I always wished they would have done more with the cooking aspect in the series, because there are several shows that have a one-off focus on food within their scripts, including times when Columbo or a co-star actually gives a recipe during the show. Fantastic!

So, I thought it would be neat to start compiling all of those into a thread. For ease, I took "Murder Under Glass" as an opening volley, though there are more than a few other gems hidden within other episodes. Please feel free to add ones you find!

There is also a cookbook out there based on famous fictional detectives, called "The Cop Cookbook," that includes a recipe for "Pumpkin Ravioli" that purports to be Columbo's, though I've never seen this particular recipe.

Here are a few notes from "Murder Under Glass," and it may not be comprehensive, so don't hesitate to correct or add where you see that it's needed. I want to make these all at some point, though some are fairly complex dishes and I'm only a dabbler. :) Also, sorry about the lack of HTML tags. I tried with the code that I thought would work, and it didn't. If anyone gives me a clue in the next hour, I will fix the post. :)

- It kicks off when Columbo meets Paul Girard for the first time, and asks him about a sauce he had seen on Girard's cooking show the previous week. It's later revealed that he means the recipe for "Sauce Soubise" (onion sauce). Though Gerard says he'll send it, we never see the recipe. Here's one I found online:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauce-Soubise-101457

- To make Sauce Soubise, you need béchamel sauce - this is a sauce also mentioned later in the episode. Here's the recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bechamel-Sauce-14661

- Galantine of Duck: Wow, this was difficult to find, since they specified that it had truffles and pistachios! It also looks fairly complex:
http://culinaryinfamy.blogspot.com/2012/11/recipe-focus-some-old-kendall.html (first recipe)

Fortunately, you can just purchase this particular prepared duck galantine, if you're in a hurry to catch a murderer:
http://www.gourmetimports.com/foiegras/foiegras-details-3867.asp

- Eggs in Aspic (ouefs en gelee):
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Eggs-in-Aspic-Oeufs-en-Gelee

Though it was a popular cooking style at the time, as also seen at ~24:30, things cooked in gelatin don't look particularly appetizing to me.

- Stuffed mushrooms with crab, and recipe must include béchamel, according to a line in the episode (champignons farcis au crabe). This was another difficult one to find, but I did find a cached copy:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/stuffed-mushrooms-with-bechamel-sauce/

- The "coffee cake" that Columbo is served at the bank appears to be a heavily-glazed and decorated Panettone (Italian Christmas cake):
http://www.frombatoparis.com/2010/12/my-panettonefor-my-girls.html

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And for the grand finale, two actual recipes that were shown prepared in the episode:

*Note: The cep in the title of the recipe is a special type of mushroom, according to Google:
"an edible European and North American mushroom with a smooth brown cap, a stout white stalk, and pores rather than gills, growing in dry woodland and much sought after as a delicacy."

Escalopes de Veau aux Cepes (but Pop just called it Scaloppini)
------------------------------
Ingredients:
- 2 chopped shallots
- Approx. 1 c. of cep mushrooms, chopped (if dried, rehydrate)
- Several veal cutlets (chicken cutlets would also work)
- Salt and white pepper, to taste
- 1 T. sweet (unsalted) butter
- Dash of olive oil
- 1/2 c. red wine, type unknown

Directions:
1) Melt butter and add olive oil in large skillet. Brown cutlets 2-at-a-time and remove.
2) To pan, add shallots and mushrooms. Sauté bubbly for a minute or so, stirring.
3) Add wine to pan. Stir and cook a minute or two.
4) Add veal back into pan. Heat for a minute and serve from pan, table-side.

----------------------------------------

Salad dressing (prepared by Paul Girard)
--------------
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Wine or wine vinegar
- 1 T. Dijon mustard (presumed)
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced fresh mozzarella
- Chopped fresh basil

Directions:
This is a Caprese salad that he's dressing. You blend the olive oil and vinegar or wine (I usually use balsamic vinegar, but his isn't specified) to taste, with what appears to be about 1 T. of fancy mustard. I presumed he used some form of Dijon, though it isn't stated. To serve, place a slice of tomato on a plate and top with a slice of mozzarella. Sprinkle on chopped basil. Drizzle dressing over the whole.

