Erica De Mane

June 26, 2008

anne thomas

Hi Erica,
Trying to find your recipe for fennel, celery and orange salad with black olives. Can you help please?
Thanks,
Anne

June 26, 2008

Erica

Hi Anne,

The salad you requested is from the early days of my website and I have unfortunately not yet gotten around to putting all my earliest stuff up on my new blog, but I will as soon as possible. But I searched back and found it for you. Here it is:

Orange, Fennel, and Celery Salad With Black Olives

Salt and black pepper may seem odd to put on oranges, but they are traditional seasonings for this Sicilian salad and are central to its taste. Many Italians routinely salt fruits. My grandfather always salted melons, and I believe the rationale behind combining prosciutto with melon, that classic Italian pairing, is to have the salty ham and the sweet melon complement each other in a way that heightens the flavor of both ingredients. Black pepper marries surprisingly well with citrus fruit, but make sure it is freshly ground.

(Serves 5 or 6)

2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, and very thinly sliced
4 small oranges (2 blood and 2 regular), peeled of all skin and white pith and cut into thin rounds
1 celery heart, chopped, plus a handful celery leaves, left whole
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup of your best extra-virgin olive oil
A handful of black Niçoise olives

Choose a large white platter. Place the fennel in the center of the platter and spread it out. Place the orange slices on top in a circular pattern. Add the celery. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, season well with salt and black pepper, scatter on the celery leaves, add the black olives, and drizzle with olive oil.

Regards,

Erica

July 5, 2008

Virginia

Hi Erica,
I’m looking for a cookie recipe that my cousin used to make every Christmas.
It was some kind of fried dough and it was either boiled in wine or contained boiled wine. She would layer them in a lasagna dish with honey and cinnamon.
A few years ago I was at a Christmas Eve party and one of the guest brought the exact same cookie. The guest said her 90 year old Mother sent them to her and she just brought them to the party. Not having tasted them in years and years, I ate almost the whole pan. The difference between hers and my cousins was my cousins were like little cigar shapes and hers were like wheels. But definitely fried and packed in honey and cinnamon.
I did find an Italian Christmas Wine cookie on the internet, but the dough calls for 3 cups of Mazola oil. I don’t know if the recipe is correct and it didn’t have an Italian name.
All my Italian relatives are gone now and so are all those yummy recipes.
Maybe you could help me out or point me in the right direction.
Thank you so much,
Virginia

July 7, 2008

Erica

Hi Virginia,

The pastry you ate at the Christmas party sounds very much like Carteddate, a fried pastry that is made in Puglia and in Calabria. I also see them occasionally in Italian pastry shops in New York. The dough is usually made with wine and then coiled into wheels or rosette looking shapes, deep fried, and then drizzled with honey. You didn’t mention where in Italy your family is from, but these are quite popular in various parts of the South. I’m not sure about the cigar shaped version you are more familiar with. I believe I have a recipe for Carteddate in the book ‘Great Italian Desserts’ by Nick Malgieri. If you think this might be what you’re looking for, let me know and I’ll try and write out the recipe for you. Or, if you like to bake, you might consider buying this book. It’s filled with traditional Italian pastry recipes.

Thanks for you note.

Regards,

Erica

July 7, 2008

Virginia

Hi Erica,
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately they aren’t Carteddate.
These are only made at Christmas and are made with boiled red wine.
I asked my sister today if she remembers anything about them and she said that my cousin used boiled wine in the recipe and the cookies were fried. Then dipped in honey and cinnamon then stacked in a lasagna dish.
My family is from Casoria and Naples.
Maybe it will ring a bell for someone reading your blog and they will post the recipe.
Thank you again,
Virginia

July 8, 2008

Erica

http://everything2.com/e2node/Calabrian%2520Wine%2520Cookies

Hi Virginia,

Check out the website address above. I think the boiled red wine Christmas cookie called Scalele this person writes about is very close to what you are looking for.

Regard,

Erica

July 18, 2008

Chuck

Hi, Erica …we were told your site had this tasty recipe but it doesn’t show up. Can you help?

Thanks

Busiati With Trapanese Pesto

July 18, 2008

Erica

Hi Chuck,

I’m still in the process of transferring old files over to my new sight and some of the earliest stuff hasn’t been moved yet, including the recipe you’re looking for, but here it is:

Busiati With Trapanese Pesto

Pesto on the west coast of Sicily is quite different from the well-known Genoese variety. It’s made with the addition of almonds, tomatoes, usually a little mint or celery leaves, and sometimes Pecorino (or sometimes without any cheese). The sauce is chunkier than Genoese pesto because the tomatoes are often cut by hand, not mashed in a mortar. Every cook has his or her own version. Here’s mine.

Busiati is a fresh Sicilian pasta made by wrapping pasta around a skewer to form a long coil. I’ve most often eaten it served with a tomato-based meat sauce, though I like it with the classic Trapanese pesto too. I haven’t been able to locate busiati here, but fusilli lunghi or bucatini make good substitutes. (Setaro makes excellent versions of these pastas that are available through Buon Italia in New York, which you can reach at 212-633-9090).

In Sicily it is customary to blend the tomatoes into the pesto, but when I tried it the pesto turned gray, so now I add them separately. I also try to make any pesto no earlier than about an hour before I’m serving it so it doesn’t lose its freshness and color.

(Serves 5 or 6 as a first course)

1/3 cup whole almonds, blanched
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 small garlic cloves
Half a fresh hot chili, chopped, with seeds
1/2 cup loosely packed spearmint leaves
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, plus a few whole sprigs for garnish
1/2 cup grated Sicilian or Sardinian Pecorino cheese
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably Sicilian
Sea salt, preferably Sicilian
2 medium-size round tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into very small dice
1 pound busiati, fusilli lunghi, or bucatini

Place the almonds, pine nuts, garlic, and hot chili in the bowl of a food processor and pulse just until very roughly chopped. Add the mint, basil, grated Pecorino and olive oil and pulse again briefly until the herbs are chopped and everything is blended. The texture should be chunky, not puréed. Transfer to a bowl. Taste for seasoning, adding a little salt if needed.

When ready to serve, cook the pasta al dente and drain, saving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Place the pesto and tomatoes in a large, warmed serving bowl. Add the pasta and toss, adding a little cooking water to loosen the sauce. Serve hot, garnished with basil sprigs.

Ciao,
Erica

August 1, 2008

Sue Roethele

Many years ago, I was visiting along the Amalfi Coast and had the good fortune to stay in Positano for several weeks. It was March and few hotels were open, but one family opened a wing and gave me and my friend a very nice, simple room overlooking the water. We drove many miles in the area those weeks, simply exploring and enjoying the people and the food.

One of the dishes I most remember was a refrigerated, firm baked “custard” that covered chunks of cheese, onions, and ham. I don’t remember any table and chairs as in a restaurant, just asking for something that we could take with us to eat on a picnic. It was purchased cold and eaten cold, almost like a pie without any crust on top, but crust on the bottom so that we could hold it in our hands while eating. My memory has lost the Italian word the owner called it; might you know what I am describing, and how to prepare it?

