Archive for 2008
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Eggplant Balls
Yes, I said eggplant balls.
Think of these as . . . meatballs without the meat. Vegetarian meatballs? Aubergine croquettes? Balls o’ eggplant? Polpette di melanzane?
Whatever you choose to call them, I call them fabulous and this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday recipe.
Yesterday was market day, which, ever since I got back from Sicily and a fabulous plate of Pasta alla Norma, has meant a handful of eggplants coming home with me.
I love eggplant balls without any kind of sauce, but you could certainly use a basic tomato sauce as a dip (such as this dipping sauce for fried mozzarella) or even something creamy like perhaps you’d use (although I don’t) for fried zucchini.
Also if you want to make them a little fancier, shape them wider and flatter instead of in balls. Either way these are *delicious* and also a great way to hide eggplant in something tasty.
Eggplant balls
(Polpette di melanzane)
[makes about 18 balls]
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (put aside 1/4 cup for rolling before frying)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Grana Padano cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil and/or parsley, chopped
- 1 egg
- salt to taste
- olive oil for frying
1. Put pot of water on high heat. When water reaches a boil, turn down the heat a bit, cut eggplants in half (and then in half again if you’re using the smaller, fatter eggplants like I do), leaving the skins on, sprinkle a good bit of salt into the water, and then add the eggplant. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or until they are tender.
2. Remove eggplant, drain, and pat dry, letting them cool before chopping them into small cubes, about 1/4 inch in size.
3. Put eggplant in large mixing bowl and add bread crumbs, garlic, cheese, parsley, basil, egg, and salt and mix well. If the mixture is too moist, add more bread crumbs.
4. Shape into balls and then roll balls in breadcrumbs.
5. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium/high heat. When oil is hot, add eggplant balls one at a time without crowding them. Turn them often with a wooden spoon to make sure all sides get brown, which should take anywhere from 3-6 minutes.
Buon appetito!
The Sanctuary of the Black Madonna in Tindari, Sicily
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We’re back in Sicily today, dear readers, to visit Tindari (Tyndaris), an ancient Greek settlement in the comune of Patti.
I’ll tell you more about the history of this once vibrant city overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea another day when we tour the ruins of Tindari, but today’s feature is the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna (Santuario della Madonna Nera).
The original church, which had been built on top of the old city’s ruins, was destroyed by Algerian pirates in 1544, then reconstructed between 1552 and 1598; the sanctuary was expanded in 1979 when a new, larger church was built on the site.
The whole grounds are just lovely; indeed, here is a fabulous mosaic that you’ll see on the walk up to the church doors. I don’t know who he is, but he sure looks peaceful and content, doesn’t he?
I should mention that the phenomenon of Black Madonnas around the world is interesting in and of itself, and you can read more about it here.
The Black Madonna in Tindari, carved of cedar, has a few legends attached to her, some of which include how she got there in the first place.
One legend says that sailors, having sought refuge from a storm in the bay of Tindari, found themselves unable to ship back out to sea.
They began unloading their cargo little by little until they realized that it was the Black Madonna herself that needed to stay in Tindari, so they carried her up to the small church on the hill, and she has remained there ever since.
Another legend says that the statue was brought from the Middle East (its likely origin regardless of how it ended up in Tindari) to protect Sicily during the Iconoclastic Wars in the 8th century.
And these aren’t the only legends surrounding the Black Madonna. See this lagoon?
It is said to have been created when a mother coming to visit the sanctuary refused to pray to the Madonna because she was black. When the woman’s baby slipped from her grasp into the sea below, the Madonna made parts of the land rise to save the baby and the lagoon was born.
Another interesting feature of the Madonna Nera is the inscription “Nigra sum sed formosa” at the base of the statue. It means “I am black but beautiful” and comes from the Old Testament’s Song of Songs, although the precise relationship between the biblical phrase and the Black Madonna is widely debated.
