Hepburn’s son recalls mom’s life — and kitchen — in new book
Print Edition
It’s doubtful you’ll picture a woman in jeans and T-shirt settling down in front of the TV with a plate of penne and — gasp! — ketchup.
But that’s the image that her son, Luca Dotti, wants you to get to know. In “Audrey at Home,” an inviting cookbook filled with intimate family photos and memories, he paints a picture of a woman who was happier at home than on a movie set or, really, anywhere else — even though the press, he says, had a hard time believing that.
“Yes, she was an international star, but she was Mrs Dotti to me,” says Dotti, a Rome-based graphic designer who is the son of Hepburn and her second husband, Andrea Dotti.
“And she loved her home life the most. I wanted to bring these two worlds together, the public perception of her, and the woman that I knew.”
The inspiration for the book came, Dotti says, from a binder he found in his mother’s kitchen, filled with recipes and little notes.
“It was from the 1950s when she had just gotten married (to her first husband) and was starting out as a wife,” Dotti says. “They were mostly elaborate and fancy recipes. But in the end, she eventually came to what worked for her and what reflected her style and her life.” Those simpler recipes, he says, form the core of the book.
The point of the cookbook, and of Hepburn’s own cooking, was not to display chef-quality talents. “This wasn’t about excelling in cooking,” Dotti says. “My mother wasn’t really interested in that. She simply liked food as a way to get her family together.”
Recommand recipe from the book
Fegato Alla Veneziana
Dotti suggests serving the dish over mashed potatoes or — more traditionally — polenta.
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium white onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 pinch sugar
1 pound calf’s liver, thinly sliced
Splash sherry vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
In a large skillet over very low heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the onions and gently cook until translucent, but not browned. It will take about 15 minutes. Once they are ready, add a pinch of sugar and stir until they are caramelized, about another 5 minutes.
Heat a second skillet over high heat. Transfer the caramelized onions and then the liver to the second skillet, stir for a few minutes until the meat is seared but still juicy. If you like extra acidity, add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and stir, scraping the bits at the bottom of the pan, and serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
510 calories; 370 calories from fat (73 percent of total calories); 42g fat (12g saturated; 0.5g trans fats); 405mg cholesterol; 90mg sodium; 9g carbohydrate; 1g fiber; 3g sugar; 23g protein.
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