The Sweet Sicilian

Maybe it’s just my Sicilian side talking, but the one thing I love more than Italian food...is Italian dessert! We literally have a minimum of one dessert table (not just the corner of a table, or a plate, the ENTIRE table!)  at every family function. On my mom’s side (Sicilian) we all have the same mentality, “the faster we eat, the faster we get to dessert.” I swear, there must be something programmed in us from birth because we all have a sweet tooth!

Some of my favourite Italian desserts have creamy fillings concealed in pastry dough; for example the Sicilian Cannoli. Not only is it one of the most recognized Italian pastry’s across the world, it’s the most accepted pastry in my family. It consists of tube-shaped deep fried dough and a creamy filling made out of ricotta (Italian dairy product). Hands down one of my favourite desserts, but not my #1! The one dessert I desire the most has to be the Zeppole. It consists of deep-fried dough, with a cannoli style cream in the middle, with sweet cherry juice and powdered sugar on top. This pastry comes around once a year in Italian bakeries across my community, and we all go crazy for it! They begin to be sold March 19 on La Festa di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s day) up until Easter. I’m craving one just writing about it! It makes me think of all the other well-known Italian desserts; tiramisu, gelato, biscotti, mamma mia! I can compile pages of information on Italian desserts, but there’s not enough time in the world for that. With that said, thank you for reading!

Grazie e Arrivederci!

Woodbridge!

I was born and raised in a rather large suburban community called Woodbridge. We’re located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which has the second largest Italian population in the world (first being Italy of course). 95% of Woodbridge’s citizens are of Italian decent...Everything’s Italian!!! Restaurants, bakeries, cafes, stores...I mean everything. It should have been called Wopbridge. Pretty much my entire family lives in this city, and I wouldn’t have it any other way...if you’re not family you’re a paesano! Which is close enough! We embrace our culture and let the traditions of the old country live on in our little community so that they will continue to be practiced and taught for many generations to come.   

Below I have a video of my town of Woodbridge from when Italy won the world cup in 2006! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4qYRW03ogI&feature=channel_video_title

It's Vino Time!!!

So yesterday my Nonno and Nonna came by my house and brought with them a little bit of Italian Tradition! What was it you may ask...Vino of course!! Making wine is one of the oldest traditions my family brought to Canada from the old country. Every year it’s a must, it has to be done, an earthquake could be going on and I guarantee my Nonno’s still going to be making it in the garage! It’s a lengthy process but well worth the time. We usually start making it within the last week of September and the first week of October. So since I’m such a nice guy I figured I'd share the secret on how wine is made in my family! Just follow these 8 easy steps:

1.     Obtain grapes from a supplier. The best ones to use are from California (what we use) but many people use local grapes from Niagara Falls.

2.     Crush grapes with Macinello (crusher) into a barrel. This is going to make like a liquid with the skins from the grapes in it; we call this “Mosto” in English it means juice.

3.     Now you let the Mosto ferment for 7-10 days.

4.     Next you have to separate the liquid from the skins and put it into a separate barrel.

5.     You now have to crush all those skins with a Torchio (wine press) to extract whatever juice was retained in them and placed with the rest of the Mosto.

6.     Next all the liquid has to be transferred into an oak barrel.

7.     Let that liquid sit for about 2 months for it to become Vino, it won’t be 100% but still drinkable, the longer it sits the better it gets.

8.     On November 11^th the day of Santo Martino all Mosto is turned into Vino.

Sunday Lunch!

It doesn’t matter how late you got home the night before, or how tired you are that morning. When the clock hits 12 in the afternoon, my siblings and I better be at the kitchen table. Why you may ask? It’s time for Sunday lunch! Yeah we all sit down together during the week to eat dinner as a family, but with everybody’s hectic schedules these days, we can’t help but rush it all the time. That’s why there’s Sunday lunch, it’s strictly family time. No rush, no worries, no stress! Everything else in the word is put on hold and we have time to focus on what really matters most...Family! My mom always cooks what looks like a 20 course meal and expect us to finish every bit of it. I always tell her “Ma why do you cook so much, we can feed the entire army with all this food!” You think she ever listens! But hey why am I complaining I get to eat great with the people I love the most. Yeah it becomes a bit of a pain when I want to sleep in past 12, but in the end I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Grazie e Arrivederci!!

Prima Famiglia (Family First)

Being Italian is an important aspect of my life. It isn’t just a background for me; it’s a way of life. What I love most about my culture is that family is the first priority over everything. I was taught that as a child, and live by it in my everyday life. Outside of school, work, and my social life I always go home to my family. But when I say family I’m not just talking about my parents and siblings, I’m talking about all my Zio’s, Zia’s, cousins, and grandparent’s (Nonno and Nonna) which total up to be over 80 people. Imagine how many functions I have to attend every year! But I wouldn’t change it for the world. Our enormous family keeps on growing, and as new generations come along they will learn the same values I was taught as a child.  I am grateful for the family God has blessed me with and the traditions and values will live on through me and future generations.

Grazie e Arrivederci!

Mangia Mangia Mangia

It’s about time I start talking about the one thing that goes hand and hand with Italian culture...FOOD!! To this day every meal I have eaten is like a feast, you name it pasta, pizza, risotto, sandwiches, meat... we cook it all, better than anyone. We truly are masters of our craft. But food is so much more than simply eating for us, it’s an art. Recipes have been passed down through the generations and have made their way into Italian households, supermarkets and restaurants around the globe. Food is what brings us together, any family function I attend has more food than we can consume. In my house dinner time is family time, so every night regardless of how much homework or studying me and my siblings have, we must stop whatever we’re doing and gather at the table. Usually for dinner my mom prepares either a pasta, risotto or a meat, some sort of vegetables (e.g. rapini), and salad. Afterwards we usually have an espresso with either fruit or biscotti. Some might say it’s a little much but eh, “È una cosa Italiana!”(It’s an Italian Thing!)

Grazie per leggere!

Musica Italiana

Music is a prominent aspect of Italian culture and an important part of the country’s heritage. Almost every family function I attend there is always songs being played from the old country. Many of my favourites include both artists from Italy for instance Pavarotti and Andrea Bocceli, as well as Italian American artists such as Dean Martin and Lou Monte. Although the music I grew up listening to was before my time, it does not mean I didn’t enjoy it. As a matter of fact I have many Italian American artists songs on my iPod today! Some of these songs include:

• The Tarantella
• Angelina Zooma Zooma
• C’é la luna
• Mambo Italiano
• That’s Amore

As one would have guessed the songs above are compiled of instrumentals and vocals with a catchy feel that entices dance. With this in mind, dancing is also an essential part of Italian culture. Most songs have particular dances that correspond with the pace of the song. Below is a video of Italian American musician Dean Martin performing the classic “That’s Amore!”