Inspired by Saveur’s April edition where Roman food was key, I decided to host my own empire styled meal using recipes from Anya Von Bremzen’s article. The results were fantastic, and not nearly as complicated as I thought.

The menu for my feast: Spaghetti alla carbonara, fagioli e tonno (white beans with tuna), finocchio con latte al forno (fennel baked in milk), and broccoli strascinati (broccoli with garlic and hot peppers).

Because I was serving 6 people, I  doubled the recipes, which was more then enough (in fact still eating leftovers and not complaining).  I started with the fennel, which took the most time since it needs to be cooked  in milk and butter for about 30-45 minutes.  While that simmered I cooked the pancetta for the carbonara sauce, which need time to cool.  Next up, steaming the broccoli.  Once I popped the fennel into the oven, I started water for the pasta, and presto, it all came together in perfect harmony.  As long as you follow that order, you can time all these dishes to finish at about the same time.

The simplest, and cheapest, dish to make was the white bean and tuna salad. Forgoing the recipe’s want of dried beans, I just stuck to the canned version and whipped it up in the end, though it can also be made the day before. Honestly, I would give more pointers here, but if you follow the recipes pretty religiously, everything will turn out perfect.  My meal sure did.

I am not the only one that feels its loss.  In an interview with New York Magazine, Alice Waters gave a good description of what the closing of Gourmet symbolizes for the food industry,

“It’s losing a voice — it’s losing a sophisticated voice.  A voice that, for me, was representing the future of food in this country.”

In the last issue of Saveur (my all time favorite food magazine), they wrote a small editorial about how the closing of this magazine affected them,

“Sine we heard the news in October that Gourmet was ceasing publication after 68 years, we’ve mourned along with the rest of the food world.  Over the years, Saveur and Gourmet have shared many writers and even swapped a few editors, and we’ve been driven by the same mission: to publish unforgettable stories about the world of cuisine.  And yet, Gourmet’s absence leaves a hole no other publication could fill…Gourmet has been the benchmark for all food publications; its archive remains an invaluable resource.  Still, it’s hard to believe that someone won’t find a way to bring Gourmet back.”

Even though this happened in October, this postcard ended up bringing back all the emotions of finding out this magazine was closing.  I know it will be okay for food guru Ruth Reichl, she is a brand in herself, I am just sad that it’s over, for now.

Newspaper feature writing without recipes: David Leite for The New York Times, “In a ‘64 T-Bird, Chasing a Date With a Clam”

Newspaper feature writing with recipes: Katy McLaughlin for The Wall Street Journal, “A New Taste Sensation”

Magazine feature writing about a restaurant or chef: Howie Kahn for GQ, “The Wandering Chef”

Magazine feature writing with recipe: Betty Fussell for Saveur, “American Prime”

Magazine feature writing without recipe: Manny Howard for New York Magazine, “My Empire of Dirt”

Writing on spirits, wine or beer: David Darlington for Wine & Spirits Magazine, “Postmodern Deliciousness: The World According to Clark Smith” 

For a complete list of winners check out the website by clicking here!