Thank you very much for any help. Meanwhile, I am going to try to use your “soulfe” article as a starting point. Sue R.

August 2, 2008

Erica

Hi Sue,

What you describe sounds very much like pizza rustica, a savory pie, from the Naples area, filled with ricotta, eggs, chunks of ham, sometimes pepperoni and provolone. Italian-Americans often call this pie pizza gain, an Americanization of its dialect name, pizza chiena. Pizza rustica is originally an Easter pie, but now it’s made year round, baked in shallow pans, sliced and sold in squares for a snack at bakeries and take out shops in and around Naples. My family always made a thicker version for Easter, finishing the top with a lattice crust.

Recipes for pizza rustica are pretty easy to find. I have one in my book ‘Flavors of Southern Italy’. I believe there are recipes in Arthur Schwartz’s ‘Naples at Table’ and also in ‘The Food of Southern Italy’ by Carlo Middione. If you give me a day or so, I’ll send you my recipe, but in the meantime you might want to check out the other books I mentioned. (and also the web). And if you don’t want to actually bake a pizza rustica, you can find it sold at many Italian bakeries in this country around Easter time. But my recipe will be on it’s way.

Thanks so much for your note.

Best,

Erica

August 7, 2008

snowmoonelk

Dear Erica, what a wonderful website and how kind you are to post recipes for us all to enjoy. I posted this earlier in the wrong place so here comes my question again…Have you a good recipe for rabbit? I bought 2 the other day and have no idea what to do with them! (they were an impulse buy!). Also, (sorry to be greedy!) I bought a bottle of Fragolino and have no idea what to do with it! Many thanks and kind regards.

August 7, 2008

Erica

Hello Snowmoonelk,

I’m so glad you like my site. Now, with your bottle of Fragolino, since it’s a slightly sweet, fizzy, strawberry scented wine, I’d serve it very chilled along with a cheese and fruit dessert, maybe fresh goat cheese with strawberries or Robiola with a berry compote. I think that would be very nice.

Rabbit. I like rabbit but it can be dry. One of the best ways I’ve found to prepare it is in a type of Neapolitan Cacciatore sauce. Start by cutting the rabbit into serving pieces. Dredge in salt and pepper seasoned flour and saute in olive oil until browned. Lift the rabbit from the skillet. Add onion, celery, a little garlic, a fresh chopped chili if you like, and a few large sprigs of rosemary, leaves chopped. Saute this until fragrant. Add a generous splash of white wine, letting it boil out. Now add chopped canned tomatoes with juice and return the rabbit pieces. Cover the skillet, turn down the heat and simmer until tender, about an hour. Add capers or olives and parsley and season with a little more salt if needed. Finish with a drizzle of fresh olive oil. That should get you something good.

Ciao,

Erica

August 7, 2008

snowmoonelk

Grazie, Erica, what lovely suggestions, I am very grateful and can’t wait to prepare the rabbit in this way – by the way, a friend turned up this evening and we drank the Fragolino as an aperitif with grissini! Must get another bottle ! Ciao.

August 26, 2008

Annamaria Tobin

Hi Erica

My Nonna was from Chieti, and when she made her cavachunes she put chocolate and grapeskins in hers with some Italian coffee, have you ever heard of this way? I have been looking for years for the proper reciepe but unfortunatly all her comare’s have passed on, I cant find her reciepe anywhere!

August 27, 2008

Erica

Hi Annamaria,

I’m not familiar with the word cavachunes, but, and correct me if I’m wrong, I’m assuming it’s a variation on cavicionetti, the filled Christmas cookie from Abruzzo? The ingredients you mention are all popular additions to many Southern Italian sweets. I imagine the grapeskins your grandmother used were a substitute for vincotto (also called mosto), a cooked down wine must used in many Southern cakes and cookies (you can purchase vincotto from buonitalia.com. The best one available here is made in Puglia by Gianni Calogiuri).

While I can’t find a recipe using all the ingredients you mentioned, you might want to get yourself a copy of ‘Food and Memories of Abruzzo’ by Anna Teresa Callen. This is an excellent book, and since she is also from Chieti, I’m sure you’ll find many recipes in there that will be familiar to you. She includes one for cavicionetti that does have chocolate, but she uses Marsala instead of mosto. My recipe for cavicionetti, which you’ll find on this site, is pretty classic. You might want to use it as a starting point and then try adding some of the ingredients you mentioned. Or take a look at Ms. Callen’s recipe (her filling is based on chick peas).

Best to you,

Erica

September 22, 2008

Mary Jane Borich

Dear Erica:

I understand that you have a receipe for Rigatoni with spicy pork and fennel.

Would you please send it to me.

Best regards,
Mary Jane Borich

September 22, 2008

Erica

Hi Mary Jane,

This is a recipe from my book ‘The Flavors of Southern Italy’. If I can scan it I’ll send it to you by email. I’ve tried scanning recipes from my books in the past and they haven’t always come out the best, but I’ll give it a shot.

Ciao,

Erica

October 19, 2008

Lynda

Hey Girl, What a great website! Little do the people know on your website that you tantalize those that live around you with the smell of your yummy cooking! Keep up the good work! -L

October 19, 2008

Erica

Hello Lynda,

So glad you like the aromas. I try to keep the whole building warm.

Love to you,

Erica

November 4, 2008

Nancy Pesa Wolke

Erica,
My mother made a dish with kale, potatoes, bacon and cornmeal. I believe she mixed the cornmeal with water and baked it. She would then break up the baked cornmeal into the kale, potato and bacon mixture. I always loved it and tried to duplicate it but can’t get the “cornmeal pizza” right. If you have ever heard of anything like this please let me know. Her family was from a small town in south of Salerno.

Ciao,

Nancy Pesa Wolke

November 5, 208

Erica

Hi Nancy,

I have never heard of this. It sounds interesting. Although I don’t exactly understand what this dish is like. Was it a chunky thing served in a bowl? Why was it called pizza? Was is hot? I’m going to look into this and see what I can come up with. I also have a few friends whose families come from Salerno. I’ll see if any of them remember anything like this.

If I find anything, I’ll let you know.

Erica

December 7, 2008

Irene

Hi Erica,
Just stumbled upon your incredible website. Thanks for sharing your love of Italian cooking!
I have a question re using vino cotto in baking. I got a Greek recipe online for a cake (petimezopita) using petimezi (the Greek name for vino cotto) and made it twice – both times it burned very rapidly around the edges. I love the taste of the middle, unburned section and want to try an Italian recipe. I saw your zeppole recipe but I would like to make a regular cake with vino cotto.
Thanks so much!
Irene

December 8, 2008

Erica

Hi Irene,

I’m so happy you like my site.

