Wrestling With the Devil

Wrestling with the Devil (Gemelli Press, April 2012), by Antonio Russo and Tonya Russo Hamilton is a story of sacrifice, survival and triumph from the hills of Naples to the Hall of Fame.   The book is an important contribution to the Italian American community and a truly inspirational story that will make you laugh, cry and cheer!

Antonio Russo’s family in their home piazza in Roccarainola, Italy

Summary
Running and playing in his southern Italian countryside, ten-year-old Antonio Russo, barefoot and dirty from head to toe, was unaware of what his destiny held. His parents, in pursuit of the American Dream, took their son alone to the Bay of Naples and placed him on the SS Independence headed for America.

10 yr-old Antonio Russo’s passport

They sent him off with salami and provolone cheese in his pockets and the promise of a better life. It did not take long for Antonio to realize that America was not all the riches that his mother had proclaimed and although well meaning, his family in New York struggled to provide for him. He would learn quickly the true meaning of perseverance and family unity.

This story will have you on the edge of your seat as this young Italian boy comes of age and grabs hold of his roots in the Old World to make meaning of his new life in America!
***
Review of Wrestling with the Devil from Judith Greenwood, Città di Castello, Italy

There is a lot of talk of the American dream, does it live still, was it ever real?  Wrestling with the Devil is the real story. Antonio Russo wasn’t sitting in southern Italy dreaming of America, he was being a kid, having a life, expecting it to always be as it was then. He probably didn’t even realize that they were poor, he and his large family. But Antonio Russo was even then American and his parents knew he needed to live in America. So they sent him alone to New York City.

It becomes clear throughout the book that his parents didn’t really have an idea why being American was important for him or what that even meant, but they were sure it had value and as so much in their lives did not have value they snatched at this. Antonio was to pay the price for their ambitions. The story you will want to read for yourselves. I read it straight through without even sleeping.

He is not the Abe Lincoln of Italian-American immigrants. Oh no. He came close several times to blowing the entire effort, but so many adults had failed him in one way or the other, it’s no wonder he wasn’t sure of his own worth. He’s an extraordinary boy, this Antonio. He has such a grasp of what is good, what will lead to happiness, that continents can’t stand in his way. His instinct that doing what he is good at is more important than making quick money has some powerful opposition, but he prevails.
What is right about this book is its honesty and emotion. He remembers how it felt and that sets it apart from just another story.

Overall, Wrestling with the Devil is the kind of story we seldom hear nowadays and yet it is so satisfying to throw off the blinkers of pessimism and see how becoming American is done when it is done really, really well.

Click here to like Wrestling With the Devil on Facebook.

CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER TO BUY WRESTLING WITH THE DEVIL ON AMAZON TODAY!

Wrestling With the Devil

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Masseria Altemura Rosamaro

I fell in love with Masseria Altemura Rosamaro when it was served at the December Christmas party for Casa Vinicola Zonin (Italy’s largest privately-held wine producer) at their Miami headquarters.   Zonin will soon be bringing this wine to the U.S. market, possibly in the early spring.

I’ve always been somewhat reluctant to fully embrace these lighter, fruitier wines because of my inner wine snob.  Somehow, somewhere, I got the impression that they weren’t real wine, but I was wrong.  Not only is this a real wine, but it’s the perfect wine to enjoy on the breezy tropical nights we have in South Florida, where I am most of the year. The Masseria Altemura Rosamaro was the perfect accompaniment for the light appetizers that Zonin served at their Christmas cocktail party.  It paired well with everything from the Tuna Tartare to the Tiramisu dessert.

Masseria Altemura Rosamaro is made entirely of  the negroamaro grape and is classified as a Brut Sparkling Wine.  It’s produced in the Agro of Torre Santa Susanna area of Salento in Italy’s Puglia region, in the southern part of the country.  The alcohol level is 11%.

Massaeria Altemura Rosamaro has this beautiful baby pink color and looks so pretty in a wine glass.  I felt so girly and elegant while drinking it.  There’s a lovely lightness to this wine that hits the palate with its flowery sweetness in such a refreshing way.  You’ll notice pleasant hints of apple and berries in the bouquet.

This Rosamaro is created as a high-quality sparking wine in the tradition of the Veneto region, where the family also has a property.   During the vinification process, the must of the Negroamaro grape results from a particularly gentle pressing of the grapes to limit the extraction of the colors and tannins from the grape skins.  After the first fermentation at a controlled temperature of 18 C the wine is given its effervescence according to the Charmat method to ensure the integrity of the fruity aromas.

