Back to Barcelona

I've been away for too long but there's a good reason. My new project is taking up a lot of my time these days and I leave Friday.... back to Barcelona. DAMN the Spaniards for winning in penalties yesterday! Aside from the last world cup triumph, I can't help but get worried when my teams go to penalties. Italy (World Cup 1994, Euros 2008) , Juventus (Champion's league 2003 vs. AC Milan) and sadly even the Atlantic 10 finals my freshman year at UMass.... all loses. I'll take the last World Cup win over a European Championship any day though.
So forza ragazzi!! 2010... here we come!

Wish I had more time to blog but I'll do my best to update while in Spain. To view more on my new project go to www.tenbarcelona.com



a presto - Joe

Marc Forgione - FORGE

Marc Forgione is a good friend of our family. He went to college with my brother Mike and after graduating Marc, my brother and a few other buddies backpacked through Europe (Edgar, Lou, Steve and Jay.) I had to include all their names or I would have gotten an email or 2! They had a memorable few days in Bologna sleeping on my couch and floor and a very interesting experience at the Pronto Soccorco that involved a few stitches for Steve, they also made a stop at my Aunt's place in Lucerne and another stop in Calabria to visit my grandparents.

Back to Marc: Marc is a top chef in New York City and was most recently the executive chef for the BLT Restaurant Group. He is opening a new restaurant next week called FORGE located at 134 Reade Street in NYC. I'll post the menu once Marc gives me the ok, which includes a special item direct from my grandparents' farm in Calabria!

If you're in the city anytime soon, make sure to stop by FORGE.... I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Here's Marc and his father Larry Forgione (If you know anything about chefs and restaurants, you might recognize the name) on the Today Show yesterday with Ann Curry. What are they making? Pizza Rustica! My brother the home-chef already chimed in that he should brush some butter on the top to give it a golden brown finish. I'm wondering how he was allowed to make it outside of Easter?? I thought that was against the rules. However, I love the idea! Why limit it to once a year?



P.S. -Does anyone recognize the name Forgione outside of chefs and cooking? ring a bell? A southern Italian saint maybe? that's right, Padre Pio's birth name was Francesco Forgione and he happens to be Marc's great great Uncle.

Italian Art Vacations - Artist in Italy

I have some friend bloggers (Amanda and Julian) who launched a new venture in Italy recently. "Artist in Italy" You can book an art vacation with them at their beautiful home in the Italian country! If you have ever dreamed of going to Italy to paint the wonderful landscape.... this is a great opportunity. There is also a golf course nearby, so if you're the non painter in the group but love to golf..... you'll be all set! You can read more about the details on their website - www.artistinitaly.com ...... You can also check out their blog, A Tuscan View from Umbria.

Prince Spaghetti Day

If you have never been to Boston's North End, you're missing one of the great "little Italys" in the US. NY's little Italy has more or less vanished and been gobbled up by China Town but Boston still has an authentic Italian American neighborhood and population in the North End.

Since I'm on the topic of pasta, I thought I would share this video. Prince is a pasta brand born from Italian immigrants that came to Boston in the early 1900's and Prince Street is one of the main streets in the North End. I haven't had Prince in a long time, so I don't know how it stacks up against other pasta brands. According to their website, it was sold in 1987 to Borden Inc. (a non-Italian company.)

If you grew up in New England, you might remember this commercial for Prince. It's a classic! There's also a re-make of it. You can find both on the Prince website (www.princepasta.com). The great part of this commercial is that Anthony (the boy in the commercial) was a boy that lived in the North End and was approached on the street by the producers of the commercial to be in it. Wednesday's are still Prince Spaghetti Day:)

Brand Italy - Barilla

Happy June!
Last week was a crazy week! I helped my brother move out of his house and into his new house, so there was plenty of catching up to do on the work front when I got back, which is why I haven't posted much.

Last night we had some friends over for dinner and when I opened a box of Barilla thin spaghetti, I was surprised to find this.


Did someone forget to do something here or are we looking at a new cut of pasta?


Barilla as a brand has managed to rise to the top of the packaged dry-pasta world, while maintaining authenticity and its Italianess. There are many brands that claim to be Italian but have not maintained their authenticity. Many of these same brands are brands that have been gobbled up by large international companies over the years and are no longer managed by Italians, so it shouldn't be a big surprise. That is not the case with Barilla as they are still Italian owned. According to their website, they became the number one brand of pasta in the US in 1999 and by 2003 had twice the market share of their next largest competitor. All that being said... it's hard to maintain brand quality when you're the "big pomodoro" on the block. Has Barilla lost its edge? What would the Barilla brothers say if they knew the above pasta came out of a box of Barilla thin spaghetti? Overall, in my opinion, its a good quality pasta that is consistent. The above sample aside, you (usually) know what you're going to get with Barilla. Are they the best? I prefer De Cecco myself but can only find limited varieties in my local grocery store. What are your thoughts on Barilla? and what's your favorite readily available dry-pasta brand?

