topped with olive oil, rock salt and rosemary.
Lastly, the modest bean has been known to be a standard in
cooking for thousands of years. You will discover its varied use throughout
this cookbook from European and Asian to Mexican cuisines. Be sure to read up
on “Lupini Beans” and their importance today. The beans are the yellow legume
seeds of Lupinus genus. They are traditionally eaten as a snack food after
being pickled in a saltwater brine. Lupinis are primarily known in the
Mediterranean basin. FYI, the beans are the highest in protein and lowest in
carbohydrates among the legumes family. The bean is extremely bitter unless
rinsed methodically for ten days and stored daily in the saltwater brine. Roman
street vendors sold Lupinis with beer similar to snacking on Edamame (edible
soybean) and Saki in modern-day Asian restaurants.
I hope this cookbook will inspire you to connect further
with our rich old-world culinary cultures that have so much to offer your
family and friends by way of nutrition, taste, flavor, color, texture, fun and
community. If you do not understand a term or something else in the cookbook,
remember, there is always Google just waiting to help you. Want to know more
about how to role, fry, buy, dice, whip, bake or make something? Don’t hesitate
to go to YouTube. More than likely someone has posted a 3 to 5-minute video to
help you! Can’t find an ingredient in your local market? Amazon.com has it and
will deliver to you within 48 hours! Prayers and Blessings! Bro. Gary Joseph,
s.F.m.