I can’t wait for Massaeria Altemura Rosamaro to be available in the U.S. market, and just in time for spring and summer parties!

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Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven, 2007, HBO Films

At the beginning of the documentary, Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven, Sirio Maccioni admits, “I have been working in restaurants all my life, but I hate this business.  I do it for my three sons.”

As you watch the film, however, it becomes difficult to really believe that Maccioni hates the business he’s in.  Instead, he looks like a man that has found his calling in life and been blessed with the prosperity that follows when talent and opportunity come together.  Maccioni is the quintessential gentleman schmoozer, easily charming the New York socialites and business, celeb and political elite that made Le Cirque the brand name it’s known to be around the world.

Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven is first and foremost the story of an Italian family business.  And as with all family businesses, there are personality clashes and differences of opinion.  Maccioni is the strong-willed Italian father whose sons are trying to convince him that they must change the way they do things in order to make money.  Maccioni simply doesn’t understand this and keeps reminding them how he made the business such a success.   The problem is that what worked for him in the prosperous 80s and 90s isn’t working anymore and the Le Cirque brand is losing money.

To remedy this, the family decides to move the restaurant from the Palace Hotel to a new space in the Bloomberg building.  They close their doors at the Palace in 2004 and for two years work on the construction, design, and menu for the new restaurant.

Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven is full of interesting and touching moments, like when Maccioni asks Henry Kissinger what he thinks of the move and Kissinger tells him he thinks the Bloomberg building is a good idea.  Or when Woody Allen’s wife, Soon Yi Previn, tries to explain to Maccioni, during the opening of the new restaurant, that Woody is claustrophobic and they need to find a quiet room for him.

But the most wonderful aspect of this movie is the family dynamic.  Maccioni’s family is very typically Italian.  His wife, Egidiana, is a great cook and her meals bring the family together.  His eldest son, Mario, is the ringleader with the most responsibilities in the family business.  Marco, the middle is artsy and funny and Mauro, the youngest, is a bit insecure and tense, used to being picked on and having his ideas dismissed by his father.  In one scene, the entire family sits together at McDonald’s munching on burgers and discussing the future of the business.

Overall, Le Cirque:  A Table in Heaven is a delightful film and if you’re a fan of Italian food and the restaurant business, you can’t miss this.

Watch the trailer for Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven here>

If you have HBO GO® you can view Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven here>  http://itsh.bo/kUIs4w.

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Rosemary, Red Pepper and Bean Spread

Rosemary, Red Pepper and Bean Spread is one of my favorite snacks. It’s Sunday and that means two things for me: Church and “Downton Abbey.”  Lately, I’ve been making a real commitment to snack healthier when I watch my T.V. shows.  Overall, as a cancer survivor, I’m trying to follow the 80/20 rule and that means eating healthier 80 percent of the time and using the other 20 percent of the time for the foods I love and will never give up, like pasta in a butter- or cream-based sauce and chocolate.

One thing I’ve learned is that eating healthy is not easy.  It means preparation.  If I don’t prepare in advance, I end up at McDonald’s because its quick and easy.  So, now on Saturdays and Sundays, I spend time prepping veggies for juicing during the week and making spreads like this one here, which I eat for lunch.  This is a very simple, but absolutely delicious and healthy spread.  I played around with a few different recipes.  I eliminated a few ingredients they called for and simplified it.  It takes about 15 minutes to make.  As I’ve been cutting down on bread lately, I put this on grilled portobello mushrooms and it’s delicious.

Rosemary, Red Pepper and Bean Spread

Serves 4

1 Can of Chickpeas

1 Can of Cannellini Beans

1/3 Cup really good Olive Oil

1/2 Juice of a lemon

1 1/2 Cloves garlic

1/4 Cup Roasted Red Peppers

1  Teaspoon Freshly Grated Black Pepper

1 1/2 Teaspoons Sea Salt

1  Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, Diced

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you’ve got a thick chunky spread.  I think it tastes best if you serve it at room temperature, but feel free to refrigerate any leftovers.

Rosemary, Red Pepper and Bean Spread on Grilled Portobello Mushroom

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David Taub and his son Marc Taub of Palm Bay International

Taub Family Vinitaly Italian Wine Scholarship

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 15, 2013

If you’re in the wine trade and work “on premise” in a hotel or restaurant that has a wine program, you might have the opportunity to obtain an all-expense paid, educational trip to the 47th annual Vinitaly, April 7-10, 2013 in Verona, Italy.  That’s right.  If you’ve got some pull in the world of wine and are able to bring attention to — and extol the virtues of — all that is Italian wine, and L’Ambiente del Vino, this might be your opportunity to shine.  But you’ve got to act quickly because the application deadline of January 15 2013 is only a few short days away.