I’m not familiar with Greek style vino cotto, but I’m wondering if it might be very sweet, possibly making the cake burn at the edges. The Italian variety I usually buy is from Puglia. It’s produced by Gianni Cologiuri. It’s extremely agrodolce, but leaning more toward the sour. In fact I sometimes use it for salad dressings. You can purchase it at buonitalia.com. You might try making your Greek cake with that, but in the meantime I’ll look around for a good Italian cake recipe for you. I seem to remember a Puglian almond cake I used to make that used vino cotto, but I’ll have to hunt it down.

Ciao,

Erica

December 13, 2008

George

Well, I cooked my first goose for Thanksgiving (very good..I made up a stuffing with prunes cooked in broth and madeira, apples, and the goose liver cooked with some finely chopped shallots) but now i have a really large amount of rendered goose fat in the freezer! Any special ideas, or should I just use it as a generic frying fat?
I was being contrarian so I avoided all the candied potatoes and the like that my friends brought over, but I really liked your braised endive recipe!

December 14, 2008

Erica

G, Congratulations with your goose. Goose fat is great for cooking potatoes or parsnips, little turnips, or carrots, any kind of root vegetable. I’ll blanch first and then finish with a goose fat saute. Or just do a plain roast. Leeks with goose fat, excellent. Try sauteing little Yukon Golds in goose fat and salt. Throw the pan in the oven until potatoes are tender and the skins wrinkle a little. Take the pan from the oven and add rosemary and garlic and black pepper. Stir around until well coated. Wait about 2 minutes, then add a splash of Spanish sherry vinegar. This is good with a grill steak.

Merry Christmas. E

December 17, 208

George

Since replacing our old problematic gas oven I do a lot of veggie roasting in the winter when I’m not doing them on the grill. Instead of tossing my yukon golds with a little olive oil, salt, and rosemary, I’ll try the goose fat next time!
Elly bought a mini rosemary “christmas tree” which I’ll happily eat after the little lights are removed….

December 29, 2008

Leanne

Hi Erica,
I”m searching for a biscuit recipe my nonna used to bake around Christmas time which we called ‘pitti pii’. The biscuits had flour,fichi secchi, vino cotto or honey, walnuts and sultanas in them. The figs and walnuts were choppped roughly and the ingredients were mixed in altogether (they weren’t ‘filled’ like many recipes I’ve come across e.g Pitta di San Martino.) I think the mixture was shaped into small log shapes and then cut into slices before being baked.
My nonna was from Delianuova in Reggio Calabria – I don’t know if her biscuits were perhaps a family variation of petrali or pitta ‘mpigliata or if they’re a dolci that came from that area of Calabria.

Merry Christmas
Leanne

December 29, 2008

Erica

Hi Leanne,

I hope you had a great Christmas.

The cookie you describe does sound like a reworked version of petrali, the classic Calabrian Christmas cookie, but I’ll look into it and see if I can find something more specific.

Best to you,

Erica

January 5, 2009

Erica

Hello Leanne,

While looking into your Pitti pii I came across an Italian website that discusses it. The woman doesn’t exactly give a recipe, it’s more a poem to the seasons, describing how making pitti pii becomes possible with the changing of the seasons and the ingredients that produces, which all culminate during Christmas time to produce this cookie. I found it interesting to read, but also quite frustrating. I wish she’d just give a recipe. Maybe you could try writing to her. Anyway here it is, in Italian:

I pitti pii

di Carmelo Cordiani

Pitta sta per farina impastata e schiacciata, a forma di piccola pizza.

Pia, devota, forse per la circostanza, il NATALE, festa che plasmava di sacro ogni oggetto e impregnava di devozione le cose più semplici. E semplici, in fondo, erano le “PITTE PIE”, fatte nelle case semplici, mettendo sapientemente insieme gli ingredienti che la natura generosa, allora, ci dava.

D’estate si raccoglievano i fichi e si essiccavano al sole, caldo, limpido, senza l’afa fastidiosa che opprime il solleone. Si sceglievano i migliori, quelli che, poi, si sarebbero chiamati “fichi bianchi”, non andati in forno che dava, invece, agli altri un tipica imbrunitura. Messi da parte, nei canestri di strisce di castagno artigianalmente intrecciate, in luogo asciutto, si rivestivano lentamente di una patina bianca, come se un abile pasticciere vi avesse profuso zucchero a velo.

Sempre in estate, verso la fine di agosto, si passava nella vigna per la raccolta dello zibibbo. Che profumo! Il più bello si lasciava al sole, dopo averlo immerso, per qualche secondo, nell’acqua calda, piuttosto forte, ma non bollente. E il sole paziente lo essiccava al punto giusto, accentuandone la dolcezza.

In ottobre si mettevano da parte le noci, dai gherigli sani, oleosi, che uscivano dal guscio bianchi, come freschi di bucato.

Al tempo della vendemmia si faceva bollire il mosto, dolce, appiccicoso, subito dopo aver pigiato l’uva con i piedi, prima che cominciasse a fermentare, lo si faceva bollire, a lento fuoco, da ridurlo a terzo, denso, profumato.

Quando dalla parte alte della sezione Magenta partiva il primo accenno di zampogna, era il tempo giusto delle “PITTE PIE”.

Fichi secchi, noci, zibibbo si macinavano con il trita carne, aggiungendovi bucce di mandarino. Il tutto si amalgamava con il mosto cotto. La casa, riscaldata dal braciere, si impregnava di Natale. Sento ancora quel profumo e sento, lontana, la voce della mamma che mi sgridava quando rubavo un cucchiaio di quella magica crema.

Poi si impastava la farina. Se ne ricavavano forme sottili e rotondeggianti, vi si depositava una buona porzione di quella crema, si avvolgeva a semicerchio e si mandava in forno. Il forno, allora , quello a legna, non mancava nelle case. Alcune “pitte” venivano chiamate “lumericchi”, perché avevano la forma delle primitive lucerne, una specie di coppa, riempita di crema, con quattro beccucci. Erano le preferite, perché ricche di crema.

E si attendeva il Natale per portarle a tavola. Una, due ciascuno, come oggetti sacri e preziosi, da consumare seduti accanto al braciere, finché lo zampognaro non avesse posato l’otre per il prossimo Natale.

Oggi, il tutto confezionato, trionfa sulle tavole a Natale. Il panettone associato ad ogni gusto possibile, dal cioccolato all’ananas, dal wiski al caramello, dal mandorlato al pandoro, sempre più pesante e indigesto, è entrato prepotente nel menu natalizio. Guai se manca.

Benvenuto, panettone, simbolo di benessere e di gran consumo. Ma non illuderti di essere tanto buono da poter minimamente competere con una sola “PITTA PIA”. Quanto vale mezzo “lumericchio” non valgono dieci dei tuoi amici concorrenti, anche se confezionati con la bottiglia di spumante, senza o con la sorpresa, accompagnato dalla coloratissima immagine di babbo natale o da una soubrette in calzamaglia. Ti possono riempire di aromi nostrani o esotici. Non riuscirai mai ad avvicinarti alla bontà semplice dei fichi secchi, dello zibibbo appassito, del mosto cotto filante e appiccicoso, impastati con noci tritate e bucce fresche di mandarini.