Some of you from the New York/New Jersey area may have already heard of the Black Madonna of Tindari as Sicilian immigrants have honored her since the early 20th century–for more information on this connection, check out a great article by Joseph Sciorra discussing the history of The Black Madonna of East Thirteenth Street as well as a short piece from The New York Times.
And, before we go, another gorgeous view looking down from the Sanctuary:
Pure tranquility and beauty in Tindari.
I highly recommend a visit.
Dreaming About the Meaning of Life
I had a different post planned for today (come back tomorrow for more Sicilian adventures–sneak preview in my Flickr set!), but this morning I woke up after having a most interesting exchange with a random bearded man in un sogno–a dream.
In italiano.
We were in a souvenir store, and he was near the back listening to my conversation with the woman clerk about what I’m doing in Calabria.
He walked towards us, rubbing his hands together, turned to me, and said:
Cara signorina, mi dice, tra un Papa e un povero,
chi passa la vita migliore?
[Dear miss, tell me, between a Pope and a poor man,
who lives the better life?]
I paused, looked up to my left then into his dark eyes, and responded:
Caro Signore, questa non è la domanda.
La domanda è . . . chi ha apprezzato la vita di più?
[Dear sir, that’s not the question.
The question is . . . who has appreciated life more?]
When I told P about my dream and he said simply, “Hai risposto giusto.”
You answered correctly.
With all of this churning through my head, I took off for my morning walk with the pooches, and guarda!
The first margherita of the season:
Life is good.
Have a fabulous week my peeps.
news from italy (couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried)
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Remember when I told you that men can no longer (legally) grab their crotches in public in the Bel Paese any more?
Well I have some more tidbits for you. Let’s link arms and stroll through these.
* Lying about adultery to police is OK! *
For women, at least. Italy’s highest appellate court has ruled that it is permissible for a married woman to lie about extra-marital, ahem, activity in a judicial investigation because adultery damages her honor.
Yes, this court referred to a woman’s honor.
In 2008.
In unrelated news, former U.S. President Bill Clinton has announced plans to move to Italy and fight for equality under the law. Hah! Just kidding! Still love ya Bubba! Go Hibs!
Of course the Italian court in question is the same one that once ruled that a woman wearing tight jeans couldn’t, by definition, be raped because said jeans could only be removed with her consent. That ruling was, by the way, later overturned.
* If you have pending criminal charges against you, run for office! *
Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s trial on corruption charges has been suspended until after next month’s elections . . . in which Berlu is seeking to become Italy’s Prime Minister. Again.
And he’s leading in the polls folks. Gah!
Should he win, I’m sure he’ll just pass a law that says he can’t be brought to trial during his reign as Prime Minister. You know, like he’s done before.
Or maybe he’ll just decriminalize the offenses with which he’s charged. You know, like he’s done before.
Yes, we have our own version of Teflon Don over here, although to be clear, I do not insinuate or imply any Mafia connections regarding Berlusconi, who estimates he’s been in nearly 100 court cases since entering the political realm.
Convictions? Hah! You funny.
So that’s what’s new over here. And you thought Hillary’s being called a “monster” was scandalous.
Buona Festa della Donna: Happy International Women’s Day!
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Today is March 8, a day to celebrate women around the world (except, ironically, in the United States where the whole thing started).
For more on how International Women’s Day is celebrated in Italy, read my post from last year: Love Thursday: Celebrating Women.
I couldn’t let the day pass without giving my fellow women some mimosa, the international symbol of the day. As I wrote last year, the mimosa around here blooms too early to still be around for La Festa della Donna, but this year, P thought ahead.
He brought me some mimosa for Valentine’s Day, climbing to the top of the tree (as told to me by witnesses) for what he insisted were the best, and now these are actually hanging to dry:
Yes, because I’m so classy, I displayed them in an old Brasilena bottle on the fireplace.
And why yes, that *is* a vase just behind them. I’m classy *and* a bit ironic apparently. And a lot paesana.
But don’t they just look at home in the bottle?
Happy International Women’s Day fellow women!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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