Vespa Special

I took this photo at the Brimfield Antique Fair.... there's something about a Vespa isn't there? Vespa is an Italian "Super Brand" I'll be posting more on Italian brands and Italian branding soon since brand marketing is what I do for a living. This Vespa reminded me of a Luna Pop song "50 Special." the video is a little corny but there's no denying that the song is catchy! I included the lyrics as well. Enjoy e buona giornata!

Vespe truccate,
anni '60,
girano in centro sfiorando i 90,
rosse di fuoco,
comincia la danza,
di frecce con dietro attaccata una targa.
Dammi una Special,
l'estate che avanza,
dammi una Vespa e ti porto in vacanza!
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro con le ali sotto ai
piedi se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi...
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro per i colli bolognesi
se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi...
La scuola non va...
ma ho una Vespa una donna non ho...
ma ho una Vespa
domenica è già...
e una Vespa mi porterà...
fuori città!
...fuori città!
Esco di fretta,
dalla mia stanza,
a marce ingranate dalla prima alla quarta devo fare in fretta,
devo andare a una festa,
fammi fare un giro prima sulla mia Vespa dammi una Special,
l'estate che avanza,
dammi una Vespa e ti porto in vacanza!
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro con le ali sotto ai
piedi se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi...
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro per i colli bolognesi
se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi...
La scuola non va...
ma ho una Vespa
una donna non ho...
ma ho una Vespa
domenica è già...
e una Vespa mi porterà...
fuori città!
...fuori citta
- Luna Pop

Italian Farmer's Market - Lion's Tooth

What's in the Italian Farmer's Market this month? Dandelions. Growing up we would call them "cicorie" as they are in the same family but the correct name is actually, "dente di leone"

Growing up in an Italian American family, we did plenty of things that made our neighbors think we were a little "off." One of them was picking and eating dandelions in the spring. Grab a knife and a plastic bag and head to an open field for some picking...... dandelions are delicious!

I like mine boiled for a few minutes (takes away some of the bitterness) and then fried in some extra virgin olive oil (product of Italy of course) and garlic. Then season with salt, pepper and grated cheese. Enjoy and Buona appetito!

Italyville in Barcelona

I like England but for me, it doesn't feel entirely European. I can't put my finger on why but I've always felt that way. Spain on the other hand is entirely European..... and Barcelona is a beautiful European city. I thought I would share a few photos. I'll be back again in June for a week as we are organizing an event for some clients, which is also why I haven't posted more (I'll let you in on that further down the road.)

Sagrada Familia is truly an amazing work of architecture. The cranes are not there because it is being renovated.... they are there because it is being built! Which adds to the beauty of Sagrada Familia. It was started in the late 1800's and estimated to be complete by 2025.

The market is always one of my favorite stops.

Sangria anyone?

I thought my trip was ruined when I saw this.

then I had one of these... and all was well.:)

Italy in London

I was in London the last few days..... and took a few photos. There's plenty of "Italy" in London. Check it out:


Lorraine at Italian Foodies mentioned Carluccio's in one of her posts..... lucky for me it was right around the corner from my hotel. I had to stop in and am glad I did. Thanks Lorraine!


You have to love the classic Vespas and I saw plenty of them cruising around London. I even bumped into a retro Vespa sales shop loaded with old Vespas for sale. As the English would say.... BRILLIANT!


Ciao Ciao London.... I'm off to Barcelona, to see what the Spaniards are up too.

Homemade - Italian Bread - Pane di Casa

Once a month Italyville.com will post "Homemade" - authentic homemade Italian recipes. Since this is the first homemade post, well..... we're going to have to start at the beginning; one of the foundations of the Italian culinary experience, something Italians simply CAN NOT eat without. Pane = Bread. If I had a lira for every time my father asked "where's the bread?" when I was growing up, I would have a whole lot of worthless lire... but if they were Euros, I'd be a rich man! and half as rich if they were dollars.... damn the dollar!! sorry.

We were very lucky that my mother made homemade bread once a week when we were growing up... and still does. I can remember talking about "American bread" which was pretty much every other variety but mostly sliced sandwich bread. It was comical to us when we saw our friends bring sandwiches to school and their bread had the crust cut off. You cut off the crust? Isn't that the best part? It is to Italians! We still fight over the end piece of bread..... even if you're successful at securing it, take your eyes off it for a second and it might disappear!

So here it is, the recipe for the bread we grew up on.

