The Endive Chronicles

Picture it: A typical suburban home circa 1982, it’s Saturday morning; a three year old and her father are locked in battle over the pile of cold scrambled eggs left on her plate. Her lips are pursed, eyes fixed, Burt and Ernie slippers hooked around the rungs of her chair as her father with eyebrow cocked, looks sternly down at her determined face. Acting as ambassador, the mother offers a squirt of ketchup as a possible solution. An accord is reached and only a portion of the eggs are to be consumed.

As you may have guessed, I was that determined three year old. I wasn’t a picky eater for the most part, but there were a few things I absolutely refused to consume. My mother laughs when talking of prying my mouth apart to deposit pureed squash only to see it instantly squirting out the other side. Most kids have food they won’t eat, sometimes that follows them into adulthood and doesn’t allow them to try new things. Thankfully now 26 years later I am an adventurous eater and steadily bashing away at the list of no-go foods from my childhood. Eggs I’ll admit are still hit and miss for me. Although dishes such as Ina Garten’s Herb Baked Eggs, Piperade and Frittata have helped me see past the scrambled eggs of my childhood. As an adult I have realised that my aversion to certain foods is based in texture instead of flavor except in one case; raw fennel.

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Several months ago, I heard about an organization in Italy dedicated to the preservation of regional Italian food heritage. Home Food is collaboration between the Association for the Guardianship and Exploitation of the Traditional Culinary-Gastronomic Heritage of Italy, the Ministry of Agriculture Politics and the University of Bologna (whew!), all dedicated to keeping familial culinary traditions alive. Home Food is unique in the fact that your host or *Cesarine will not be a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, but a home cook with vast knowledge of the food and local product history of her region. On a recent trip to Rome I had the opportunity of taking part in one of their events.

After the registration and acceptance process you are invited to dine at the home of your Cesarine. We were fortunate enough to be welcomed into the home of our cesarine, Nella and her husband Luigi. Not only was Nella a tremendous cook and knowledgeable about the cookery of Lazio, but she was one of the loveliest people I have ever had the privilege to meet.

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The cities of southern France are teeming with fusion specialties influenced by Mediterranean countries ranging from Italy to Morocco. One such specialty from the city of Nice is socca. Rumored to be an Italian import, socca has long been a part of daily life in Nice. In fact, some socca vendors have had the tradition passed down to them through the generations.

Socca has a nutty flavor and is lightly crisp to the bite. These crepe like treats make a great snack eaten plain or with a bit of filling. Socca are packed with protein and make a satisfying and delicious snack. When we make these at home my husband and I stand over the skillet waiting with hungry anticipation for the piping hot socca.

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