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As an added bonus, here are a couple of links for articles regarding Columbo and food that I found online while researching for this post:
- http://maefood.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-did-colombo-eat.html
- http://appetiteofdestructionbook.blogspot.com/2011/10/just-one-more-thing.html (includes recipe homage for Columbo chili)

Yup that was a good idead, that one.
Of course, about food, this very episode sounds like a great beginning ^^

At the beginning of the episode when Girard (french version - I'm french - seems to be "Paul GErard" (sounds more french to me also)), the cooker prepares some kind of meat sauce with rosemary, shallot, a touch of juniper...
While googling, there is some different kind of receipes but I really think it's meat sauce, especially because of rosemary which is famously used as aromatic plant for meat.

Hhttp://www.foodferret.com/recipe-by-ingredient/juniper,shallot#ttl=&m=normal&n628-juniper=on&n101-shallot=on&n96-rosemary=on&y=:&p=1

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,rosemary_shallot_sauce,FF.html$

Just after that, he seems to eat a stuffed tomato (but I harly can see with what it's stuffed, there again, different kind of receipes can be found, generally with vegetables and/or meat, eventually rice in addition).
Here's an example :
http://www.foodrepublic.com/2013/07/13/tomates-farcies-recipe

When he meets Columbo for the first time, Columbo tells him about Cioppino with a touch of lemon as a very last step before servering.
http://americanfood.about.com/od/classicchowdersandstews/r/cioppino.htm
We can hear about cioppinos in "Murder, a self portrait" which is Barsini's favorite food prepared by his wives (sounds strange, "wives"..., whatever).

In addition to th bechamel and soubise sauces, Paul Gerard also proposes Remoulade and Béarnaise sauce.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/remoulade_sauce/
http://homecooking.about.com/od/condimentrecipes/r/blsauce14.htm (especially good with meat).

After meeting Duval, a friend of Vittorio serves to Columbo some toasts with caviar, smoked salmon and foie gras, which is something quite easy to prepare when guests are expected.

I hardly remember something else but I'll continue my researches.
The last links you gave tell also about interesting things, like of course the very famous chili with crackers, Columbo's favorite meal.

Delightful additions to the thread, and thank you so much for including them! Or, rather, merci beaucoup! :)

From "Swan Song"

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/meats/squirrelchili.html


3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 onions, chopped
3 pounds squirrel meat, coarsely grind
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons red chile, hot, ground OR 4 tablespoons red chile, mild, ground
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano, dried, preferably Mexican
2 teaspoons salt
16 ounces kidney beans, soaked, rinsed and cooked
15 ounces chili sauce


"Good, ain't it?"

haha Awesome, thanks for the post!

I know this may not be too helpful, Wendy, but I always thought the fish-based cuisine Columbo and Brimmer shared in "Death Lends a Hand" sounded good- I guess because the way it sounded while they ate it, with Brimmer talking as he chewed, or perhaps because Columbo himself was so fond of it and even requested the recipe. Anyway, I'm certainly not versed in culinary language myself, but it sounds like Brimmer uses the word "nicoise" to describe it. I don't really know what that means, aside from it being French, and I'm not savvy in looking these things up on the internet.
I hope this is at least slightly helpful in adding to your compendium. Perhaps the blanks can be filled in on what the specific recipe is, because I know I'd certainly like to understand why Columbo was so fond of it!

Another good one, Bryce! I wonder if you mean trout amandine? ("with almonds") Here's one recipe:

http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/05/trout-amandine.html

Some of them are breaded; without watching the episode, I don't remember if the fish he's having is breaded or not.

There IS a dish called Salad Niçoise (I should let noorvensen answer this one, no doubt!), but that's the only way I generally see it served:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Rte-7-Salade-Nicoise

So, if Columbo was having trout AND salad, it would probably have been this one (I don't remember at this point *grin*):

http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/7751/smoked-trout-nicoise.aspx

Columbo was definitely a good cook, however, in some episodes he says the opposite. And it's also debatable whether Mrs Columbo can cook or not.

