Italian American Digest 7Italian American Digest FALL 2018 | Page 20

I talian A merican D igest
PAGE 20
FALL 2018
Poppy Tooker’s Latest Nephew’s Brings Back Fond
Memories of Tony Angello’s
Does Not Disappoint
by Laura Guccione
by Megan Celona
Poppy Tooker, native New Or-
leanian and Louisiana food icon,
has created yet another fascinating
culinary history and cookbook—this
time on Pascal’s Manale, the second
oldest continually operating fami-
ly-owned restaurant in New Orleans,
second only to Antoine’s.
Here at the Italian American
Digest, we’ve received an advance
copy of the book and had the op-
portunity to try some of the recipes.
I tried her recipes for Rosemary
Chicken, Barbecue Shrimp Sauce,
and Caramel Custard.
The Rosemary Chicken is well
worth turning your stove on for, even
at the height of Louisiana’s summer.
This fragrant dish was easy to make
(thanks to clear instructions), and it
got rave reviews.
You really cannot go wrong with
a recipe that calls for 18-24 cloves
of garlic and 2 tablespoons of rose-
mary! This dish is delicious with
pasta, potatoes, or a crusty loaf of
Italian bread to sop up the pan sauce.
Feeling adventurous, I tested the
Caramel Custard recipe next. I had
never made custard before and, hav-
ing heard horror stories of custards
breaking and not turning out, I was
hesitant. Thankfully this recipe was
easy to follow and the custard was
successful! I will caution that this
delicious dessert does take time to
make, at least the caramel sauce.
But the true test for this cookbook
was Poppy’s version of Pascal’s
Manale’s famous Barbecue Shrimp,
and let me tell you, it did not disap-
point! This crown jewel of Pascal’s
Manale is surprisingly easy to make
following Poppy’s recipe. Simply
melt butter, add the secret herbs and
spices, then broil for 10 minutes. It
was fabulous!
Poppy Tooker is a critically ac-
claimed author and culinary histori-
an.
Her cookbook is so much more
than a cookbook: she combines fam-
ily photographs, stories, and recipes
from Pascal’s Manale into a new
favorite. I highly recommend adding
Pascal’s Manale Cookbook: A Fami-
ly Tradition to your own collection.
The book can be purchased for
$35.00 at www.PoppyTooker.com.
Poppy will be happy to personalize
the book if purchased online.
Pascal’s Manale Cookbook: A Family Tradition
If you were a fan of the now-shut-
tered restaurant Tony Angello’s, then
you have a reason to rejoice. The
“feed me” menu and all its flavors
have returned, just in a different
guise. In the corner spot of an un-
assuming strip mall on West Me-
tairie sits the reincarnation of the
beloved Lakeview Italian eatery. Do
not be put off by the exterior; I had
my doubts about whether it would
retain any semblance of the comfort-
able place that reminded me of my
grandparents’ house. However, even
though it is not as cozy as the origi-
nal, they did a great job of hiding the
fact that you are in a strip mall and
succeeded in bringing the feeling of
a long-established place.
The place is called Nephew’s
Ristorante and for a good reason: the
chef and owner, Frank Catalanotte,
is Mr. Tony’s nephew and he worked
alongside the iconic chef since the
1970s, so he is more than familiar
with the dishes as well as the clien-
tele.
The dining room is front and
center, but, upon further inspection,
a bar hugs the wall to the left, and to
the right of that is a private dining
room much like the “wine room” at
Tony Angello’s. We, along with two
other parties, were at the doors when
they opened, and as we were seated
there was a steady flow of customers
filling up the small dining room.
The waiter asked if we needed a
menu and if we had been there be-
fore. We replied that it was our first
time there but that we were probably
going to go full on and get the “feed
me” dinner. For those of you who are
unfamiliar with the old restaurant,
the “feed me” menu was almost a
dare to the chef: the kitchen would
keep sending out courses until you
and you friends cry “uncle” to put
an end to the gorging on delicious
Sicilian-influenced food.
The wine list was a bit disappoint-
ing; it appeared to be a carry-over
from Tony Angello’s. The list was
one of my only complaints about the
old restaurant, and I had hoped that
they would stock more of a variety
of wines, but unfortunately that was
not the case. We settled on a decent
pinot noir and anxiously awaited the
first course.
Our first round of dishes start-
ed with boiled and peeled shrimp
dressed in a garlicky, Italian-inspired
white remoulade. It was somewhat
spicy, and the shrimp were tender.
These were served at the same time
as a basket of fresh, warm, small
twists of Italian bread sprinkled with
sesame seeds and a large plate of
marinated mushrooms. The crisp,
firm, fresh mushrooms stood up to
the bold vinaigrette sprinkled with
parsley. They were not overly mar-
inated—not wilted or soggy—and
really primed the taste buds for what
was to come.
The next dish was one of my
favorites of all time—eggplant rolls.
These ricotta-filled roulades of egg-
plant covered with Nephew’s light
and bright red sauce were melt-in-
your-mouth delicious. The delicacy
of the flavors and the balance of
sweet eggplant and tart tomatoes
created a winning combination. Nice
chunks of paneed fish were served
at the same time, as well as stuffed
shrimp. The fish was simply bread-
ed and fried, and served with large
wedges of lemon; it was so fresh
it was all that was necessary. Tail-
on shrimp stuffed with a generous
amount of crab and breadcrumb
dressing were lightly cooked rather
than breaded and deep fried. This
helped retain the fresh, delicate sea-
food flavors that are often lost with
heavy breading.
Next, there was a mysterious sea-
food cup that is difficult to explain.
Served in a small monkey dish, it
was not the prettiest thing you will
ever eat, but it was wonderful and
unlike anything else. It was almost
like a seafood soufflé—airy but
creamy, with small bits of seafood
throughout. Along with the seafood
cup was the pasta course. The cr-
ab-flavored red gravy had a subtle
seafood aroma and was served with
a crab claw. It was simple, but the
flavors were so complex.
And the food kept coming: oil
and vinegar tossed tomatoes and
mixed greens topped with a mound
of brisket cooked down to shredded
goodness and topped with thin strips
of red onion.
At that point, we threw in the
towel, and our waiter informed us
that the next and final course would
be the entrees—yes, more than one
entrée.
The final course was a trio of
Nephew’s cont. on page 23