Pane di casa

What you'll need - (all these amounts are guestimated):

• 3-4 ounces of fresh yeast
• 5 lb bag of bread flour
• 1/4 cup of salt
• 1/8 of a cup of canola oil
• water

We start by cutting about a 1/2 inch slice from a block of fresh yeast. Fresh yeast is becoming more difficult to find at grocery stores but you should have better luck at a local bakery (we have a local baker in the family.... so it helps.) Place your yeast in a bowl with 1.5 cups of warm water and mix the yeast and water with your hands until it feels like the yeast has completely dissolved.


Take a small amount of bread flour (a few handfuls) and put it aside, then take the rest of the bread flower and put it in an extra large bowl. Make a hole in the middle of the flour and pour your yeast water in. Add the canola oil, 2 cups of warm water and salt (sprinkle it over the flour.) and mix the ingredients with your hands. Once you start mixing, check the dough consistency and add small amounts of flour or water as needed. Make sure to knead the dough well so that all the ingredients are mixed together properly.


Once your dough is ready, place it on a flat surface and cut it in half, then in half again so that you have 4 pieces of dough that are approximately the same size. It sounds funny to explain it like that but if you try to cut off 1/4 at a time...... well, the last piece probably won't be the same as the first piece. get it? got it? good.

Now that you have your four equal size pieces, knead them individually again and then form each piece of dough into a small ball. We like to make a few small slices in the dough with a knife for decoration but you don't have to. Place 2 pieces of dough side by side on a cookie sheet or baking tray that has been lined with tin foil and sprinkled with flour. Set your 2 trays aside and let the the dough rise. We put the trays on a table or bed and cover them with 2-3 blankets so that the dough rises quicker. It usually takes about 1.5-2 hours for the dough to rise when we do this.... it should rise to about double the size once it's ready.


When the dough has risen, place it in the oven preheated at 350 degrees and cook until golden brown. It should take about 1 hour and 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Make sure to turn your trays around and switch them from the top/bottom rack after 40 minutes so that each bread is evenly cooked.


This bread is great for sandwiches, toast, bruschetta and much more.


To think, we used to feel embarrassed pulling out a sandwich like this at the lunch table at school when everyone else had white sandwich bread! Thanks Mom!

Roman Holiday - 1976

I've been a little obsessed with old photos lately. So when I found these from our first family holiday in the eternal city of Roma.... I had to share.

Kickin it with my mom and big sis at the Trevi Fountain.

Chillin with a gelato in the Colosseum... That's right, I'm eating gelato in the Colosseum! how many people can say they've done that!:)

St. Peter's Square... my pants seem a little high.

I don't know where we are here but I had to show you my dad's jacket.... nice right?!

Leave My Pasta Alone!

I have a confession to make. I can't eat whole wheat pasta. It's true! I'm all for eating healthy and not overdoing it, I exercise regularly and I consider myself "relatively fit." I'm also fairly conscious of what I put into my body. I've refused to take prescriptions from my doctor after looking into them, I won't take pain killers unless the hangover is really bad. So all that being said, I can't do it..... some people will mix half regular and half whole wheat and claim you can't taste the difference. What are you n'Americano? of course I can taste the difference! There are just some things that you don't mess with. So with all the hype of elections this year, I'm starting my own campaign.

LEAVE MY PASTA ALONE!
Pasta Lovers against Whole Wheat Pasta

Feel free to use the above button if you agree. You can also replace Pasta with Macaroni if you want (I'm talking to you Maryann!)

So to kick off the campaign, I decided to make one of my favorite pasta dishes. It's one of those recipes that has it's spot in the rotation. It's quick, simple and tasty!

What You'll need:

• 1/2 an onion diced
• 1 clove of garlic diced
• 1/2 pound of chicken (or pork) diced into bite sized pieces
  
• 2 cups of tomato sauce
• heavy cream
  
• 1 pound of your favorite pasta (De Cecco Rigitoni tonight!)
• seasoning
• extra virgin olive oil (from Italy)

Pour some olive oil in a large sauce pan and throw in your garlic and onion. Fry the garlic and onion on low heat until it starts to brown and get soft, then add in the chicken (or pork) and stir occasionally until almost fully cooked. Now add the tomato sauce.... what kind you say? Well, we jar our own in late summer but use the brand you like best. It's probably just as good (not really but I'm trying to make you feel better.) You could also use fresh tomatoes. Add your seasoning: We use sea salt, crushed black pepper, basil and a chicken bullion cube (try it!). Simmer for about 15 minutes, then stir in a splash of heavy cream and continue simmering for another 10 minutes. Cook your pasta al dente, drain and add your sauce... WALLAH! We make a full pound so that we have enough for lunch the next day. Buon appetito!