January 9, 2009

Leanne

Hi Erica,

Thanks for the info. I will try writing and see if I have any success.
I just have to say I’m so glad I discovered your site while looking for this recipe. I love reading the stories and history of the ingredients and recipes you include. Even though I live on the other side of the world, many Italians also emigrated to Australia and so much of what you write also rings true here.

Keep up the wonderful work,
Leanne, Collie, Australia

January 10, 2009

Don Augustine

Hi Erica,

In my home town they make what they call tomato pie.

It is baked in a large sheet pan and just has tomatoes on it and is sprinkled with grated cheese when it is served. It is served cold.

Now they have added various other toppings and one of my favorites is the one with Spinach and a hint of garlic, have you ever heard of these types.

Don

Erica

Hi Don,

Yes, I know this type of pizza. I believe it’s an upstate New York/ Conn. specialty. It’s sort of like a Sicilian slice, kind of thick and square, without mozzarella, just a little grated cheese on top. I didn’t grow up with these in Manhattan (or Long Island where I spent some of my youth), I like this type of pizza very much though. It’s clean and spare.

Thanks for your note.

Erica

January 22, 2009

Fred Tumas

Erica, This I’d just a test to see if the email will go through. I wrote a letter to you saying how much I adore your site the day after I saw you at the Y. Fred

January 22, 2009

Fred Tumas

Erica, I love your blog. It’s like all of the best food writing I used to pour over for hours. I somehow don’t do that anymore but you reminded me of the long and Fantastic conversations I would have planning imaginary meals that never got prepared because of my non existent kitchen situation. I love reading your work. It’s so evocative. The scent of orange peels ground into the rug by your Dad and his golf buddies. That is an amazing piece of writing. I am looking forward to reading jan 21 entry. Great seeing you and I think the blog would make a great book. A cookbook of days. Yes holidays and the time on between but a record of your days, your life, which is quite fascinating.

All the best with love too,

Fred

January 23, 2009

Erica

Hi Fred,

I’m so glad you like my blog. The thing is really fun to write, better than taking Lexapro even. I need to get more New York worked into it, get out of the house, taste other people’s raviolis. I’m working on it.

Best to you,

Erica D

February 4, 2009

Chris

Erica,

Recently, several of my 1st and 2nd generation Italian-American relatives were caught eating at the Olive Garden.

What is the most effective way to stop this self destructive behavior?

Do you think a Skinny Guinea family intervention is required?

February 4, 2009

Erica

Hi Chris,

Yes, that’s a very bad development. Not only does Olive Garden turn out strange, convoluted dishes such as ‘four cheese stuffed ravioli with a cream, parmesan, chicken, and shrimp sauce’, but the place isn’t even cheap. I don’t get it. I’d rather go to an old-fashioned red sauce place for a eggplant Parmigiano hero any night. Keep them out of there.

Good luck.

Erica

February 7, 2009

Lenore Lewis

Hi Erica, I’m trying to locate the history of a Christmas and Special Occasion cookie that my family and the other Sicilian families in my home town of Wilkes-Barre, PA have made for over 80 years. I assume the families brought the recipe over from Sicily when they arrived in America in the 1920s. When I ask my cousins in Sicily if they’ve ever tasted this cookie, they tell me that they’ve never heard of it! We call them “Sicilian Pepper Cookies”. Thevarious Pepper Cookie recipes all call for nuts, chocolate chips, cocoa, chocolate syrup, ground black pepper, powdered cinnamon, powered allspice, powdered cloves, powdered nutmeg, flour, buttermilk or whole milk, baking powder and/or yeast, and sometimes raisins. They’re always formed to look like a meatball. They’re glazed after cooling. I’m curious to find out if you’ve ever heard of them, made them, and/or if you know their history. There’s no way that you can only eat one of these delicious cookies!! Thanks Lenore

February 8, 2009

Erica

Hi Lenore,

Thanks so much for your interesting note. I do know of several Sicilian cookies that contain black pepper. I’m not sure they’re exactly like your family cookie, but this certainly is a traditional Sicilian addition and not just some strange PA creation (at least I don’t think so). I don’t know where in Sicily your family is from, but there is a cookie from Messina, a kind of Lentin treat called Piparelli, that is a spice biscotti (not a round cookie) flavored with cloves, black pepper, and almonds.

I’ll look into this further and see what I can come up with. It would help if you could tell me where in Sicily your family is from.

By the way, are you related to Ronald Lewis, the inventor? I think my husband Fred Allen knows him.

Best to you,

Erica

February 10, 2009

Lenore Lewis

Hi,
Thanks for all your research. I went on the site you suggested and found that Mary Ann Esposito (whose show I watch) has a Pepper Cookie recipe very similar to mine. Chocolate and Black Pepper Cookies (Biscotti Al Cioccolato Con Pepe Nero) A recipe from her “Celebrations Italian Style” cookbook.
She also talks about the wedding-cookie cakes. When my husband and I got married, we followed the usual tradition and ordered the wedding-cookie cake arrangements from a local Italian bakery. It was fun to go from table to table serving everyone the cookies from the wedding-cookie cake arrangements. All the guests always made sure there were Pepper Cookies on the tray. This brings back memories!
I’m sure as Italians became more prosperous in America, they may have embellished on this cookie recipe. I’m glad, however, that you’ve found people outside my home area of Wilkes-Barre, PA also make these cookies.

March 5, 2009

Terry

Hi Erica,
this is more a comment than a question. I was forwarded your info from Fra Mani when they saw you kindly mentioned (and enjoyed) their salami. I work for the distributor that represents Fra mani for Balducci’s.

My comment is…you are a real hoot! and i look forward to checking our more of your website and picking up your book.
I have a passion for all things Italian and enjoy reading everything I can about Italian culture, food and life.

grazie!

March 5, 2009

Erica

Hi Terry,

Thanks for your note. I’m so glad you like my blog. You’ve come to the right place for musings about Italian food and life; culture, not so sure, but I try.

Best to you,

Erica

March 20, 2009

Barry Michaels

Hi Erica,

Actually, I’d like to contact you with an interview request for an article I’m preparing. I’m a freelance writer. If you’re interested, I can give you the details in a private email. Feel free, of course, to delete this from your comments box once you’ve seen it. I couldn’t find an email address for you here.

Thanks,
Barry Michaels

March 20, 2009

EricaHello Barry,

You can email me at edemane@earthlink.net to give me the details of the interview.

Thanks.

