Author Archive
of snapdragons and lion’s mouths
Before I moved to Italy, I was never good at remembering and identifying flowers and trees. No matter how many times someone told me “this is a peony and that’s a petunia,” the information just didn’t stick in my brain–like it just wasn’t wired that way.
Thankfully things have since changed, and I find my memory working in perfect harmony with nature. I am always happy to learn a new leaf shape, a new flower, and have it stick in my head without much effort especially since I am surrounded by plenty of flowers I’ve never seen before (not that I remember anyway).
For weeks I had been meaning to photograph some interesting flowers that I pass on my walk with the dogs. I finally grabbed the camera the other day, afraid that the magenta petals would shrivel up before I had a chance to immortalize them.
For some reason, I kept thinking: “I *know* my mom would know what these are” but how could I describe them over the phone?
So I came home and put the photos up on Flickr, and asked if anyone knew what they were called. My new friend Doisemum kindly responded with a link in Italian telling me that these are Bocca di Leone (lion’s mouth) in Italian.
P had actually told me they were called something that starts with a B and ends in “leone” so he was on the right track. Then I searched for the name in English and found out that these are Snapdragons.
Immediately I thought, “My mom loves snapdragons!”
Only I had no idea why I thought that. No specific memory in which my mom talked about snapdragons came to mind, but I just had this overwhelming feeling that I had to tell her about these flowers.
Later that evening, I walked with the pooches again and couldn’t believe what I saw–the very same flowers that I had photographed hours before had been pulled up from the roots and left to rot on the pavement!
I guess someone thought they were weeds (mind you no one lives where these flowers grow) and decided to do his/her civic duty–and then let them sit there in small piles on the ground, as if that looked prettier.
Good thing I had taken the photos in the morning, I thought, and gathered up the long stems, brought them home, and stuck them in some water in a jar on my fireplace, hoping to extend their life just a bit longer:
Later I told my mom about the whole strange experience–and her reaction when I told her I found out what “those” flowers” were?
“I love snapdragons!”
Turns out that she has very fond memories of playing with these as a child, making their “mouths” open up and talk.
It is an understatement to say that my mom doesn’t have many fond memories from childhood, so this was extra-special for her to relive and also for me to hear.
I can only conclude that she must have told me about this somewhere along the way and that my brain kept just enough information handy for someday when I could truly appreciate the Story of the Snapdragons–for when it was rewired to handle it.
And now I will always remember what snapdragons look like and why it’s important that I stop and make them talk.
La Buona Cucina Americana: Thanksgiving Filling
Or stuffing or dressing depending on where you’re from.
Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday. It’s all about giving thanks and eating–two of my favorite things. And while I *like* turkey, for me the stars of Thanksgiving are the side dishes. Love them.
I love my mom’s filling the most–so much that it is my first contribution to La Buona Cucina Americana.
If you don’t know what this is, read Judith in Umbria’s description here.
Essentially we Americans are tired of the trash-talking (pun intended) about our cuisine. Contrary to popular stereotypes (often involving Golden Arches), Americans do shop at markets, slice and dice fresh ingredients, and otherwise make real homemade meals.
Through La Buona Cucina Americana, we are sharing some of our favorite recipes in English and Italian so our Italian amici can try them out too.
So far we’ve had:
- Mary’s American Style Shepherd Pie
- Judith’s Chicken Pot Pie
- Barb’s Scalloped Potatoes
- Sara’s Barbecue Baked Beans
And now, straight from my mom’s cucina:
Thanksgiving Filling
- 1 stick of butter
- 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 3 celery stalks, chopped finely
- 1 large onion, chopped finely
- handful of parsley, chopped finely
- 1 loaf stale bread, in chunks (sliced bread is fine)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt butter in large pan and add carrots, celery, onion, and parsley. Sauté for about 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, make sure the water and broth are heated and grease a medium-sized baking dish with butter.
4. When carrots, celery, and onion are soft, pour water and broth into pan.
5. Add bread cubes, which should look something like this:
6. Mix with wooden spoon until all bread is moistened, but don’t overmix.
7. Pour mixture into baking dish, and bake in oven for about an hour, a little longer to get an even crunchier top.
8. Let sit for about five minutes after you take it out of the oven before serving.
Notes:
- I bake mine in the oven because I like an uber-crunchy top, but you can also use this as a traditional “stuffing” by stuffing this inside the bird of your choice; just let it cool off before you do so.
