Living Villa Cappelli

Easter in Italy

Last year we did a whole podcast covering some of the strange and mysterious customs we've experienced in Italy during holy week. You can find that here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/easter-in-italy/

This year, we sat down with Paul's mother so she could tell us how they used to celebrate Easter when she was young. She shares some recipes, memories and laughs.

Here's a list of all we talk about:

Ragu sauce

Connie describes her famous ragu sauce recipe. You'll find that here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/connie-cappellis-ragu/

No Meatballs!

Connie confirms our no meatballs and spaghetti rule the we talked about here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/032-traditional-italian-food-what-not-to-do-when-it-comes-to-cooking-eating-italy/

Stuffed Lamb or Veal Breast

I will be following up with a real recipe with pictures and a video here. But here's the recipe as Connie describes it. If you listen, you'll see why we say "recipes are dumb" as no Italian grandmother will ever give you exact amounts.

The stuffing ingredients include mortadella or ham (no prosciutto as it will taste rancid when cooked), eggs, grated Pecorino Romano, bread crumbs, parsley, a little salt and pepper. The stuffing will be rather thick, as you need to actually stuff it into the meat.

The cut meat is a some of the ribs with a little bit of the belly. The hole is cut into the side along the belly (when I get pictures, that will help explain this).

Cuttlefish

Connie explains you can used the exact same stuffing to make Stuffed Cuttlefish.

What she doesn't explain is they will stuff the cuttlefish and tie them up, and then cook in a tomato sauce. You would eat the sauce on pasta, and the cuttlefish as second.

This was eaten on Friday because you could NOT eat meat on Easter Friday at all.

What the heck is cuttlefish?

If you don't know what a cuttlefish is, it's essentially a cousin of squid or calamari. Here's a nice article about cuttlefish.

When you are eating them, they look and taste pretty much like calamari. Honestly, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The cuttlefish is just thicker and meatier.

Paul explains that in Italian, they are called seppia (which I just discovered is very close to their scientific order name Sepiida). The cuttlefish excrete a unique brown pigment when it is alarmed. And that is how we get the word "sepia" which refers to the brown pigment color in English.

The bone found in them distinguishes them from their squid relatives. This is the bone you'll find in bird cages.

Dialect

How Paul's mother speaks four different languages: English, Italian, the local Terlizzi dialect and a version of the dialect which is a mix of dialect and English. She gives a lot of fun examples in the podcast.

Scarcella

A fun Easter dessert in the shape of a basket with an egg on top. I have not personally seen this my self here, but I'm sure you'll still find them in many homes and bakeries.

Pasquetta (Little Easter)

This is the Monday after Easter. It is a very big celebration in Italy. Almost as big as Easter itself.

In Connie's time, the would pack up all the leftovers and head to the country and have a big picnic with the leftovers.

The real Mediterranean diet with lots of fish and little meat

We talk about how back in Connie's time, they used to eat what is probably a much truer Mediterranean diet than today.

Almost every day they would eat fish, and meat was maybe served on Sunday. Even then, it was a pound of meat for five people just to flavor the sauce for your pasta.

They would have a lot of vegetables, nuts, and olives. Junk food didn't exist and celery was a snack. Would this be nice again!

The Procession

The depressing parade that's been going on in town for years. He covered a lot of this in last year's podcast again, which you'll find here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/easter-in-italy/

Here's a quick video of it as well.

The ol' country is an amazing place to visit, but there's a lot to see and do. So we wanted to provide these easy Italy travel tips for you. While this is not an extensive list by any means, it will give you some basics to help save you time and money when traveling to Italy, and maybe avoid some headaches as well.

Topics we cover:

• First, our new sponsor Audible.com. Sign up and get a free book AND a free 30 day trial membership. Just go to audiletrial.com/cappelli
• How our last podcast really touched a nerve on the Internet. Listen to that here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/032-traditional-italian-food-what-not-to-do-when-it-comes-to-cooking-eating-italy/

Now, the all important travel tips for Italy 1. Come in the "off-season"

Obviously this tip is harder to follow if you're traveling with kids, who are traditionally off in the summer months, but if you can make it during April, May, September, and October, Italy can be a little easier to navigate for a few reasons.

