The book “Eating with Pope Francis / Food in the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio “ (A tavola con Papa Francesco, the original Italian title) which I had the honor to write, is not just a sort of food biography on a Pope who graduated in Food Chemistry and is very prepared on the dynamics of food preparation. The book is also a sort of singular “recipe book” that draws inspiration and reason mainly from the dishes that the future Pope had had the opportunity to prepare in Buenos Aires (Argentina) before to be elected Pope in 2013.

In the book 36 recipes are presented and illustrated with photos. I am happy to report a few of them. So, from today, I will propose those that, in my opinion, are considered the “historical” recipes, those that have marked moments and traits of life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

The book – with different titles according the different Countries where it has been published – is still available in bookstores, including online ones, like Amazon. Published in 14 Countries, in different languages, the book is divided into very topical issues, which concern environmental sustainability and actions against food waste. The various editions have 208 pages and over 250 photographs. The volume received the 2018 Bancarella Cucina Selection Award. The first recipe proposed is the traditional bagna cauda, ​​from Piedmont, the land of origin of the Pope’s family.

THE RECIPES WITH “CHEF FRANCIS” : BAGNA CAUDA
Jorge Mario Bergoglio loves bagna càuda. It is not just a typical Italian dish, but a real symbol of sharing for diners, who draw it from a single container. The book tells unpublished and very nice episodes in this regard: Bergoglio did not refuse invitations from Piedmontese emigrants when they anticipated that there would be bagna cauda at the table!

Ingredients: 100/150 gr of desalted anchovies 3/4 cloves of garlic per person 200 gr of extra virgin olive oil 50 gr of butter Vegetables to dip: chopped peppers, celery, cabbage, fennel, boiled potatoes and Jerusalem artichoke, boiled onions, etc … homemade bread and croutons It can be accompanied by a full-bodied red wine (Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, or Dolcetto).

Procedure: Finely chop the garlic and soak it in the milk for 1 hour (promotes digestion). Put it in a terracotta pan together with the desalted and diluted anchovies into small pieces, covering everything with oil and cooking on a low heat, without the garlic taking on color nor the oil boiling. Stir slowly and continuously with a wooden spoon to reduce everything to mush and cook slowly for about 10 minutes; then add the butter, stir constantly and, after another 10 minutes of slow cooking, bring the pan to the table. In the center of the table, put a spirit stove, put the pan with the bagna cauda on it (it must be kept hot). At the center of the table is also the bowl with vegetables.

THE DIFFERENT COVERS OF THE BOOK ISSUED IN THE VARIOUS COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. THE BOOK HAS 208 PAGES, WITH ABOUT 250 PHOTOS.