Erica

March 31, 2009

Virginia

Hi Erica,
You helped me in the past with a wine cookie recipe and were spot on…
So I am hoping you can help me out with my “dilemma du jour”

I am looking for Millefiore Extract. I am going to attempt to make a Pastiera Napoletana for Easter and cannot find it anywhere.
And secondly, what is “Martini Bianco???” It translate to “white martini” if that’s any help. It’s an ingredient in a Torta Al Martini e Confettura. Which is a jam cake.

I hope all is well and I just love reading your blog.
Thank you,
Virginia

March 31, 2009

Erica

Hi Virginia,

Martini Bianco is a white vermouth with, I believe, a slight vanilla taste. Martini & Rossi makes it. If you can’t find it, I’m pretty sure you could substitute regular dry white vermouth and add a little vanilla extract.

Millefiore is essentially orange flower water with a small amount of other flower fragrances added. They sell it at buonitalia.com (that’s an online Italian food shop, but they also have a store in the Chelsea Market it Manhattan). The main flavoring in Pastiera is orange flower water and usually a little vanilla. I use both of these things, plus a tiny hint of cinnamon. That gives me, what I feel, is a very traditional flavor. I don’t think you can go wrong with that if you can’t track down the millefiore.

Happy Easter to you.

Erica

April 2, 2009

Dear Erica,
You’re the best!!!
Thank you so very much.
Happy Easter to you as well.

Virginia

April 5, 2009

Megan

Hi Erica,

What a happy accident that I stumbled upon your website a few months ago! I love your recipes and learning the stories behind them. I recently made your winter pizza . . . it was a hit!

My husband and I will celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary next Sunday (Easter), and I would like to prepare a meal or two this week in honor of our Italian honeymoon.

While in Florence, we rented an apartment a couple doors down from Trattoria Marione and ended up eating there a couple times. We ate a wonderful gorgonzola gnocchi. Do you have a gorgonzola gnocchi recipe you would be willing to share?

Also, one of my husband’s favorite meals of the trip was a lamb special at Trattoria Monti in Rome. I remember the lamb was very simple–no sauce–and not listed on the menu. I have never cooked lamb before (I have to admit it is not one of my favorites) and would very much like to know if you recommend a recipe for a beginner!

Thanks so much for sharing your time and passion with all of us.

All the best,
Megan

April 7, 2009

Erica

Hi Megan,

I’m so glad you like my blog.

A really simple way to cook lamb, and in my opinion, one of the best ways, is to buy a boned leg of lamb and either grill it or broil it. It cooks up tender, takes no time, and since it’s uneven in thickness, you’ll get medium, medium rare, and even more well done in one shot, so everyone will be happy. I have a recipe on my blog for Grilled Lamb with Tomatoes, Mint, and Honey. Another nice thing to do with boned leg of lamb is to make spiedini (Italian shish kebobs). Lamb Spiedini with Peppers, Savory, and Ricotta Salata is on my blog too. Either of these recipes can be cooked under a broiler if you prefer. I’m sorry, I can’t link to these for you. For some reason my link set up is not functioning right now. But if you enter ‘grilled lamb’ in my search box, you’ll come up with them.

To broil a boned leg of lamb, you’ll want to marinate it for a couple of hours in olive oil, a little wine, garlic, and herbs. Then wipe it off and season it with salt and pepper. Lay it out on a sheet tray and broil it about 5 inches from the heat source about 7 minutes on each side (possibly a little longer, depending on its thickness). Aim for the thickest part to be about 130-135 degrees (for medium-rare) Let it rest a few minutes before slicing.

Have a great anniversary.

Erica

April 23, 2009

Cheryl Wisener

My Grandmother use to make a soft breadstick that had a cheese taste, I am guessing maybe a rocotta cheese. It also had green flakes maybe parsley or Italian seasoning.
I can taste it, but have not been able to reproduce it. Do you have any idea about the recipe?

April 23, 2009

Erica

Hi cheryl,

I’ve had breadsticks like this in restaurants but never made in a private home. Where was your grandmother from in Italy? That might help me track this thing down.

Erica

May 23, 2009

Susie

Hi Erica,
I’m really enjoying your site and looking forward to making the olive oil-rosemary cake for my mom’s birthday. Your site got me thinking about a raw artichoke salad I had in Florence; it was sliced thin with shavings of parmeggiano. Do you know how to prepare it? (Lemon water maybe?)
It seemed odd at first to eat them raw, but they were somehow very satisfying. Thanks!
Susie

May 25, 2009

Erica

Susie,

So glad you like my site. That’s a good cake. Not too sweet though, more like an afternoon tea cake.

Ciao,

Erica

June 4, 2009

Gina Breakstone

Erica,
I grew up in a very large Italian-American family in RI, and while most of us can recreate the foods of our childhood – there is one thing I recall eating (or not!) called “clothesline squash”. Have you ever heard of this dish, and if so – how do you prepare it?

There was also a picked eggplant that I think was called “scepece” in Calabrese dialect. Any thoughts on this would be helpful,
Gina Breakstone

June 5, 2009

EricaHi Gina,

Thanks so much for your note. I actually know quite a bit about eggplant a scapece. It’s a very popular dish throughout Southern Italy. Here’s a link on my blog all about it, an exchange prompted by another one of my readers:

http://ericademane.com/2007/02/13/lost-recipes-found-melanzane-a-scapece-colapinto-style/

Now ‘clothesline squash’ I have to say I’ve never heard of. I do have a few friends, one who’s Italian, who grew up in R.I. so I’ll run it by them. If I can figure out what it is, I’ll try and write up a recipe for you.

Ciao,

Erica

July 4, 2009

ROBERTO

Hi Erica

Just the gal I have been looking for to help me with my “norna” recipie of leg of veal with peas in sauce(red).

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I have tried it but the veal gets bland.

Never got the recipie but looking around can’t find a good one. Suggestion.

Thanks for helping me and others for this great treat.

Roberto

July 6, 2009

Erica

Hi Roberto,

This is an old Italian-American by way of Naples dish my grandmother used to make too. I haven’t had it in ages. In fact, I’m not sure I ever even made it myself. But now you’ve got me thinking about it, and since I’ve been seeing beautiful shell peas in the greenmarket lately, I think I’ll try out a recipe. If it comes out well, I’ll post it. I’m assuming this is a similar dish of stewed veal chunks with a light tomato sauce and peas that my family made.

One suggestion I do have for you ,since you complained about your veal being bland, try buying boneless veal shoulder. This is the best cut for stewing since it stays very moist and flavorful.

Let me see what I come up with.

Best to you,

Erica

July 5, 2009

Billy MacKay

Hi Erica,

Did you know that Hitler’s favorite childhood food was a meatball sandwich and that often reminisced to his office staff about his great joy at eating them?

As a meatball sandwich fan myself, I often wonder if it was his subsequent turn to vegetarianism that embittered him and turned him into a misanthropic monster.

Perhaps a humane meatball sandwich recipe might stafe off the rise of another demonic dictator.