- Some of you may be wondering where the sausage is. My mom doesn’t make hers with sausage, so I don’t either. P–like a true Calabrian–asked if I would include it next time, and I will because I’m a good fidanzata.
Ripieno tradizionale per tacchino per il giorno di Ringraziamento
- 110 g di burro
- 3 carote pelate e grattugiate
- 3 gambi di sedano tritati
- 1 cipolla (bianca o gialla) grande tritata
- prezzemolo tritato q.b.
- 600 g di pane secco a cubetti
- 250 mL di brodo (vegetale o pollo)
1. Preriscaldare il forno a 180°C.
2. Fate squagliare il burro in una padella grande e aggiungete le carote, il sedano, la cipolla, ed il prezzemolo. Fate appassire per una decina di minuti.
3. Nel frattempo, assicuratevi che l’acqua ed il brodo sono caldi e imburrare la casseruola.
4. Quando le carote, il sedano, e la cipolla diventeranno morbidi, aggiungete l’acqua ed il brodo.
5. Aggiungete i cubetti di pane.
6. Mescolate con un cucchiaio di legno solo fino ad umidire il pane ma non troppo.
7. Versate il composto nella casseruola. Infornate per circa un’ora, qualche minuti in più per una crosta più croccante.
8. Fate riposarlo per circa 5 minuti prima di servirlo.
Annotazioni:
- Io lo cucino al forno perché mi piace una crosta croccantissima ma potete usare il composto anche come un ripieno tradizionale. Lasciatelo raffredare, quindi usatelo per riempire un tacchino, un pollo, ecc.
- Forse state cercando la salsiccia nella ricetta. Mia mamma non la usa quindi non la uso neach’io. Il mio fidanzato P–come un vero Calabrese–mi ha chiesto di aggiungerla e la prossima volta lo farò perché sono una brava fidanzata.
Buon appetito!
love thursday: love birds
Meet our love birds, Romeo and Giulietta:
They are currently taking turns keeping two eggs warm.
Due date is Tuesday.
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
Antica Focacceria San Francesco in Palermo, Sicily
Please let’s ignore the fact that Berlusconi has fooled a majority of Italians into voting him into office a third time, OK? And also that my local party lost as well. Instead let’s move on to happier, comforting topics.
Like food.
You may be wondering where What’s Cooking Wednesday is this week. Don’t worry, it’s still going on at Shannon’s Tales from a Fairy Blogmother, but here at Bleeding Espresso, I’m shifting it to Friday when I’ll be posting my mom’s stuffing/filling/dressing recipe for La Buona Cucina Americana. Be sure to come back!
Keeping the food theme going, though, and finally getting back to my trip to Sicily, I’m going to tell you about one of Palermo’s most famous spots, the Antica Focacceria San Francesco:
The Focacceria is located on a tiny street opposite a small square anchored by the Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi:
See that design near the top of the church? Here’s a view from inside:
And here is some detail on the outside of the church (another here):
You can’t miss this place as you’ll probably wonder why a carabinieri car and two officers are outside. All. The. Time. Erin of The Olive Notes explains the phenomenon here. Hint: it involves something that rhymes with “The Bafia” but it’s probably not what you think, so do read Erin’s post.
The Antica Focacceria has been around since 1834 and is listed in all the guidebooks as one of *the* places you should visit in Palermo for traditional Sicilian food; luckily for Cherrye and me, our hotel was literally just around the corner–in fact, that’s where the hotel got our delicious morning pastries from.
On our first night in Palermo as we searched alto and basso for something, anything to eat before 7 p.m. (unsuccessfully), we decided against the Focacceria because (gasp!) the ala carte food looked old and crusty (I’m sure it was great at lunch though!), and also because we didn’t realize that we also had the choice of eating upstairs, which is more like a standard restaurant and overlooks the hustling bustling ala carte section below.
We made a fabulous decision to return to the restaurant section the following night, though, and were treated to an amazing dinner that cost us each under 20 euros, including a small carafe of house wine.
