Your Culinary World

Eggs in Purgatory May Offer a Valuable Ecumenical Lesson to the Vatican

Roman Catholic Cardinals are now meeting in Italy to begin selecting a new pope. This esteemed group of gentlemen, for there is not a woman among them, will face many unsolved problems in the Church.

Chief among the difficult issues facing the next Holy Father will be the sexual abuse of children by priests, the noncompliance of the Vatican Bank with international monetary regulations, the stabilization of relationships with Islamic spiritual leaders, the recognition of women’s universal rights as well as massive internal security leaks to name only a few of the troubling topics.

It is the hope of many that the Cardinals’ papal choice will open the windows of the Vatican to the 21st Century, embracing as a result, both change and diversity – just like the Italian dish “Uova al Purgatorio”, also known as “Eggs in Purgatory”.

The heritage of this dish begins in Spain and North Africa where both Moorish and Jewish cooks called the dish “shakahouka”.

These innovative kitchen masters were among the first in the Old World to adopt the tomatoes, paprika, and chili peppers brought back from the New World by Spanish explorers. They also quickly added the eggplant -- which was brought from India by Portuguese merchants.

But sadly, many other individuals did not share their creativity, their ability to accept the new and explore its possible applications. Indeed, many felt that these new foods, all of which are contained in “Eggs in Purgatory”, were “vulgar and rustic” foods – unworthy of the upper classes.

As a result, these new culinary delights were enjoyed only by the lower classes, into which both Jews and Arabs had been forced by royal degrees as early as the 16^th century in both Spain and Italy.

Yet slowly over time tastes changed. By 1891 the Italian Pellegrino Artusi wrote, “Forty years ago, one hardly saw a tomato, an eggplant or fennel in the markets of Florence. They were once considered vile and foreign.”

Thankfully things have changed as proven by such now popular dishes as “Eggs in Purgatory.” Let us hope that the red robed Princes of the Church are not lost in a ‘purgatory’ of their own creation, frozen in tradition, unable to see the new ’ingredients’ offered by the 21^st Century – a century crying for change and ready for a broader, richer, more inclusive spiritual menu.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Shooter's Sandwiches are the Perfect Food for Downton Abbey Viewing Parties

Cuisine in BBC’s very popular series, Downton Abbey, is divided into two distinct groups – elegant fare for those upstairs and far more traditional dishes for those below.

Upstairs dishes were often prepared with a French flair at included pates, ices, elaborate gelatins and carved garnishes. Downstairs dishes were simpler, more filling – in short, fuel for the then standard 18 hour work day.

There was, however, one dish that combined both of these diverse worlds - a little known gem of English cuisine: The Shooter’s Sandwich. Whether you were a Lord or Lady, gamekeeper or loader, this was fare enjoyed by all no matter the size or grandeur of one’s kitchen.

The creation of a Shooter’s sandwich is easy but the end result is impressive. To create the sandwich you will need a hardy, firm textured round loaf of bread, cooked meat and fresh cheese of choice, mushrooms, onions, mustard and a heavy weight as well as paper and string (more about that later).

Begin by carefully slicing the top of the load off to create a ‘cap’. Be sure to safe the top as you will need it later. Next hollow out the loaf, removing the interior bread without cutting through to the outer crust.

Once this has been done, tightly pack the interior of the loaf with layers of your selected meats, cheeses, vegetables and mustard (or other spread if so desired). Please note the word “tightly” here as you truly want to pack the loaf as full as possible.

Replace the top and place the loaf on a sheet of paper that (1) will not damage the food and (2) is large enough to wrap around the sandwich at least twice. Wrap the sandwich up and tie securely with string.

Now comes the fun part. In Edwardian days the wrapped sandwich was put into a food press and compacted down to form a firm sandwich that was easy to transport and that never fell apart. For a shooting party, it was near perfect and everyone from Lord to Loaders enjoyed them.