July 7, 2009

Erica

Hello Billy,

No I didn’t know that about Hitler, but most of the vegetarians I know have a nasty streak. On the other hand, Marinetti, author of the Futurist Cookbook, was a militant fascist, very pro-meat and anti starch. Although he was a sort of faux fascist, an art fascist, and not very threatening. All I can say is that meatball sandwiches-meatballs in general- are very soothing. Sometimes when I’m fresh out of xanax I turn to meatballs and have never been let down.

Best to you,

Erica

July 19, 2009

Tom Casagrande

OK. I made the trippa recipe from your Oct. 2007 recipe, and texturally it was perfect. Very tender. But whenever I make some trippa recipe, my version alsways is a bit, um, “earthier” than the best trippa I’ve had in restuarants. This time the earthiness wasn’t too pronounced, and the other flavors were great, but it was definitely there in the background. My wife and daughters were out of town, and I wanted to do this while they were away to see if I could get it so the dish was totally free of the funk since the concept of tripe grosses them out, and I don’t want to make it even more daunting for them to try. I rinsed it before doing the water/vinegar refreshing you mentioned, and then carefully rinsed and dried it again afterwards, but even so the earthiness remained, and, strangely, the tripe actually smelled cleaner before I cooked it than after. I noticed in doing my research that many recipes call for a 3 hour boiling with an onion, a carrot, and a stalk of celery, presumably for cleaning or refreshing purposes. I don’t think the problem is the tripe, as it was from a local, high-quality Mexican meat market that has quick turnover because of the demand for menudo in the Mexican population here. I love well-prepared trippa, but I’m going to remain nervous about doing it for family or guests until I can get it as clean as the great Spanish tapas and Italian tripe dishes I’ve had in restaurants. What are your thoughts about how to better eliminate the funky aroma? I’m thinking perhaps doing the refreshing step, rinsing, and then repeating. I’m not sure I want to do a three-hour boil before in a diash that calls for three hours of simmering anyway.

July 20, 2009

EricaHi Tom,

Sorry you had a stinky tripe experience. I occasionally have this problem, but I just assume it wasn’t cleaned as well as it should have been when I bought it. All the tripe we buy now has been bleached (just for cosmetic purposes) and pre-cooked somewhat, even the stuff you buy in Mexican and Asian markets. Sometimes it’s just not as clean as it should be. All tripe will have a subtle tripey smell, but it shouldn’t be enough to gross you out, and I’ve never found that it gets stronger the longer it cooks (you might however get more sick of smelling it).

I learned how to cook tripe years ago when I worked in a French bistro in Manhattan, my first cooking job. That’s where I picked up the vinegar technique. We did on occasion do this twice, dumping the water after blanching and starting again with fresh vinegar and water. A while back I called the kitchen at Lupa, one of Batali’s restaurants here, to see how they prepare their tripe. They do the vinegar treatment too. Boiling tripe with onions, carrots, and celery wouldn’t be to clean it, but to give it additional flavor. In any case, three hours boiling and then three hours simmering is not needed with the kind of tripe we buy now.

I know you felt you bought your tripe from a good source, but, if you’re up for trying it again, try another place. The tripe I’ve bought at Latino markets has often been a bit stinkier than the stuff I get at French or Italian butcher shops, I’m not sure why exactly. Now I go to Citarella or Faicco’s, two great Italian shops in Manhattan, to buy my tripe.

I’m not sure what else to say, but I’ll continue to think about it. Maybe another tripe post is in order.

Best to you,

Erica

August 1, 2009

Richard Del Giudice

Erica
My mother prepared eggplant prior to cooking by a method that i have never seen referenced anywhere and i wondered if you know of it. The eggplant was cut into half inch slices, placed on a wood cutting board, and then put out into the sun to dry for a couple of hours. The surface of the eggplant slices developed a dry velvety texture. I assume that my mother learned this from her mother who was from Avellino.

August 3, 2009

Erica

Oh good old Avellino, father of invention. Well that’s actually a perfect way to rid eggplant of excess liquid, much better than salting. Southern Italian genius.

August 5, 2009

Giusto Priola

Dear Erica,
Thank you so much for the excellent review! We are putting it on our website and wanted to reach out to you to let you know how much it meant to us! Please do come back and try a main course–and let us know who you are so we can thank you in person.
This is Stephanie, Giusto Priola’s assistant, and the owner of Cacio e Vino. He would like to introduce himself to you and make himself available for any projects you might have in mind for the future.
Please keep up abreast of your whereabouts, and we hope to meet you soon.
Best,
Stephanie Teller
212.228.3269

September 12, 2009

Ann DeVito

A neighbor gave me cocozza longa. How do I cook it?

Ann

September 12, 2009

EricaHello Ann,

The one thing I’ve found with zucca lunga is that you need to peel it completely. The skin is somewhat tough and doesn’t really softened when cooked. Otherwise, you can treat it like zucchini. It has a very mild flavor though. I like it better paired with onion that with garlic, which to me, seems to overwhelm its gentle flavor. Traditional Sicilian uses for it are in minestrone, or cut into small cubes and tossed with penne. I think a good mild pecorino or caciocavallo cheese helps to bring out its flavor.

Have fun with your zucca.

Erica

September 13, 2009

Edna

Hi – enjoyed finding your site and some of the recipes were what we were looking for. Now we are looking for BUCINOTTI from province of Chieti, Abruzzi. Hope you have this and will send it along

Edna Paolucci

Edna

Hi, hope that you can furnish us with the recipe for BUCINOTTI from province of Chieti, Abruzzi, Have enjoyed reading over and will try some of your other recipes soon.

Thanks

Edna Paolucci

September 15, 2009

Erica

Hi Edna,

I know a cookie from Abruzzi called bocconotti, and I’m assuming yours is a version of this. This is a filled cookie, usually make in a little mold, something like a small brioche mold. THey’re usually filled with almonds, cocoa, cinnamon, some sweet wine. I believe it’s primarily made for Easter. If this sounds like your cookie, I’ll see if I can come up with a good recipe for it.

Best,

Erica

October 9, 2009

Stephanie Roscoe

Hi Erica,
I am trying to find an old recipe my grandmother used to make. It is a sweet ravioli that is deep fried. It is called “past chasta rustica.” It is not served with any sauce and the filling has cheese but it is sweet.

Can you help find such a recipe or something similar? Thank you

stephanie roscoe

October 9, 2009

EricaStephanie,

I know of several fried ravioli recipes. I’m not familiar with this dialect name of yours though. Where was you grandmother from? That would help me a lot.

Thanks.

Erica

October 22, 2009

karen newman

hi there I spoke to WFP and they said we can link to your sit.they can also put your class info on their website, they just need a short paragraph and details of your classess that they can add to calender. so let me know…

http://www.friendsofwfp.org

November 2, 2009

tina

I am looking for a receipt for Bocconotti cookies.
I found one on line but it doesn’t give me instructions on how to make them. It only lists the ingrentins. THese cookies are filled with a chocolate and almond filling. they also require a mold.