In "Murder by the Book" he says about not being able to cook very well, but there's one thing he can make is a great omelette.

In "Double Shock" he helps with Paris's cookery show, but says after that Mrs Columbo tries all his recipes but they always fail (although he's using this to trying and find out about the equipment).

Yet, as we see in "Murder Under Glass" he really does know his stuff as he's able to identify the different dishes and really appreciates them - yet has never tried sushi.

Wow, how did I miss that continuity error? You are absolutely right... guess his cooking comes and goes to suit the situation. Like when I really want to dine out, suddenly the chicken practically burns itself!

Well in this episode (death lends a hand), I only have the french version, where Brimmer says it's Sole Quenelle (it's the moment where Brimmer proposes to Columbo to work for him).
I searched in the english subtitles, but no trace of "niçoise" in the english subtitles I found, only "sole quenelles".
Therecipe was a little bit hard to find but here is an example :

http://translate.google.fr/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgusteaucookbook.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F05%2Fquenelles-de-sole%2F

About Columbo's wife, I remember in Murder under glass that he tells that "Mrs Columbo is a perfet wife on many points, but she is not interested in cooking", or something like that (translated from the french version).

PS to wendy : De rien! / Je vous en prie! =)

LOL Okay that is embarrassing - I must have confused two episodes, because now I have watched that part, and you're right, it's sole (and it isn't breaded).

I know there is an episode where he's dealing with a fish amandine, but this one isn't it. Oops sorry about that, Bryce! :)

I wouldn't say it's a continuity error, like you say he uses it depending on the situation.

I mean there are other inconsistencies, for example in one episode he says he doesn't like heights, but in another (one of the newer ones) he goes up in a cherry picker without much problem.

Look at "Suitable for Framing". He purports to know nothing about art, and yet knows that one artist's paintings are more valuable than another ("Wouldn't you take a de Groot first...") and they're not that well known artists either. In fact he mentions someone like "Barenbam", but I can't find it on the internet.

No problem, Wendy! I was actually thinking of that amandine recipe, too, but couldn't recall which episode it was from. After trying to remember, I think it's in "Publish or Perish", when Columbo's having a meal at a restaurant with Riley Greenleaf's rival publishers. But thank you for pointing out the recipe, because that sounds good, too! And thank you, noorvensen, for identifying the sole quenelle; I don't think I would have ever been able to find out the correct name myself!

Ah you are right, I think it was from their restaurant meal in that episode. Thanks! :)

A quick and easy Columbo-prepared recipe from Dexter Paris's cooking show in "Double Shock":

Hollandaise Sauce
--------------------
Ingredients:
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 c. melted butter
~ 1/3-1/2 c. lemon juice (qty. is a guesstimate)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Several "uh"s sprinkled throughout
- Steamed or sautéed green veggies

Directions:
1) Melt the butter. Add butter, yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper to blender and blend briefly but thoroughly.
2) Dish out your steamed or sautéed veggies (asparagus? Brussels sprouts? broccoli florets? Can anyone figure out what those are that he's serving?) onto a plate and dress with Hollandaise.

----------------------

I looked up the recipe online, and it's legit - that is all there is to it! Here's an "official" blender-based Hollandaise that is roughly the same thing, but with a bit more elaboration on technique:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_blender_hollandaise_sauce/

In honor of the clue in "Double Exposure," ...

Caviar Varieties and Terms:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/seafood/a/caviarvarieties.htm
*The type in "Double Exposure" is listed as "royal Iranian beluga" in the subtitles/script.

How to Eat Caviar (Columbo double-dips -- don't YOU make this mistake! *grin*):
http://homecooking.about.com/od/etiquette/a/caviaretiquett.htm

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Interestingly, my Columbo DVD collection came bundled with "surprise episodes" of the Mrs. Columbo show, and one of her episodes was also based on caviar being employed by the killer. I guess Hollywood script writers assume cops and journalists eat caviar with wild abandon.

Columbo aficionado and analyst here... the Caprese salad (if you look carefully while it's being prepared, then the crunch when Columbo eats the first piece) also had a red onion in it..

I thing that's a very important part of the recipe..