I'm pleased to welcome Rosie Genova to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Rosie writes the Italian Kitchen Mystery series which is being re-released. THE WEDDING SOUP MURDER is the second book in the series and was reissued last week. The review I'm sharing was originally posted in 2014.
The recipe comes from my friend Tom Ficarra, an enthusiastic
foodie and pretty formidable home cook. (He also provided the inspiration for
Father Tom, a secondary character in the series.) Italian dishes are the
real-life Tom’s specialty, particularly those he samples in his yearly travels
to Italy. The last time Tom visited Sicily, he stopped in a small town to fill
up his rental car. He interrupted the gas station owner just as he was about to
have his pranzo, or late day
meal—pasta with arugula and fresh tomatoes that had been marinating in garlic.
Served over hot pasta, the vegetables form a “sauce” that doesn’t require
cooking.
As you can see, the measurements are not exact, and Tom’s
original wording (“Chop the crap out of the tomatoes!”) has been, shall we say,
adjusted, for public consumption. If
arugula is not to your taste, you may use any green you like in this dish; the
heat from the pasta will wilt it slightly. Also, if you find raw garlic a bit
too pungent, do what I do: before marinating, lightly sauté the cloves in olive
oil until soft but not browned.
The sweetness of the tomatoes really balances the bite of
the greens. And here’s what else I love about this meal—your salad is on top of
the pasta! All you need to add is some crusty bread and a medium-bodied wine
for a complete meal.
Buon appetito!
Tom’s Cold Tomato Sauce with Arugula
This recipe makes more than enough “sauce” for a pound of pasta. It’s
also good the next day as a cold pasta salad—add olives, cubed cheese, and
chickpeas for a different take on the dish.
·
About 10 fresh plum tomatoes
· A 5 oz. package of fresh arugula or other hardy baby green
· ¾ cup-1 cup of olive oil
· 1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on taste
· Salt and freshly grated pepper to taste
1) Chop tomatoes, arugula, and garlic well; place in large bowl and mix thoroughly. At this stage, I season with two generous teaspoons of sea salt and several twists of the pepper grinder. Before serving, taste and adjust seasonings to preference.
2) Pour olive oil over the mixture.
3) Let the mixture marinate for at least three hours, taking care to stir the mixture several times. The arugula will soften and sweeten in the oil and juices from the tomatoes.
4) Serve over hot pasta of your choice (I used the double twists known as gemelli) with a generous amount of grated Romano cheese.
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Review
THE WEDDING SOUP MURDER by Rosie Genova
The Second Italian Kitchen Mystery
Victoria Rienzi is still on the Jersey Shore learning the family's restaurant business as research for her new book. Unfortunately, Vic's research feels more like punishment as her Nonna has her forming a thousand tiny meatballs, or polpetti, for the Italian Wedding Soup the restaurant is making for a special wedding. In addition, she has to go on site to help prepare the soup and special cookies for the reception with her ex boyfriend, Tim, the sous chef. Add some volatile chefs and staff at the fancy country club and we have a recipe for murder!
This second book in the Italian Kitchen Mystery series explores secrets. Multiple secrets are revealed to us as the book progresses; some good, some a possible reason for murder. Does what lies in the past determine what happens now? Do secrets, whether long hidden or recent, make things better or worse?
I'm happy to be back on the boardwalk. In addition to a solid mystery, Rosie Genova has given us another fun look into the Rienzi family and their relationships with each other as well as their restaurant, the Casa Lido. I'm curious as to what will develop between Vic and Cal, as well as between Vic and Tim. And I love seeing penance as 100,000 polpetti!
Italian Recipes included.
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The Wedding Soup Murder
by Rosie Genova
About The Wedding Soup Murder
A wedding with all the trimmings—and death as an unexpected guest…
Victoria Rienzi came home to the Jersey shore to research a new book and perfect her cooking skills at her family’s seaside restaurant, the Casa Lido. But when Vic’s exacting nonna puts her in charge of catering the soup course for a wedding at the exclusive Belmont Country Club, it’s not long before trouble is simmering in the kitchen. Three temperamental chefs are butting heads, their sous chefs are throwing punches, and the formidable club president, Elizabeth Merriman, antagonizes everyone around her.
Elizabeth, aka “The Iron Lady,” has made her share of enemies, including the father of the bride, who was caught embezzling from the country club. She threatens to fire the famous pastry chef in charge of the wedding cake, who doesn’t bother to hide her hatred of Elizabeth. And who is the mystery man in dark glasses, who never leaves the older woman’s side?
Though the wedding goes off without a hitch, by the time the happy couple and their guests depart, Elizabeth Merriman is missing. When her body is found on the beach the next morning, it appears that the country club president slipped from the top of the seawall, but Vic isn’t convinced. Did The Iron Lady finally push someone too far? And did that someone push her back—into the arms of death?
About Rosie Genova
Bestselling and award-winning author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. The inspiration for her cozy series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, comes from her deep appreciation for Italian food, her affinity for the New Jersey seaside, and her love of classic mysteries from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. A former journalist and teacher, Rosie also writes women’s fiction and suspense. The proud mama of three grown sons, she still lives in her favorite state with her husband and a charming mutt named Lucy.
Author Links:
Webpage: http://www.rosiegenova.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Rosie-Genova/e/B00BEKZU5U?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1630158065&sr=8-1
Facebook: Facebook.com/RosieGenova
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6462450.Rosie_Genova
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rosie-genova
Purchase Links - Amazon -
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, 
, and 
. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
– set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
– a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
– set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
(2019) and 
(2020), under the Ten16 Press imprint of Orange Hat.