November 4, 2009

EricaHi Tina,

Many people have asked me for this recipe. The best recipe I have found for bocconotti is in a book called ‘Food and Memories of Abruzzo’ by Anna Teresa Callen. It’s on page 412. I wish I could scan it for you, but I tried scanning this particularly recipe for some else and it came out so dark it was unreadable. This is a great book and if you’re interested in Abruzzo cooking, it’s really a must have. I would suggest buying it. It’s been around for a while so you can purchase very cheap used copies through Amazon or Barnes & Nobles. If your family is from that region, you’ll especially love her old family stories, and all the recipes are wonderful.

Best,

Erica

November 6, 2009

Erica

Hi Erica D, It’s Erica P (Piccininni). I’m a skinny guinea too (an honorary one, I know it’s your phrase;)

My dad’s from Puglia (Bari), my mom from Abruzzo. I’m first generation. I grew up on a lot of what my mom called “peasant food”-escarole & beans, frittate, cause that’s what my mom ate growing up …do you have any southern italian recipes for what you’d consider “peasant food”?

Also, if you get a minute, could you check out my (very) new blog, http://www.alasagnaintofuland.wordpress.com. ?? Curious what you’d think. I just wrote about my mom’s dandelion soup. It’s the best comfort food ever.

Much love, Erica

Erica

p.s. i know my recipe construction is merda. I’m not a professional, what can i say?

Erica

p.p.s ok, don’t mean to stalk, i swear, but just thought i’d add that my nickname was “la sdrega”, the witch, cause i was spindly. Also “cappucetto rosso” cause of my hair. Italian dads/uncles love to tease dont they?

November 7, 2009

EricaHi Erica P,

Thanks for your notes. I’ll check out your blog the minute I get the chance. My grandmother made dandelion soup too, sometimes she’d put little meatballs in it. I do a lot of ‘La Cucina Povera’ recipes. In fact, I teach a class on Italian recession cooking (see the note on the homepage of my blog). This week I’m doing polenta with cabbage and a couple of other delicious povera dishes.

Good luck with your blog. I’ll check it out.

Ciao,

Erica D

November 21, 2009

Ana Galeano

Hi Erica,
Are you familiar with an old recipe my grandmother used to talk about called pitti in Calabresse dialect. She was from Reggio Calabria. She used to say it was made of pork blood, white wine, cina,on and chocolate. The cream was put into little molds and baked. She said it was delicious and a real treat for, I believe, Christmas.
Please let me know if you know about this recipe

November 22, 2009

EricaHi Ana,

I know this recipe quite well. In Campagnia, where this dessert, I believe is originally from, it’s call sanguinaccio. It’s a pudding made from pork blood, wine, chocolate, cinnamon and sometimes other odd ingredients. My grandmother used to try and make us eat it, but it freaked us out. You can still find this in Italian sections of New York, but made without the blood, so I suppose it’s just now more like a chocolate pudding. This dessert is served for CHristmas, usually along with chiaccheriere, little fried cookies dusted with powdered sugar.

Best to you,

Erica

November 23, 2009

Ana Galeano

Hi Erica,
Thanks a lot for your response and information. I am very impressed with your knowledge and your website and I am so glad I found it.
When you say Italian sections of New York are your referring to Little Italy or to other specific shops?. I am not very familiar with neither one I must confess so would you mind suggesting me a couple of specific places that I can start with?. I would like to get closer to these traditions by reading your books and posts and go to specific and genuine places where these traditions are kept alive.
Thanks a lot.
Ana

November 23, 2009

EricaAna,

Little Italy in Manhattan has nothing to offer these days except for stands selling obnoxious Italian tee shirts and really bad restaurants.

You should take a trip up to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. There are still many Italian run groceries and restaurants. I remember seeing sanguinaccio for sale at one of the bakeries last year. Calabria pork store and many other places still have a great authentic feel. Check out arthuravenuebronx.com for lists of shops and eating places.

Erica

November 23, 2009

Ana Galeano

Dear Erica,

Thank you so much, Erica, for the information. I could not agree more about Little Italy (I believe I went only twice in 18 years and could not be more dissapointed. I always thought my husband and I went to the wrong places!). I will definitely try Arthur Avenue in the Bronx (I did not know about it!). I moved from Manhattan to Astoria, Queens, a few years ago and the pseudo italian places are terrible here (at least the deli shops and the bakeries I visited, very frustrating).
Thanks again for your help with old recipies and suggestions. I can’t wait to check the website and visit Arthur Ave. And for sure I will keep enjoying your great website and will get your books to learn more about southern italian cooking.

All the best.

Ana

Hi Erica,

My friend and I spent a few months in Cortona, Italy a couple of years ago. While there we ate a particular pasta dish quite frequently. I  have been unable to find the recipe. All I can remember it that is was called Fuma. It was a smoky, tomato based sauce with a pasta like farfalle. Do you have any clue what this dish may be and where I can find the recipe?

Best,
Emily

Hi Emily,

I do know this dish. Fuma refers to smoked pancetta (bacon). It’s a tomato based sauce flavored with onion and bacon. Sometimes a little cream is added at the end. I’ve eaten it with pici, a kind of thick Tuscan spaghetti. I don’t have a recipe, but it seems simple enough to reproduce. Traditionally it may include other ingredients, and I’m  not certain about the farfalle, so I’ll hunt around for you and see if I can come up with a real documented recipe. But in the meantime what I would do is dice up some good quality bacon and get in crisp in a little olive oil. Add chopped onion, let it soften. Add a splash of white wine, letting it boil way. Add chopped, canned tomatoes with juice, salt, black pepper, maybe an herb? (a little basil). Let this all bubble for about 10 minutes, then add a drizzle of heavy cream.

But I’ll look around.

Erica

Hi Erica,
I am looking for a cookie recipe that a friend use to make. It was deep fried like the struffoli, but it was shaped like long pasta noodles. It also had honey and sprinkles on it.

Ang

dear erica,i am blown away by your website. you’ve brought back loving memories of my wonderful mama’s cooking. thank you .i do have a request . a semi-soft cookie made of crushed nuts,almonds,filberts,manny spices /made at christmas time.and thanks for the vinacotto receipe.

Dora Helwig

Dear Dora,

I’m so glad you like my site. And Merry Christmas to you.

I get so many requests for Christmas cookies, it’s mind boggling. Many are much a like. I’ll need to know what region and, if possible what town these are from. Cookies like this vary from region to town to family, so it’s really difficult to track them down. IF you can send me more information (what they looked like, tasted like, and most importantly where they’re from), I  might be able to help you out.

Best to you,

Erica

I am looking for traditional Abrozzo, Teramo, Nepezzano cookie receipts, that my Grandparents might have had when they lived there some 100 + yers ago. I will apprecitate any assistence you can give me. Merry Christmas.

