Soft leeks topped with halved boiled eggs and smothered in a blanket of cheesy bechamel: what’s not to like?
W
hile sorting out some books the other day, as well as gathering a pile to give away or sell, I spent a large part of two hours looking for books I know I once had, and trying to remember if I had loaned or lost them. And then, in the case of one particular book, ordering another copy. Ten out, one in: not terrible.
The book I (re)ordered was Beaneaters and Bread Soup, by Lori de Mori and the photographer Jason Lowe. Gathered over decades of living just outside Florence, the book is a collection of wonderful, practical Tuscan recipes, and also tells a story of Tuscan food through portraits of photogenic local artisans: a chestnut grower, a bee keeper, a man who makes knives … I would mention more if I could find the book, which I suspect was borrowed and never returned – you know who you are! (Unless I have got this wrong and it is behind the bookcase.)
One recipe I don’t need to wait for, though, is Lori’s sformato, which I have been making on and off for years. The word sformato means something taken out of a form, and it’s an umbrella term used to describe a great number of bakes. Lori’s consists of a layer of well-seasoned spinach covered with a duvet of besciamella (bechamel) seasoned with parmesan, and it inspired this week’s recipe, which is another good example of how so much cooking is simply repetitive behaviour seasoned with fresh thoughts.