1. It's a lot cooler. July and August can be brutal in Italy. So if you can make it during the late spring or early fall, you're more likely to find much nicer weather.
2. Tons of great fresh fruits and vegetables. Fall is almost like a second spring in Puglia, and a lot of amazing produce comes back into season after a hot summer.
3. You'll avoid the crowds of the high season. If you're traveling to any of the major destinations like Rome or Venice, the crowds can be overwhelming at times. But during the off-season, the city takes on a whole new life. My first time in Venice was in January, and I thought it was amazing. Mainly because Paul and I were about the only tourist on the street. So it felt like we had the city all to ourselves.

2. Plan to come more than once — or for an extended period of time

There is sooo much to see in Italy. And if you are coming for the first time, you'll want to hit the major hot spots first.

A lot people have a very specific idea of what Italy is like based on what they've seen in movies or on television. And a lot of that based on Rome or Tuscany or Venice.

So you might want to plan on hitting at least one of two of these areas so you won't be disappointed in Italy not living up to what you have in mind. And we definitely recommend visiting those places, as they are iconic for a reason.

But after that, whether it's after your first week or your first trip, try and visit places like Puglia, Calabria, and Sicily.

You'll get a bit more the feeling of what it's like to really live in Italy. A more "authentic" and "old world" tour if you will. Plus, since you're "off the beaten path," i.e. not the major, major tourist sites, you can avoid the crowds.

3. Skip the big bus tour packages

While these kinds of tours have their place, they probably aren't in Italy. Italy is meant to be savored like a fine wine.

These trips try to cram as much into each day as possible, starting with having your luggage outside your hotel door by 5:30 AM.

So don't be afraid to "go it alone." Italians love tourists and are always willing to help you, even if it's only through sign language because you don't speak the same language.

If still want a guide, so for something smaller. We work with an agency called HETravel who puts together some nice small tours usually of no more than 15-20 people. Here the culinary tour that do with us as an example: http://hetravel.com/tour/gay-travel-italy-puglia-villa-culinary-experience/

We've also worked with tons of travelers to design personal tours for them while staying at the villa. If interested, you can click the tab above that says Stay at the Villa.

Full disclosure: I have not experienced one of these trips myself in Italy, but I have heard nothing but bad accounts from others who have done them here. If you know differently, just let us know in the comments.

4. Travel with friends and family and use sites like VRBO, Homeaway and Flipkey

If you are not familiar with these sites, these are sites that allow you to rent homes, like our villa, directly from the owner. VRBO stands for Vacation Rental By Owner.

One of Homeaway's newest ad campaign says, "Whole House. Whole Family. Whole Vacation." Which pretty much sums up the idea. While you all still get the privacy of your own room, your family gets the privacy of an entire home. You don't have to share your vacation with anyone!

And the savings can be phenomenal. This Homeaw...

It's all about biking Puglia, Italy. We'll cover the itinerary for our amazing week of biking through the Italian countryside, from coastal towns to castles to amazing meals, it's all included when you hop on a bike a join us in Puglia.

You'll learn:

• Why our Puglia bike tour is unique compared to most other bike trips
• Where most Greco Roman urns in museums around the world come from (hint: it’s a nearby town we visit during the first day of our tour)
• What Molfetta and Hoboken have in common
• A bit about Giovinazzo
• A little about Gravina and it’s ancient cave churches
• Where you’ll find a room full of stacked skulls
• What a “picnic lunch” entails at Villa Cappelli
• A bit about Castel Del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage site
• What the artist who created the statue of Domenico Modugno was doing at the villa (hint: it’s all about ancient stucco)
• How cactus plants play a part on making ancient stucco
• A bit about Pogliano a Mare and Grotta Palazzese, a restaurant listed as having one of the best views in the world
• A little about Matera, European Culture Capital for 2019
• All about our favorite ride of the week from Monte Gargnone to Castello di Monteserico through rolling hills and amazing countryside
• The beauty of abandonment
• A little history on Trani and its famous cathedral
• How you can join the bike tour or design your own
• My recommendations for any bike trip

What do we think Italians do better than anyone? Find out in our list below. But first, a couple of notes.

While some of you finding this post will read through this as a blog post, please note these are podcast show notes where Paul and Steven discuss their thoughts on the 21 Things Italians Do Better. So hopefully you’ll listen to the podcast as well, so any nuances come through.

Also note, when we say Italians, we mean Italians living in Italy. Not Italian-Americans. While a lot of these apply to both, this is meant to be our observations of Italians living in Italy.

So without further ado, here are 21Things Italians Do Better.

1. Food and Cooking

Food is so personal and subjective, steeped in tradition. So while I’m sure many might argue that there are other amazing national cuisines out there, many would agree Italian food is amazing.

