Holiday cheer lingers with a few last stale biscotti
January 4th, 2012 § 7 Comments
With the holidays behind me and finally a moment to relax and think about all of it, I am struck by a couple of moments that involve food and family and friends. The most prominent and perhaps pleasant thing to recall are the Christmas cookies. I do not want to appear non-pc, but they are Christmas cookies, not holiday cookies, so even though I am decidedly not Christian, I am going to stick with that name. These recipes are amazing both because they have been handed down from one home cook to another over several generations and because they are really damn good; and, on top of that, for me the preparation and distribution of these little treats is the greatest gift of the holiday season. Okay, I will admit it, I love the kudos I get for my cookies–go ahead, gush, I love it!
A little history, first of all, I am Italian (an identity I previously struggled with, but now embrace), so if you have an Italian cook in your life, you understand. We take cookies pretty seriously both in quality and volume…no easy cookie, no small batches. Since I skipped Christmas last year (story for another time), I took it on in full force this year.
For starters, I wanted to spend some time getting back to my roots, so to speak. So I joined Grandma Rose and Aunty Mary for a holiday meal (yes, the ravs of which you have already read) and some cookie baking. My Aunt, known affectionately as Zia, makes a fabulous ricotta cookie that I was dying to learn to make. Sharing recipes requires that you bake with the cook…so if you want my recipes, get your ass in my kitchen next year and help!
Her recipe is her own, so I cannot detail it here (yes, we take that part seriously, too), but it is fairly simple. “Ricotta Rolls,” require a dough made with ricotta with a stuffing made also with ricotta (hence the name)that is spread inside. It requires no frosting because it is brushed with an egg wash, which is why I say simple…but it is delicate, flaky, and subtly sweet–so good, and it pairs nicely with a glass of earthly red wine.
We had a great day of making cookies, even Grandma Rose enjoyed the fruits of our labors with a small glass of nebiolo (the Deforville; if you have not had it, run don’t walk). The cookies are delicious, but what is special about the day is sharing time together and laughing so hard my checks hurt.
how do you measure in this? And is that a chunk of glass that is missing?
What is funny about cookies, you might ask? Well, first Grandma Rose hands me a measuring cup so old it has no marking left on it. When I point out to her that I cannot tell how much ricotta to use, she laughs, well more of a quick vocal burst of judgment that reads something like, “ha, you silly child, get out of my way, who doesn’t know what a cup of ricotta looks like…” I suppose I will get there, someday…we all need goals to strive for.
yes, this is a dog!
Then, there is Logan. Sorry, Zia, but he is quite possibly the ugliest little dog I have ever seen. He waits for snacks, but snaps at me if I get too close…not exactly the Christmas spirit…”hey, you gonna eat that…give it to me and no one gets hurts.”
Lastly, though in no way least, Zia, watches me work the dough, “oh, not that much flour, honey”; or, “I don’t do it like that, but okay”; and, finally, and with great relief, “that is okay,” though delivered with a little doubtful head tilt. Okay, I mentioned we are Italian, right? In the end, Grandma Rose, said, “not bad.” That is the kind of approval we strive for;) Hey, what can I say, not all Italian Grandmothers gush; it makes you stronger! And, that is why I need the rest of you to do that. (yes, Chris R., you gush appropriately, and will be permanently on the christmas cookie list…okay, I will explain, Chris described himself as a drunk in the alley with my cookies as he motioned with his hands shoveling them into his face with his mouth wide open to receive the bounty. I love you, Baby!)
The best comedy was my aunt and I practicing for our own cooking show…I could share but we are still working on the pilot.
The next day I began my own production, and I am proud to say that all 9 types and nearly 100 dozen cookies have been distributed and hopefully consumed (that is not a typo). Seriously, friends, if they aren’t as good as you say, I won’t burden you with them…but I love the feedback that I am getting.
Whatever fills your holiday with fun, smiles, and laughter, remember it fondly throughout the year because it is that which gets us through the rest of the craziness.
Do you have a recipe to share? Let’s have a cookiefest 2012…details to follow.
Merry, happy, joy, for whatever you celebrate!
Inspiration
June 26th, 2011 § 3 Comments
eat.drink.think
This is my mantra, and while it may border on a bit, well for lack of another word, pretentious, I am not going to apologize for that. I think, it is just good common sense. Food and wine brings us around the table with friends, family, lovers, associates, and the new acquaintances; it makes us sit still among all the chaos; it offers repose, pleasure, and calm . It demands thought, so while some may argue otherwise, I must insist that we eat, drink, and think. What, then, should we think about?
Well, that is the subjective part, and perhaps this is why we continue to eat and drink and imagine our next meal. By the collective we, I mean all of you out there that love to eat and drink, to share food and wine with others, who are blogging about it right now, and may even be cooking or thinking about what your next meal will be at the same time. You know who you are, you are probably eating something right now, or at the very least, sipping on a fabulous little pinot that you picked up today at your favorite wine shop. In a world that is increasingly technological (and, yes, I know the irony of my impending comment), food and wine remain a tactile, sensory experience shared in communication with others. It is perhaps the single most multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural experience I can think of, and it cannot be completed on a computer, though we may find inspiration and information there. And, so I begin my blog about my experience of thinking about food and wine.
I begin where all knowledge begins, in my own historical moments of food appreciation; my family.
See below, Grandma Rose. In this photo taken earlier this year, she is in her nineties (fear not Grandma, the actual number is safe with me), and that’s right, she is rolling out fresh pasta for her raviolis. The pasta is thin, but not light, more substantial, something you can really bite into, and the ricotta filling is not infused with some crazy herbs from the farm, it is just simply whole milk ricotta, finely grated parmesan, an egg and some salt and pepper…that is it. The ravs are the size of your hand, but you always eat two…okay, who am I kidding, I always eat three. My Dad, usually goes for four,then regrets it, but which self-respecting Italian American can say no when his mother tells him to eat more?
The sauce is as simple as the pasta, just olive oil, canned tomatoes and some garlic salt. Today, I make a sauce of roasted heirloom tomatoes, roasted in four fingers of the best olive oil, plus gras, anchovie paste and fresh garlic cloves, seasoned at the very last moment with lost of fresh basil and flat leaf parsley– all from the local farmer’s market, but my grandmother’s sauce is way better!
Grandma Rose is just one of the amazing women who inspired me to feed…that’s right, I love to cook, but really, it is all about the pleasure of feeding those I love.
This is the way that food becomes spiritual, it is in many ways a ritual of nurturing our loved ones, one bite at a time. And, adding wine is the spiritual elixir…more on that later.
Thank you Grandma Rose, for your love and inspiration!
What or who inspires you to eat, drink, and think?
cheers, Maria