Vinitaly, in case you don’t know, is the world’s largest wine event. Last year, over 4,300 producers participated. It’s an über-posh event with state-of-the-art staging and everyone who is anyone in the wine world attends. So not only will you increase your knowledge of Italian wine, but you’ll make invaluable industry contacts. Vinitaly is produced by VeronaFiere, one of Italy’s leading event producers. They produce over 30 shows each year.

VeronaFiere is presenting the Taub Family Vinitaly Italian Wine Scholarship in partnership with Palm Bay International, one of the nation’s leading importers. The scholarship is named in honor of Palm Bay’s founders, the Taub family, who were pleased to lend their name to this scholarship. They founded Palm Bay International in 1977, and their company is now one of the nation’s leading wine and spirits importers.

Palm Bay International is a family business. The father and son team of Martin and David Taub launched their company with just two Italian brands. Quickly, they forged their reputation as pioneers and advocates in the Italian wine world. David was actually instrumental in making Pinot Grigio American’s favorite Italian wine. His son, Marc D. Taub now runs Palm Bay and carries on his family’s legacy together with Palm Bay’s 200+ employees.

To apply for the Taub Family Vinitaly Italian Wine Scholarship visit http://www.italianwinescholarship.com
To learn more about VeroneFiere, visit http://www.veronafiere.it
To learn more about Palm Bay International, visit http://www.palmbay.com
To learn more about Vinitaly, visit http://www.vinitaly.com

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Cookie Curci displays one of her homegrown pumpkins.

It was late October in 1947, all along my avenue neighbors were busy raking up yard leaves to be piled and burned. Back then, homeowners were allowed to burn yard leaves in smoky piles creating a tantalizing  smoke that filled our nostrils  with an unforgettable  aroma that signaled  the arrival of fall. Nonno  was sitting in the back yard under his favorite fig tree, cracking and shelling walnuts.  Nonna was there too, searching her vegetable patch for some late-blooming squash. The crisp, late October weather was invigorating, and it filled  me with anticipation for Halloween and the coming holidays ahead.

The house smelled sweet, as it always did this time of year. All the ingredients for homemade pumpkin pies where on mom’s kitchen table: bottles of vanilla and bowls of sugar, spices and flour and five or six of Nonno’s garden pumpkins.  Looking out the back window, I saw Nonna heading toward the house, cradling an armload of zucchini in the fold of her apron. Meanwhile, Nonno announced he’d finally finished shelling a huge bowl of walnuts and almonds for homemade Halloween candy.

This was my favorite time of the year. Halloween marked the beginning of all the warm and wonderful winter celebrations that were to come. Like all our family holidays together, Halloween was a time of sharing and enjoying. It was a time of kitchens warmed with spices and family smiles.  The night before Halloween, our house came alive with the mouth-watering flavors of hot caramel and melting sugar as Nonna and Nonno boiled up batches of sugar coating for the glazed nuts. But of all the memories that Halloween brings it was the homegrown pumpkins that set the theme for this very special time of the year.

Papa had an old saying about growing pumpkins. He would say to me”If you want to be a successful gardener, grow pumpkins.” He was right of course, there is very little needed to make a pumpkin seed sprout. These tenacious seeds practically plant themselves and require a minimum of tending. My grandparents were excellent growers of fruits and vegetables. They had learned their skills early on back in the old country. They also learned that pumpkins are part of the fruit family. Like gourds and other varieties of squash are all members of the Cucurbitacae family, which also includes cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.

My grandparents grew a variety of pumpkins in their garden.  For carving they grew the Connecticut Field Pumpkin, which grew to a respectful 10 to 20 pounds and occasionally, produced some as huge as 50 lbs.  For homemade pies they grew the Small Sugar Pumpkins (4-10 pounds) the lantern pumpkins are too stringy. Other types included: Baby Bear (1-3 pound pumpkins), Autumn Gold (10-15 pounds), Baby Boo (6 ounces) And Lumina (10-20 pounds), Big Max, Cinderella, Atlantic Giant. Pumpkin  varieties come in a wide range of  sizes, the range from a few ounces to over 500 pounds. Their colors range from white to pink to red to traditional orange.

