Life, Food, and Travel

An informal tale of my journeys

Recipes

Maccheroni Alla Calabrese

by Luciano Lista

I want to start a new cycle of blogging about traditions, customs, foods, sayings, and original recipes from my native Calabria.

This is my first blog on traditional recipes.

How to make “maccheroni fatti in casa”.   In my home town of Montalto Uffugo we call them ‘maccarruni di casa’ — homemade macaroni.  These are macaroni made using a very thin dried reed of the “busa” plant, or the willow tree.

I called my mother last Thursday afternoon and I said to her:  “Are you going to teach me how to make homemade macaroni like we talked about so many times?  I’m coming over.”

Here are the ingredients and the steps to make these delicacies for 4 people.  flour – the best flour would be the Italian durum wheat double 00 type flour but it’s hard to find here in Canada.  So what my mother found to be the best alternative, over years of experimenting, is Monarch Brand Pastry Flour – the one in the red and white chequered bag.  You will start with about 500 g but then you will have to add a bit as you go along to achieve the correct consistency of the dough.  The dough should not be too soft and it shouldn’t be sticky when kneading.

I asked my mother to be more specific on how much flour we actually use.  This is always a mystery to me because I never get a quantifiable amount.  It’s sort of a hit a miss or so it seems.  But it’s base on expertise and years of accumlated know how.

“Farina quanta se ne riceve – as much flour as it is required”– in other words, you have to feel the consistency of the dough and stop adding flour at right time. It’s an art that is achieved after many years of experience but let’s just say that 500 g will be a good starting measure.

  • 2 eggs – Note: use one whole egg and the yolk of the second egg
  • A cup of warm water
  • A small dish with a little bit of oil to use as lubricant for your hands and the reed or skewer
  • A very thin dried branch of willow or other reed (Un rametto sottile di salice secco o di erba di busa per stendere i maccheroni).   

This is used to roll the dough into long macaroni.  You can substitute the willow reed with a thin knitting iron or other thin rod such as a wooden skewer – just remember; the thinner and straighter the reed, the better.

Let’s start:

  1. Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle of it.
  2. Place the whole egg and the yolk in the flour well.
  3. Mix thoroughly with a fork and slowly add the warm water to achieve the desired consistency… as discussed below.
  4. Take out the freshly formed dough and knead thoroughly using your hands adjusting the texture of the dough by adding flour a bit at a time.  The dough should not be sticky or feel too hard when pressed with your fingers.   You should be able to work it with ease into cylindrical rolls.  Keep the dough covered at all times and it’s best if the dough rests for at least half an hour to an hour or so in a cool place (the refrigerator is also a good place) before you start working it.
  5. Divide the dough into smaller portions roughly the size of an orange and work them into thinner cylinders the size of a cigarette.
  6. Work with one portion at a time keeping the rest covered with a bowl or a clean cloth.  Work on a large breadboard.
  7. Cut the cylinders into shorter lengths of about 5 cm each.
  8. Lightly oil the palm of your hands and the reed.  You may need to this often during the process of making the macaroni.
  9. Using a very light pressure, roll the dough cylinders together with the reed or skewer using the palm of your hands  so that the dough gently wraps around the reed and elongates into a large spaghetti about 20 to 25 cm long.  The longer you can stretch the, the thinner they will be.  But making them really thin and long requires lots of practice.
  10. Gently pull the macaroni towards the thinner end of the reed or skewer and place it on a clean dry table cloth.
  11. Congratulations! You made your first Maccherone Calabrese.
  12. A good measure is to make about 20 to 25 macaroni per person.

Use a traditional Italian tomato sauce, preferably a meat sauce, to accompany the macaroni.

A generous dose of Parmiggiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese is used to cover the maccheroni and don’t forget to sprinkle some hot chilli peppers on top for good measure.

I will have a traditional recipe for that sauce soon but you need to wait for my next blog. 

Life, Food, and Travel

My Uncle Sal

by Luciano Lista

Zio SalI dedicate this blog to my uncle Sal Verri who passed away a month ago – July 13, 2012.

Sal Verri was an extraordinary man who may not ever end up in history books or have acclaims in literary circles, or scientific journals.

He was an extraordinary man because his time on this planet, which spanned two centuries and saw drastic changes in every sector of society, politics, and technology, was a living example to us all – relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

He was a living testimonial of how one should live and act in society, in business, and within a family, regardless of the fads and modes of the times.

His love of life and ever present exuberance was a poignant reminder to all those who wasted their time in chasing petty issues, engaged in useless discourses, or even worse insisted on living in the past. His pet peeves were in fact people who continuously mentioned past events and were not able to move forward with their lives. The past is past, he used to say. Let’s move on.

