L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 17 L'Italo-Americano JOHN CARAFOLI " Food has a way of bring- ing people together in a myriad of ways. As the Guarascios' guest, I was invited and included into their home and their family and enjoyed a lovely, homemade meal. I also experienced the togetherness of a family that lives and works together." John F. Carafoli For years I have visited and written about the culture and cuisine of northern Italy, espe- cially the areas in and around Bologna, Modena and Ferrara. Last February, I found myself h e a d e d s o u t h t o w h e r e t h e Apennines Mountains, the 750- mile mountain range that contin- ues through the spine of Italy, end – at the "toe" in Reggio di C a l a b r i a , t h e l a r g e s t c i t y i n Calabria. This is a region I have always been interested in visiting, and using this as my home base I was able to explore this excit- ing, rustic region of Italy. One of my first excursion took me out of the city to sam- ple an array of Calabresi spe- cialties at Sirianni. This factory/store is owned and operated by Angela Zappia and makes specialty products. I tasted the typical hot peppers of Calabria, chopped and packed in oil; the famous Tropea onions, cooked and turned into a condi- ment; a marmalade made from t h e b e r g a m o t f r u i t ; a n d t h e region's famous 'nduja (pro- nounced en-DOO- ya), a spicy, spreadable pork salami that has become a unique food item here in the states. It was my first i n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h i s u n i q u e s p r e a d ( s e e r e c i p e b e l o w ) . I sampled them all! And I was able to pack a few of the spe- cialties in my suitcase and take them home with me. As I ate in restaurants and tasted a variety of wines I was served a sampling of delicious mountain cheeses made with goat and sheep's milk. I needed to learn more about these won- derful cheeses. I made a few inquiries and heard of a four- generation family of cheesemak- ers high in the mountains out- side of Reggio. I decided to pay them a visit. In the morning when I left my hotel in it was clear and sunny, with the temperature in the 60s. I threw on a light jacket, got in the car, and headed up a winding road filled with hairpin turns and speeding cars. Two hours later, when I arrived in the v i l l a g e o f S a n G i o v a n n i i n Fiore, high in the mountains, it was snowing, sleeting, and mis- erably cold. But when I got out of the car I was greeted by the friendly, 'Nduia with fileja pasta smiling faces of the Cuarascio f a m i l y o f c h e e s e m a k e r s I ' d come to visit. They escorted me into a small and even colder room where they made their specialty cheeses. From here we went to the barn, where there were hundreds of sheep and goats with different colored streaks on their backs signifying their age. It was several weeks before Easter, and I was told many would be slaughtered and sold for the holiday and only 100 would be kept for making cheese. Then it was back out into the sleet and snow and up a flight of stairs into the main house. I was immediately drawn to the roar- ing fire in the fireplace to warm u p . A s I w a r m e d , I l o o k e d around and saw what you would typically expect to see in an Italian home: There was a pic- ture of the Virgin Mary, a cruci- Another of Calabria's well-known culinary stars: fileja pasta La Famiglia in Calabria: The unique and special foods from Southern Italy LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES fix on the wall, a wreath of arti- ficial flowers over the fireplace, and a large table down the center of the room covered with a plas- tic table cloth. I was introduced to Filomena, the mother, who immediately covered the table with a fancy embroidered tablecloth. Then came the food: a plate of the family's special formag- gio stagionato, a hard cheese made by blending equal parts sheep and goat's milk and aged for at least 10 months (similar to the Parmesan of the north); for- maggio semi stagionato, a semi- hard cheese, made the same way but aged for only two months; a platter of head cheese. This deli- cacy is made from the meat of p i g ' s h e a d a n d s o m e t h i n g I r e m e m b e r m y g r a n d p a r e n t s made regularly in the fall; a f a n c y p l a t t e r o f h o m e m a d e sausages, marinated olives and slabs of ½-inch thick prosciutto; a b a s k e t o f b r e a d a n d — o f course— a bottle of homemade red wine. I felt right at home! Food has a way of bringing people together in a myriad of ways. As the Guarascios' guest, I was invited and included into their home and their family and enjoyed a lovely, homemade meal. I also experienced the togetherness of a family that lives and works together. I know t h e G u a r a s c i o ' s s e n s e d m y appreciation and love for what they were sharing with me, a validation of their love for food and family. Connecting with these, hard- working families with their cus- toms and traditions, is where I find my passion and pleasure and experience my biggest joys in life. When I arrived back at my hotel in Reggio, the weather was warm and sunny. I thought about my trip to the mountains and m e e t i n g t h e l a r g e G u a r a s c i o family. It reminded me of my warm, family bonds I once had as a small child in Sagamore in Cape Cod Massachusetts. ' N D U J A W I T H F I L E J A PASTA 'Nduja is one of Calabria's m o s t f a m o u s e x p o r t s . T h i s sausage mix packs a lot of heat thanks to a blend of local chili peppers. In this dish it is paired with another of Calabria's well- k n o w n c u l i n a r y s t a r s : f i l e j a pasta. This recipe may be doubled to make 4 servings Ingredients: • 9 oz fileja pasta (for a sub- stitute, casarecce or collezione pasta from Brella) • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 tablespoons 'Nduja* • 1 ½ cup plum tomatoes • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil • Pinch of salt to taste • 1/4 cup red wine • 4 to 5 shredded fresh basil leaves • ¼ c u p s h r e d d e d r i c o t t a salata* Directions: Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté until it softens. Then mix in 'nduja. When it begins to incorporate in the oil, pour in the r e d w i n e a n d c o o k u n t i l t h e sauce reduces by half. In the meantime, use either a hand or regular blender to puree plum tomatoes. Add the puree mixture to the saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes. Add in fresh basil in the last few minutes for extra aroma and flavor. While the sauce is cooking, place fileja pasta in salted boil- ing water. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Strain pasta and add it into sauce so flavors integrate well. P l a c e i n i n d i v i d u a l w a r m bowls topped with the grated cheese and serve. Makes 2 servings *Ricotta Salata is an Italian cheese made from the whey part of sheep milk, which is pressed, salted and aged for at least 90 days. It is milky white in color with firm texture and salty taste. The cheese is often used in sal- ads and ideal for slicing, crum- bling and grating. John F. Carafoli is an inter- national food stylist, consultant, food writer and wrote the semi- nal book Food Photography and Styling, two children's cook- books, Look Who's Cooking, The Cookie Cookbook and Cape Cod Chef's Table, Recipes from Buzzards Bay to Provincetown, and his is latest book is, Great Italian American Food in New England, History, Traditions & Memories.

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