Nana’s Creole Italian Table with Liz Williams

Liz Williams, author of Nana's Creole Italian Table, a cookbook about the Sicilian community in New Orleans, is with us to chat about growing up in New Orleans.

Always fascinated by the way the lure of nutmeg and peppercorns motivated the exploration of the world, Liz Williams was lucky to be born into a family of Sicilian heritage in New Orleans. She grew up eating in two great food traditions. She is a founder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum and of the National Food & Beverage Foundation. Much of her research and writing centers on the legal and policy issues related to food and foodways.

 

Her book, coauthored with Stephanie Jane Carter, The Encyclopedia of Law and Food, was published by Greenwood Publishing in 2011. In 2013 AltaMira published New Orleans: A Food Biography. Her book Lift Your Spirits: A Celebratory History of Cocktail Culture in New Orleans about the drinking culture of New Orleans was published by LSU Press in the spring of 2016. Unique Eats & Eateries New Orleans was published by Reedy Press in 2019.

 

Liz hosts the Tip of the Tongue, a podcast for eaters and drinkers who are curious about individuals and issues at the intersection of food, drink, and culture and are hungry for more.

 

Liz shares a recipe from her new book with us. Super simple and supremely delicious!

Olive Oil and Lemon Spread

Makes about a cup

If you find mayonnaise rich but bland, try this instead. The pectin in the lemon (or other citrus) skin will emulsify the oil, so you don't need egg. In Nana's day, lemons were abundant, and this was what she typically used instead of mayonnaise. I like it on freshly sliced tomatoes and sandwiches.

 

1 lemon (or 5 or 6 kumquats)

1 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the lemon and quarter it. Don't worry about the seeds, they'll emulsify. Place the lemon quarters into a blender. Add half of the oil, as well as the salt and pepper.
2. Slowly start the blender and gradually raise the speed until the oil and lemon are emulsified. Drizzle the rest of the oil into the blender while it is running.
3. Place the spread into a jar, cover with a lid, and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

 

LIZ’S LINKS:

• Newsletter
• Podcast
• Southern Food & Beverage Museum
• Articles on NOLA
• Facebook

 

Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.

 

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