He often proudly contested: “I have never been sick a day in my life” (although this wasn’t entirely the case). What he really meant was that even when he didn’t feel so great he still made the effort to go out, go to work, meet people, and be as productive as possible. You could be sure that when most of the city shut down due to a bad winter storm, his office doors were still open for business – he never missed a day.

Living well was an art to him and life a gift from God. He was a peacemaker. He believed that Paradise was reserved for those who truly made an effort in living life to the fullest, for those who loved to meet and interact with new people, for people with a good sense of humour, for those who avoided conflicts, for peacemakers, and for those who opened their doors to others in need. His idols included Pope John the 23rd, Pope John Paul 2nd, Bill Clinton, Barak Obama, John F. Kennedy, and of course Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

Sal Verri was a born teacher who was an inexhaustible font of knowledge and could answer almost any question on any topic you engaged him in. Not only he had a vast familiarity of literature, Latin, music, mathematics, history, poetry, and much more, but he was constantly on the prowl for new learning opportunities. Our morning conversations, especially after a significant political event, an art festival, the opening of an opera, or a new scientific discovery, were a welcome break from the mundane tedium of office mediocrity and politics.

He would constantly remind everyone around him, through his mannerisms and impeccable style, of what is truly important in life: family, friends, good manners, politeness, and good taste. He was an exemplary true gentleman who never missed the chance to offer a chair to a lady, open the door for an elderly or a child, walk on the right side, or stand-up when a lady at the table would get up; rare events of chivalry that have sadly vanished with him and his generation.

He had an extremely keen sense of humour and could make light of the tensest situations with a few well placed words. A true orator and master of ceremonies, he loved to speak in public. There wasn’t one formal event, gala night, family gathering, or party where he would gladly take the podium and ad lib a speech without script anytime, anyplace. He took great pride in this talent of his.

Sal Verri loved to dance and was often the life of the party. He would charm his way through any crowd or situation with his usual mannerism – business card in hand – “let me introduce myself – I’m Sal Verri”, and before you knew it, there he was, on the dance floor, waltzing around with the most beautiful lady in the room.

He loved his friends and family and never missed an occasion to visit, thank, or pay his respects. He would never forget an important event, a birthday, or an anniversary and was the first to call and offer his best wishes. His office at Christmas time was like Santa’s castle as he would prepare gifts for everyone well ahead and then call to remind you that he had that special bottle of Grappa or Prosecco that he knew you would enjoy. Flawlessly, every time, he made an effort to remember what everyone liked and preferred. He rejoiced at everyone’s successes and was proud to be the head of this family.

A true professional he would make sure to keep abreast of the latest rules and tax regulations and inform you well ahead of time of what you needed to do to comply. A lover of technology and innovations he was miles ahead of colleagues and often had brilliant ideas that inevitably would make someone else very rich.

Sal, you often jokingly complained that I seldom called you Zio. But I also think that you must have known the reason why. You were more than a zio to me. I couldn’t use the word “Zio” as it was just too diminutive to encompass all that you were and did for me and for my life – Zio, you were a mentor, a friend, a brother, a father, a business consultant, a confidant, a travelling companion, a point of reference, and my compass for who I am today.

You will be greatly missed.

Life, Food, and Travel

My Trip to Paris – 4 – Along the Seine

by Luciano Lista

This is a great city indeed.

The city of lights, the city of love, the city of wine and song but most of all I found it to be the people city.

Parisians love their city and enjoy it to the fullest.

Here, on the banks of the river Seine, those citizens who cannot go to sea-side resorts can enjoy a man-made beach from June to August created with fine sand, complete with umbrellas, bars and beach chairs.  The road on the Rive Gouche (the left bank) is blocked in the summer months.  Millions of tons of fresh sand are poured on it and fashionably shaped (like everything else in Paris) to recreate a natural beach where old and young alike can enjoy the cool breeze coming from the River.

At night these alcoves along the water come to life with young and old people, strolling, learning how to dance the Tango or the Salsa or simply enjoying the millions of sparkles on the water as the sight-seeing Bateaux taxi back nad forth with hundreds of smiling tourists on deck.

Life, Food, and Travel

My Trip to Paris – 3 – Getting Around the City

by Luciano Lista

We discovered Paris by walking and riding the Metro. Paris has an incredible subway system.

Some fourteen different subway lines wiggle their way through the bowels of this ancient metropolis like tentacles and when you surface, at every stop, you are exposed to wonderful sights and sounds.

One postcard after another, the streets of Paris enrich your senses and your soul with art, history, and culture in one architectural continuum of old and new coexisting in harmonious symbiosis.

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