Each year, we preserved some of the seeds from our pumpkins for next season’s planting. We cleaned off all the soft pumpkin pulp from the seeds, selecting only the largest before spreading them onto newspapers to air dry. The fun was seeing what kind of pumpkin would grow from these seeds, sometimes a hybrid was produced, something that was neither a pumpkin nor a squash. They were one of a kind and we always looked for one of these to pop up in the pumpkin patch.

When the planting season came along, just after the spring rains had ended, our backyard looked like it was covered in three-foot wide anthills. These were the soil mounds, about four-feet apart, that Papa created where the pumpkin seeds were to be planted. Papa choose the sunniest section of the yard, one that received at least six hours of sun. He’d place between four and six seeds about eight inches apart, surrounding the mounds with water moats about five inches deep and wide.  The moat held the water for the root system. Papap would cover the seeds about about an inch deep with enough earth to keep the birds from finding them.

Then we’d wait for what seemed like forever for the developing pumpkins, as they require at least 110 or more frost-free growing days.  During that time the pumpkin needs to be well watered. During the seed stage, we watered them gently with a sprinkling can to avoid washing away the covering soil.   Pumpkin vines are tenacious and will spread and grow in many different areas, so give these crawlers plenty of room. The flamboyant, emerald green leaves help to keep the pumpkin shaded from the hot sun and help it retain its necessary water and nutrients that are fed to it through its main vine the umbilical vine. The tendrils guide the vine’s direction as it grows.

When the young seedlings began to take hold, Papa made sure to thin the small ones from the mound and keep the large ones.   Pumpkins are ready to harvest once the color of the fruit has deepened into a true orange color, somewhere between deep yellow and golden red, depending on the variety. When we selected our pumpkins  from the patch for Halloween  carving, Papa instructed us to leave several inches of stem on the pumpkin, it helped them stay fresh as they cured in the sun for  ten days before storing them in a cool dry place.

Today, as I work in my little kitchen putting the finishing touches on my old-fashioned pumpkin pie (CLICK HERE for Cookie’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe) and prepare for Halloween visitors at my door, I remember my special parents and grandparents, our simple home on Terra Bella Avenue and the good and uncomplicated —yet beautiful — lifestyle we once shared together and I’m reminded that the best things, like holidays, food, and even lives, aren’t necessarily the most elaborate ones.

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Cookie Curci’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups fresh  pumpkin puree (Use one sugar pumpkin, about 5 lbs.)
One frozen, 9-inch single pie crust, or the recipe for a homemade equivalent
Two eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
One (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

Directions:

Cut pumpkin in 4 halves and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with lightly oiled aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Either mash, or puree in small batches in a blender. Increase oven temperature to 450-degrees.

In a large bowl, slightly beat eggs. Add brown sugar, flour, and salt, 2-cups of the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and evaporated milk. Stir well after each addition. Pour mixture into the unbaked pastry shell. Place a strip of aluminum foil around the edge of the crust to prevent over browning.

Bake 15 minutes at 450-degrees, then reduce the oven temperature to 350-degrees. Bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the strip of foil about 20 minutes before the pie is done so that the edge of the crust will be a light golden brown.

Let pie cool for 30 minutes.

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Rigatoni alla Amatriciana o Matriciana

Rigatoni alla Amatriciana o Matriciana

Ingredienti per 4 persone:

400 gr di rigatoni
1 kg di pomodori pelati
250 gr di guanciale di maiale a fettine di 1cm
peperoncino
pecorino grattugiato

PREPARAZIONE
Tagliare il guanciale in striscioline non troppo piccole e rosolarlo in una padella senza olio, togliere il guanciale e metterlo su un piatto, lasciando nella padella il grasso che avrà perso, schiacciare i pelati con le mani, cosi da farli in pezzi più piccoli, metterli a cuocere nella padella del guanciale  con un pezzetto di peperoncino. Lessare la pasta, ripassarla con il sugo, aggiungendo il guanciale e mantecando a fuoco spento con il pecorino.