Adventures in San Michele

Like many small Italian towns, San Michele, a small village in Calabria (provincia di Catanzaro) is a shadow of what it used to be. We often joke that the sheep and chickens outnumber the people and since I estimate there are 20-30 permanent residence that currently live there, it's more than likely. It swells slightly in summer as people return to their family homes for vacation. My father was born there in 1950 and left in 1968 for greener pastures, like many of his family and friends.

A large group gathers on the church steps in San Michele (Date and photographer unknown)

Summer Afternoons:
The clock in the piazza would toll every 15 minutes and tell all who heard it the time. Each deep toll would mark the hour and each higher pitched toll marked increments of 15 minutes. This happened day and night 365 and as you can imagine 12:45 was annoying. I would wake from my afternoon nap, walk up the street past the piazza and glare at the clock tower with a look that clearly expressed my thought (stupid clock tower.) I vividly remember the scene of Italian men playing cards as I entered the town's only bar. The room with cement walls and tiled floor was a cool retreat from the summer sun and there was always a chance that one of dad's childhood friends or cousins would recognize me, and instruct the barista to get me a gelato of my choice. There was a colorful picture menu of the gelato selection on the wall, most were 200 lire but the good ones were 500. Beyond the chatter of the smoke filled card room and past the pinball machine was a back door that led outside to the bar's bocce court where I would find the real action. I would carefully and quietly enter, find a spot on the bocce court wall and crouch down to watch. It was a completely different world to me. The fig trees created a boarder around the court and beyond them were walls, so that the only entrance was the only exit. The vegetation among the figs was allowed to grow at will. To me it seemed like a small jungle as I watched the lizards pop in and out of cracks and holes looking for a sun spot. Figs and fig leaves were scattered on the playing surface and would become part of the game as clearing them would only take time that no one seemed to have. The smell of cigarettes would mingle with those of flowers and herbs from beyond the walls and bestemmie would fly from the mouths of unhappy players. The bocce balls would make a loud crack as they slammed each other or the wooden boards that formed the boarder of the court, and teammates would give unsolicited advice on what each should do with their remaining balls. I would examine each player, how they looked, how they played, who they might be.... a cousin or a friend and then wonder how many times they played there before. After a few rounds however, I would bore.... maybe I'll head to the piazza to see if there's anyone to play with. I hope I get a gelato on the way out.

A photo from the window of my father's family home (circa 1987)

Italian Doors

Robin at My Melange posted on her favorite Italian arches the other day and it made me think of our last trip to Italy. It was E's first trip and she had a fascination with all the beautiful doors (and there are many.) She took pictures of some of her favorites and had them framed. Here are just a few. The one in the middle is my favorite... it was a mini door in Panzano in Chianti.

The Local Language

My Zio e Zia arrived from Calabria yesterday and we had a big family dinner at my parents' house. The food was delicious and it was great to catch up and see how everyone is doing. It's also fun to speak in our Calabrese dialect. I've lived in several parts of Italy and have come across many dialects. The famous Tuscan dialect that eliminates the letter "c" and replaces it with an "h".... hasa = casa and you may have heard the famous drinking of a Coca-Cola with a cannuccia? the Sardinians, who like to jumble their words, "scherzando stai?" my aunt from Puglia says, Shamu = Andiamo and among the ones you know of, there are so many other dialects that you never knew existed. I can remember my barber in Bologna would speak to his friends while cutting my hair..... I didn't understand a word, not even one. We have our dialect as I'm sure many of you do as well. The thing that amazes me about dialects is that they can be languages in themselves and they can vary from town to town. I'm sure our dialect from Calabria is different from dialects in other parts of Calabria. In our dialect we replace a lot of "Fs" with "Hs" for instance Cahe = Caffe' or cutting words short, which is a big part of many dialects: iamu = andiamo. In addition, there are words in every dialect that are unique and completely different from the correct corresponding word in the Italian language.

I've noticed that dialects are slowly fading and many of my younger cousins in Calabria speak proper Italian. They are more prevalent with the older generations but I imagine that they will continue to fade. Growing up, I always assumed that we spoke Italian in our house but in fact, we spoke our dialect. I'm sure many Italian American families do the same. In addition, Italian American families who do speak dialect, usual speak the dialect that was used when their families left Italy, so many are older dialects...... not to mention that over time, they are infused with English influence. You know what I'm talking about!...... those words that are not Italian and not quite English. It's a made up word, Italenglish or Engtalian. My father has been here for over 30 years and he likes to use certain words that no matter how many times you correct him, he will continue to use them. One of my favorite "dad words" is Yesternight = last night. Ieri sera would be yesternight.... right? makes sense to dad.

To me there is a beauty in dialects, an individuality but there are people who think dialects divide Italy.... to those people, I say "blah, blah, blah" which in our dialect means..... blah, blah, blah.