Archive for the ‘Our Grandmas’ Category

Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - 4 comments so far

Rosaria from Chieti, Abruzzo

Rosaria Montaldo, a proud grandmother of two, has been cooking at Enoteca Maria since June of 2008. She was born in the region of Abruzzo in a small town in the province of Chieti. The region is known for its agriculture and producing wine, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, olives, vegetables, fruits and dairy products. Traditional products are saffron and liquorice.

Rosaria remembers her grandmother’s cooking well, since she grew up living in the same house. Lamb is a popular dish in the Abruzzo region and Rosaria enjoys preparing Costolette d’Agnello all Griglia—grilled lamb chops. Her favorite pasta dish is Maccheroni alla Chitarra—macaroni pasta made on a guitar-like instrument—another staple of Abruzzese cooking.

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Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - 4 comments so far

Rosa from Schio, Vicenza

Rosa Lievore Turano was born in Schio, a provence of Vicenza located in the northern region of Veneto. She and her family moved to the United States on July 3, 1956, where they joined her father in Weehawken, NJ. Among her earliest food memories are her nonna preparing gnocchi and tortellini from scratch.

Rosa comes from a long tradition of food and recipes being shared and passed along from generation to generation. Though she remembers her nonna’s cooking, Rosa says that she actually learned to cook from her mother. As a child, Rosa would help her mom prepare pasta con Sugo di Pomodori e Tonno on Friday evenings. She also learned to make Fegato all Veneziana (calf’s liver) and her older sister showed her how to cook Osso Bucco.

Today, Rosa is grandmother to seven grandchildren. She shares her love of cooking with her two oldest, Briana and Nicholas. Rosa loves being able to share her family’s recipes with the hungry customers at Enoteca Maria.

Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - 6 comments so far

Carmelina from Marcianise, Napoli

Carmelina Pica was born in the small town of Marcianise in Naples, Italy—the city famous for pizza and historic landmarks like Castel Nuovo. She came to America as a young woman with her husband and took up residence on Staten Island where she worked several years at a Salumeria. She cooks the traditional, classical cuisine of Naples. She’s our snow bird spending six months in New York and six months in Florida. Carmelina says that cooking at the Enoteca feels like family to her.

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Posted on March 27, 2009 - by admin - 2 comments so far

Valarie from Sciacca, Sicilia

Valarie Delsante is a second generation Italian-American who was born on Staten Island into a large family where the Italian traditions were strong and an integral part of her childhood. Though her grandparents arrived in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, they retained the customs, folklore and culinary specialties of the regions they came from.

Valarie learned to cook from her maternal nonna, ‘Lena’ and her mother, Maria, both exceptional cooks who embraced the cuisine of Sicily with all of its unique and exotic flavors. She fondly remembers spending summers with her nonna, riding the subway to markets all around the city in search of the finest Italian ingredients, then bringing them home to prepare dinner.

Valarie, a mother of two, has had many interesting professions over the years and says if given a choice she would rather be cooking. Her favorite recipes include Manicotti and Calamari Ripieni as well as her nonna’s Sicilian Cheesecake.

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Posted on March 27, 2009 - by admin - 2 comments so far

Gaia from Milano, Lombardia

Gaia Bagnasacco comes from Milan, known for its abundance of cream, milk, and cheese in the region of Lombardia. She spent much of her time in Tuscany and learned to cook from her mother who hosts a bed and breakfast in Siena where Gaia fused the cuisine of Milan and the Tuscan region into her own brand of traditional Italian cooking with a contemporary flair. Gaia regularly returns to Italy to visit family.

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Posted on March 20, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Christina from San Giuseppe Iato, Sicilia

Christina Carrozza was born in San Giuseppe Iato, just south of Palermo which lies on the northern coast of Sicily. Like many villages and towns in the region, its inhabitants rely on the production of corn, olives and grapes for their livelihood. Each September the village holds a Festival of Grapes and Wine where these commodities and other agricultural produce is displayed. (wikipedia)

While she was still a young girl, Christina’s family moved to Bergamo, north of Milan in the province of Lombardia where she learned how to cook from her grandmother, mother, and aunt.

One of her favorite recipes is Farfalle all Pescatore—bowtie pasta with mussels, calamari, and shrimp–a dish she not only enjoys preparing but also eating with her family. Christina is very grateful and proud of her Italian heritage. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her family.

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