Giramonti Restaurant #1 Of 2 Recipe
Yield: 1 servingsRecipe by luhu.jp
Ingredients:
No ingredients,
During World War II, Adriana Giramonti was stranded in a small
Directions:
Italian village near Monte Casino. Her memories of that time are
with her still. The fear, the noise of combat, and, above all, the
hunger, form a somber backdrop to her daily life and give impetus to
her cooking. Unwillingly, she recalls the day when the German troops
began their retreat, stripping the village of food and material.
"There was no food because we couldnt cultivate the fields. We were
always hungry. Thats one of the reasons I enjoy food now. I
remember those days."
With her mother in Rome, Adriana learned how to feed large
groups of people simply and well. One of five children, the young
girl early acquired a familiarity with the Roman Markets and with
recipes that were quick, yet wonderfully flavorful.
At the age of twenty-seven, she came to California, where she
found work in a San Francisco Italian restaurant. In twenty years as
a waitress, she picked up the essentials of restaurant cooking and
operations, and she also married Nino, who has been a waiter in
several San Francisco restaurants. Together they opened Giramonti
Restaurant in 1977.
An excellent cook himself, Nino supervises Giramontis two small
dining rooms. He is a wine enthusiast particularly interested in
matching his wifes cooking style with Italian and California wines.
The husband and wife have found an excellent balance in running what
is essentially a very busy family restaurant, or trattoria.
It is an apt description. One wall is glass, giving a relaxing
view of an inlet of San Francisco Bay backed by the green beauty of
Mt. Tamalpais. The decor is eclectic, with an air of family
enterprise in the still-life paintings by Adriana, the display of
small decorative plates and molds, the patterned blue wallpaper, and
the informal hospitality.
Since Italy is the wellspring of Adrianas creativity,
Giramontis menus bear the initials S.P.Q.R., the inscription seen
throughout Rome on public works and municipal buildings. The letters
represent a Latin motto translated roughly as "For the People of
Rome," a phrase perfectly descriptive of Adrianas Roman culinary
heritage and her cooking method, which is essentially home-style
permeated by love and intelligent care.
"When we first opened, i was going to do just a few things very
well, but the more I cooked, the more I remembered what my mother had
taught me about putting together the right things, herbs, and other
ingredients, with lots of love."
Four items are essential to Adrianas cooking: chicken broth,
occasionally mixed with beef stock; tomato sauce; a Roman-style brown
gravy; and white wine. She also favors basil, parsley, sage,
rosemary, and marjoram. Each day she makes fresh stocks to use in
recipes for several pastas accompanied by a variety of meat and fish;
for minestrone soup containing no tomatoes but generous amounts of
fresh vegetables; for sauteed chicken; and, of course, for veal in
several styles.
Adriana smiles self-indulgently when describing her fondness for
veal. "I must say that I am very good with veal. I have invented
many dishes with it." Her Veal Adriana is an excellent case in point,
its piquant mustard and cream sauce is a precise counterpoint to the
veals delicate flavor.
To create a new recipe, Adriana needs only to recall her
childhood years in Italy. "I remember what I ate as a child in Rome.
I picture myself in my grandparents house with clouds of smoke in
the kitchen and everyone cooking.
She is refreshingly enthusiastic about food and admits that her
desire to cook has actually increased recently, as though the passage
of years has heightened her appreciation for the fundamental goodness
and pleasure of food. "Every day now I can create something new. I
love to handle the food. I am more and more excited by food all the
time."
Source: Great Chefs of San Francisco, Avon Books, 1984
Chef: Adriana Giramonti, Giramonti Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
From: Rob Stewart Date: 09-12-94
Source from luhu.jp
with her still. The fear, the noise of combat, and, above all, the
hunger, form a somber backdrop to her daily life and give impetus to
her cooking. Unwillingly, she recalls the day when the German troops
began their retreat, stripping the village of food and material.
"There was no food because we couldnt cultivate the fields. We were
always hungry. Thats one of the reasons I enjoy food now. I
remember those days."
With her mother in Rome, Adriana learned how to feed large
groups of people simply and well. One of five children, the young
girl early acquired a familiarity with the Roman Markets and with
recipes that were quick, yet wonderfully flavorful.
At the age of twenty-seven, she came to California, where she
found work in a San Francisco Italian restaurant. In twenty years as
a waitress, she picked up the essentials of restaurant cooking and
operations, and she also married Nino, who has been a waiter in
several San Francisco restaurants. Together they opened Giramonti
Restaurant in 1977.
An excellent cook himself, Nino supervises Giramontis two small
dining rooms. He is a wine enthusiast particularly interested in
matching his wifes cooking style with Italian and California wines.
The husband and wife have found an excellent balance in running what
is essentially a very busy family restaurant, or trattoria.
It is an apt description. One wall is glass, giving a relaxing
view of an inlet of San Francisco Bay backed by the green beauty of
Mt. Tamalpais. The decor is eclectic, with an air of family
enterprise in the still-life paintings by Adriana, the display of
small decorative plates and molds, the patterned blue wallpaper, and
the informal hospitality.
Since Italy is the wellspring of Adrianas creativity,
Giramontis menus bear the initials S.P.Q.R., the inscription seen
throughout Rome on public works and municipal buildings. The letters
represent a Latin motto translated roughly as "For the People of
Rome," a phrase perfectly descriptive of Adrianas Roman culinary
heritage and her cooking method, which is essentially home-style
permeated by love and intelligent care.
"When we first opened, i was going to do just a few things very
well, but the more I cooked, the more I remembered what my mother had
taught me about putting together the right things, herbs, and other
ingredients, with lots of love."
Four items are essential to Adrianas cooking: chicken broth,
occasionally mixed with beef stock; tomato sauce; a Roman-style brown
gravy; and white wine. She also favors basil, parsley, sage,
rosemary, and marjoram. Each day she makes fresh stocks to use in
recipes for several pastas accompanied by a variety of meat and fish;
for minestrone soup containing no tomatoes but generous amounts of
fresh vegetables; for sauteed chicken; and, of course, for veal in
several styles.
Adriana smiles self-indulgently when describing her fondness for
veal. "I must say that I am very good with veal. I have invented
many dishes with it." Her Veal Adriana is an excellent case in point,
its piquant mustard and cream sauce is a precise counterpoint to the
veals delicate flavor.
To create a new recipe, Adriana needs only to recall her
childhood years in Italy. "I remember what I ate as a child in Rome.
I picture myself in my grandparents house with clouds of smoke in
the kitchen and everyone cooking.
She is refreshingly enthusiastic about food and admits that her
desire to cook has actually increased recently, as though the passage
of years has heightened her appreciation for the fundamental goodness
and pleasure of food. "Every day now I can create something new. I
love to handle the food. I am more and more excited by food all the
time."
Source: Great Chefs of San Francisco, Avon Books, 1984
Chef: Adriana Giramonti, Giramonti Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
From: Rob Stewart Date: 09-12-94
Source from luhu.jp