Debbie

Hi Erica:   My name is  Al Malekovic (al@countrybobs.com) and I represent a very, very small company called Country Bob’s, Inc. We are making a great sauce called, “Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce” and we would like to get the word out about our product.
I know that blogs are a great way to get information to the general public.  I conducted a google search for food blogs and your name came and after looking at your blog, I was wondering if  you would be interested in trying my sauce and perhaps reviewing it for me.

If you send me your names and addresses via e-mail, I would gladly send you a recipe brochure along with two bottles of Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce in hopes that  you would write a review.

If you would like more information, I would be glad to respond to any questions you might have.  In fact, if you are interested in interviewing me after you’ve sampled the product, I would gladly make myself available!

Thank you for your consideration.  www.countrybobs.com I will also give you two two bottle give a ways and just email me the winners and we will mail out.

My mother who has passed away 3 years ago used to make a christmas cookie she called, spelling is wrong I know but it sounded like she said keefolee. It was dough with filling (she used to purchase the solo fillings) in it and she dusted with powdered sugar when cooked. My sister and brother and I loved it but alas she never wrote down the receipe any quess

Anna

Maybe this is what she was talking about!

Kifiles Dough:

8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese
10 2/3 Oz. Butter
3 1/3 Cups sifted flour
3 Egg Yolks

Filling Ingredients:

2 2/3 Cups of Chopped Walnuts
2/3 Cups of Sugar
3 Egg Whites
( just swoosh Filling Ingredients with fork )

You can use Almond paste, Apricot, Lekvar and etc.

Divide Dough into 4 balls and refrigerate overnight, use ½ ball each time.
Roll Dough in powered sugar. Then you cut narrow triangles and put a dab of filling on near the wide end and roll up then arch like a cresent moon. The amount of filling is a trial and error thing,it depends on the size of the triangles and etc.

I melted the butter and cheese in a double broiler ( 2 pots ) and then whipped them with the Egg yolks, make sure the liquid is cool or you will cook the egg.

Bake @ 350* for 15 or 20 minutes
Yields 5 Dozen

Don Augustine

Hi Erica,
My Sicilian grandmother made bread regularly.  When it was fresh out of the oven, she’d horizontally slice the little round bread, drizzle on olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano, salt & pepper – sheer heaven!  Anyway, she referred to it as loggia bread, or rather, that’s what my sister and I heard.  My mother, aunts & uncles refer to it in the same way.  I’ve done some research, and I’ve yet to find anything called loggia bread.  The closest thing I’ve found is pane cunzato.  Can you help?
Wishing you the best,
Louanne

Dear Louanne,

I never heard that term before. Do you know where in Sicily your grandmother was from? I have a good friend, a Sicilian food writer, who lives in Palermo but grew up near Trapani in western Sicily. She oftentimes has the answer to Sicilian food questions I can’t figure out.  I’ll look into it first and then give her a facebook buzz.
Sometimes these strange words we remember from our childhoods are dialect, but sometimes they’re American creations of an Italian mind, like bacahausa, or however that may have been spelled, a word my grandparents used to refer to the bathroom (or back of the house). I always assumed it was an Italian word until it was explained to me. Loggia, who knows? I’ll look into it.

Erica

Hi Erica, I am still chuckling  from your comment the other day to Louanne.   I thought “bacahausa” was a term only used by Sicilians in my home town of Wilkes-Barre, PA.  I haven’t heard that term in years!  We will miss seeing Fred this year.

Lenore Lewis

Hi Lenore,

Fred will be there this year, so if you guys are going, you’ll see him.

Ciao,

Erica

My best friend is looking for an old Southern Italian recipe.  I have looked for it as well so I can surprise her.  She doesn’t now the exact spelling of the name but it sounds like “la fagatts”.  It is bread with a homemade tomato sauce and a light layer of cheese on top.  There was a break in her family some years ago and the only person who may know is not speaking to anyone.  Can you help me?

Juan Lopez

Juan,

Off hand I have to say this name isn’t familiar to me. Do you know what part of Southern Italy the recipe is from? If the dough is baked with the tomato and cheese on top, it’s some sort of local focaccia or pizza, probably with a dialect name. If it’s pre-baked bread that’s then topped with tomato sauce, then it’s a form of bruschetta. Either way, la fagatts is not familiar. If you can send me a little more information, I might be able to track it down.

Best, Erica

Juan,

Bari is famous for their focaccias and they’re often topped with tomatoes and cheese, the way your friend’s grandmother made hers, but, after checking around, I can’t seem to find any word that sounds anything like la faggatts that’s associated with it. The only thing I can think of is that possibly it’s a variant of the Ligurian name for focaccia (Liguria is the region that includes Genoa), where it’s call fugazza or fugassa. Liguria is a long way from Bari, but if the family has Genovese roots, it’s possible. A long shot though.

Best to you,

Erica

Hi Erica,

I have just made a batch of Crostoli, the same recipe that has been in the family for years and they have puffed up but are not crisp.  This seems to happen from time to time. Do you have any idea why?  Many Thanks Clara.

Hi Clara,

There are a few reasons that I can think of.  Possibly you didn’t get your oil hot enough. The dough strips should sizzle the minute they’re lowered into the oil. You can check the temperature with a thermometer, it should be about 360 degrees. Or you could  be crowding the pan, which would lower the oil temperature (a problem easily remedied by frying them in smaller batches). The only other thing I can imagine is that possibly some dough batches you make are wetter than others. This can occur with varying humidity, the size of the eggs, or the type of flour you use, but if the dough feels the same to you all the time, it’s more likely oil temperature.

I love these cookies. Good luck with your next batch.

Ciao,

Erica

Hi Erica:

I am looking for a recipe for a pie-like pastry called bocconotti.  I grew up in New Haven Ct, and pick some up whenever I visit.  These pasteries are little pies made with a sweet dough and filled with vanilla or chocolate cream, and spinkled with confectionaires sugar.

I’m also looking for an italian rum cake recipe that I remember from my youth: layered run cake with vanilla and chocolate cream filling with a whipped cream frosting.  I’d love to make one for my kids.  Thanks for your help – Marisa

Hi Marisa,

Bocconotti are made in various parts of Italy, mostly in the south, but it seems every region has a different cookie or pastry that goes by this name (which means big mouthful).
In Rome they’re  half moon pastries filled with sweet ricotta. In Puglia, the can be half moon shaped and can be filled with nuts, chococolate, or some sort of pastry cream. Puglia also makes one that’s more like an opened pastry, usually filled with pastry cream. The most famous bocconotti come from Abruzzo, where they’re an Easter specialty, an opened pastry filled with almonds and chocolate.  I”m not sure which one you’re referring to, but it sounds like the open pastry version from Pugia. There’s a good recipe for them in ‘Flavors of Puglia’, a book by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. If you think this is what you want, I can scan it for you and send it along. Let me know.

Those big layered rum cakes are basically Italian American pastry shop offerings. You might find a recipe for it in one of Nick Malgieri’s books.

Erica