We started out by splitting the Sicilian sampler (as I like to call it):
Pane con milza (spleen sandwich, which yes I tried and actually liked in a small dose), sfincione (thick Sicilian pizza topped with an anchovy, tomato, spicy mixture), arancini (rice balls with various fillings), potato croquettes, pannelle (chickpea fritters), and caponata (eggplant, peppers, capers, veggie mix).
And then on to one of Sicily’s most famous dishes
made with eggplant and ricotta salata,
Pasta alla Norma:
And once we saw this dessert cart come to the next table:
We knew we’d have to get something. So we split this:
Which the waiter just pulled from the cart and gave to us–no wax doubles like in America!
This was basically an inside out cannolo drenched in chocolate syrup. *So* good, as was everything apart from the pasta, of all things, being a tad undercooked and a bit salty.
But overall, you definitely have to stop in the Antica Focacceria on a visit to Palermo.
Aside from tasty traditional Sicilian food, a fun atmosphere, cheerful service, and great prices, the portions were so big that we didn’t finish anything. Unfortunately since we were leaving Palermo by train the next morning, doggie bags were ill-advised (and yes, I would’ve asked even though they’re not the norm in Italy!).
Tragic, I know.
Antica Focacceria San Francesco
Via Paternostro, 58
90100 Palermo
091 32 02 64
Guest Blogger: Author Cindy Lynn Speer
Time for another guest blogger, and this month I am honored to introduce you to the author of the fantasy novel Blue Moon, Cindy Lynn Speer, who has been fascinated by magic, fables, and fairy tales her whole life. I know a lot of you are avid readers and many are also avid dreamers, so I thought you’d also enjoy getting to know Cindy and her blog, A Pen and Fire.
I met Cindy through the Ultimate Blog Party in which her introduction post included the following request:
Reply with a link or an actual picture of a secret crush you have, male or female, and include a noun, a verb, and something you love.
With this information, Cindy would write a personalized short story including those elements. I commented leaving this link to my crush, the noun “camera,” the verb “squeak,” and chocolate as something I love.
The story Cindy came up with for me is *fabulous*–go to Comment 3 on this post to read it. Seriously. You’ll love it. Then come back here of course.
Now, in Cindy’s guest post, we get into the head of an author and see the creative process at work. Enjoy!
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When Michelle asked me to do a guest blog, my first thought was “Wow! What an honor!” My second was…”Oh, dear…what do I want to say?”
I’m a fantasy writer – more of the fantasy novels with a bit of romance and mystery than the questing mages and barbarians with swords type – and I look for magic in everything. I’m fascinated by this blog because there are two things in it that just speak of magic; food (I believe that there must be some sort of food magic) and a beautiful, unknown country.
Ruins, mosaics, sunsets on the water…what could be more magical? I look at the pictures that Michelle posts, and I try to imagine what it would feel like to be there.
What kind of warmth is there? Is it the type of dry heat that you get used to easily, or is it wet and humid? Does it smell different? Is the quality of light the same?
I try to imagine what it would be like for my characters to go to Italy.
I imagine Alex would be all about food…Alex is tall and slender and has a stomach like a black hole, though I never really mention that in the book.
I think Dashiel would be, too, food and a sunny spot to lie down in, but then he’s a dog, he likes to keep it simple.
Libby would be intent on exploring every inch of the place…from ruins to museums. At least at the end of the book Libby would be…at the beginning of the book Libby would probably lock herself in the hotel.
Zorovin, being a dragon, would probably be drawn to the ruins – until he realized that humans liked them, too, then he’s just try to find the highest, coolest place in the land.
Sierra would probably skip straight to Rome, to try to break/bribe her way into the Vatican and discover what magic secrets they were hiding.
As for me, I think that I will (note the optimism) be a cross between Alex and Libby. Eager to explore every new experience, smell the flowers, try the food, absorb the heat from a different sun.
I look forward to it.
I also want to thank Michelle for letting me visit…and thank you for reading this post! If you have a chance, please feel free to visit my blog: A Pen and Fire.
If you’d like to be featured as a guest blogger at Bleeding Espresso,
leave me a comment or contact me here.
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.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