Il piatto di pasta che si vede nella foto è stato realizzato da me (www.chefdalicandro.it) nell’osteria romana 692 (www.692.it) in collaborazione con il proprietario Roberto Scarano

Questa ricetta  è nata ad Amatrice in provincia di Rieti, una piccola cittadina Laziale al confine con l’Abruzzo, la ricetta che ha una origine geografica definita e possiede una forte ed antica tradizione legata a questo territorio prevede rigorosamente gli spaghetti e non i bucatini, come è indicato  nei cartelli Comunali all’ ingresso della città di Amatrice  ” Amatrice, Città degli Spaghetti all’ amatriciana “. Codificando sulle tante versioni della matriciana o amatriciana  acquisite nel tempo in tutto il mondo , noi v’illustreremo il procedimento e gli ingredienti per l’unica ricetta antica, quella originale con l’unica  variante, l’aggiunta del pomodoro. La ricetta chiamata matriciana e non amatriciana, come da testimonianze, in quanto   gli  abitanti di Amatrice usavano chiamarsi  “ Matriciani ”, senza la A di conseguenza anche la famosa pasta veniva chiamata  “ Matriciana ”, col tempo per un fenomeno linguistico è diventata amatriciana. Questo piatto era il pasto principale dei numerosissimi pastori, che originariamente era senza il pomodoro, pasta alla ” Gricia “. I pastori portavano nei loro zaini, pezzi di pecorino, sacchette di pepe nero, pasta essiccata, guanciale e strutto.

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Easy Autumn Pumpkin Squash Soup

Easy Autumn Pumpkin Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 Small Pie Pumpkin
1 Small Butternut Squash
1 Box of Chicken Stock
1 Stick of Butter
1 Large White Onion
1 Tsp Marjoram
1 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bake pumpkin and butternut squash for one hour.  Pierce them with a fork a few times for steam ventilation.

3. Finely chop the onion.

4. Let the butter begin to melt on low heat in a Dutch oven.

5. Add the onions to the butter, still on low heat, and let them cook for about 10 minutes until they are translucent.

6. When the pumpkin and squash are done, dice them in half, remove the seeds and then spoon out the pulp.

7. In a bowl, mash the pumpkin and squash till it’s the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes.

8. Add the pumpkin and squash mixture to the onions and butter in the Dutch oven.  Add the spices.  Add the box of chicken stock.

9. Let the mixture simmer on low heat for 40 minutes in order to allow the flavors to ripen and meld together.

10. In small batches puree the soup in a blender of food processor.

11. Add pumpkin seeds for garnish and you’ll have a delicious and easy Autumn Pumpkin Squash soup.

12. OPTIONAL: add 1/2 cup of heavy cream

I’m Italian, so I crave heavy foods like cheese and pasta and I love these foods.  Unfortunately, I’m also a Thyroid Cancer Survivor and because of this I don’t have a thyroid gland.  This means a few different things.  For one, it means that my metabolism is kind of messed up, so I have to work twice as hard to lose weight as I did before the cancer.  It also means that my immune system is not quite up-to-speed, so I also have to work harder to boost it with healthy eating.

The good news is that I’m fortunate to live in sunny South Florida where there are an abundance of wonderful, year-round farmer’s markets.  So, I picked up a beautiful pumpkin and squash and whipped up this healthy alternative to a heavy Sunday pasta dinner (though I do still splurge on those on special occasions!).

The foods in this recipe are all good for boosting immunity.  Researchers at John Hopkins University found that consuming onions every day can reduce your risk of colon cancer.  Pumpkin is an excellent source of Vitamins A, C and E, as well as beta-carotene, magnesium and potassium.  The butternut squash provides all of these, too, and it also will add a nice supply of B Vitamins.

So let the Autumn inspire you to enjoy these wonderful foods and to let them heal and boost your immunity.

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Gaetano Russo’s 13-foot tall statue of Christopher Columbus, unveiled in 1892, which sits atop a 75-foot granite pedestal column in Columbus Circle in midtown Manhattan, is looking happier these days. The reason is because he’s got new digs. Yes, just in time for Columbus Day, and thanks to the New York Public Art Fund, Columbus is now surrounded by a cozy living room and regular visitors.

Tatzu Nishi’s “Discovering Columbus” is on view in New York City until November 18, 2012.

It’s the result of a public installation art work by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi, who became enamored with American culture as a child in Japan thanks to television shows.  He’s created a typical scene from middle-class Americana, including traditional wallpaper, and that seems a fitting surrounds for the man who made it all possible.   Until November 18, 2012, visitors from around the world, as well as residents, can almost come face-to-face with this statue that is mostly ignored because it’s just too high up in the sky to see.  Nishi’s installation is accessible by climbing up six flights of stairs.

So, for a completely different way to celebrate the holiday this year, why not head over and “hang out” with Columbus in his new comfy crib complete with stunning views of Central Park.  For more information, visit the website for the New York Public Art Fund.  Or, watch this video from CBS NEWS.

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