The secret could be a couple of things. Most notably, the fact that they eat very seasonally. Thus the flavors are all very fresh and delicious, at the height of their flavor if you will.

So with Italian cooking, dishes can actually be very simple. It’s about highlighting the fresh ingredients, not covering up something with a heavy sauce to hide a flavor.

[Note: In the interest of getting these show notes up, I will follow up on the Caterina d’ Medici information we talked about in the podcast.]

2. Fashion

This can be divided into two parts, one part being the actual designers and one being the fashion of Italians every day.

So the designer part is easy, as there are lots of big names in the fashion industry, including Versace, Gucci, Valentino, Prada, and Dolce & Gabbana.

However, the populous as a whole always ascribes to La Bella Figura, or “The Beautiful Figure.” Meaning that one is always looks and composes oneself to make the best possible impression.

In our experience, this is very much ingrained in a lot of the Italian people, especially older generations, who will not leave the house without dressing up.

It’s nice to see so many people with such a sense of style.

Paul’s mother is a prime example of this. While most of the time she’s sitting around in old clothes in her room watching TV, if company is coming over or we are going out, she definitely gets her bling on.

3. They make family a top priority

There are many examples of this.

They will dote over any kid in the room.

They will never leave a kid with a babysitter, like a neighbor or family friend. They feel that’s just not right to leave them like that.

Every day (at least in the south), they go home at noon to have lunch with the family.

And every Sunday, you must eat with all your family.

They have multigenerational families living together, where the grandparents take care of the kids.

These are just a few examples, but anyone who’s ever been to any Italians home for Sunday lunch or any special event, sees right away how important family is to every Italian.

4. Italians are great at showing affection

Some cultures, well a lot of cultures, have a hard time showing any kind of affection, to family, much less to friends or acquaintances.

Italians are much more, shall we say, “touchy-feely.”

While they won’t run up and give you a kiss or bear hug on a first greeting, after one or two meetings they will expect the kiss-on-the-cheek greeting.

NOTE: If you’re coming to Italy always remember, go to the right first! You will touch your left cheek to their left cheek, then reverse and touch your right to cheek to their right cheek. Actual kissing or kissing sounds are optional, depending on personal preference.

Another interesting note for us is how men here have no problem showing affection. Male fFriends will easily walk arm in arm or put their arm around their male friend at the table. They have no problem showing affection and don’t think of it as “gay” as say someone might in the states.

5. Italian really know how to “take it easy”

Different but similar to La Dolce Vita, Dolce Far Niente is the “sweet do-nothing” or the art of doing nothing.

La Dolce Vita is enjoying the life around you — the food, the sunsets, riding on the back of the Vespa with your loved one, etc.

Dolce Far Niente is defined by Merriam-Webster as “pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness.” Really, it’s just enjoying doing nothing. Indulging in relaxation and blissful laziness.

The fact that Italians even have a phrase for this concept shows you just how good they are at doing it.

Eat Pray Love explains it a bit more:

6. No one speaks with passion like Italians

Maybe it’s because they are so passionate about life, but Italians are very passionate when they are communicating.

Doesn’t matter if it’s about politics or the correct driving directions, Italians are very animated...

There are lots of "rules" when it comes to traditional Italian food. And what you may think would be the same for Italian food in the states can be very different than what you'll find in Italy. Here are 14 things to never do when cooking or eating in Italy.

Note: We base our conversation a lot off this original blog post: http://www.retale.com/blog/culinary-sins-according-proper-italian-chefs/

Topics we cover:

• First, our new sponsor Audible.com. Sign up and get a free book AND a free 30 day trial membership. Just go to www.audiletrial.com/cappelli
• The differences between jams and conserves
• And more on Colpo D'Aria (where I talked about it in this episode): http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/030-italian-cures-for-the-common-cold-fact-v-fiction/

Now, the all important "don'ts" when it comes to traditional Italian food in Italy. 1. Don't add oil to pasta water

Paul and I agree with this one. It's totally not necessary. While your pasta should have salt to flavor the pasta, the oil doesn't serve any purpose while you're boiling it. It will help as a sauce afterward, and maybe slightly as a non-sticking agent, though you should be tossing your pasta with your sauce right away after removing from your boiling water.

Stir your pasta occasionally while it's cooking and your should be OK. Be sure to stir spaghetti and other fine pasta right away when adding to your water to keep it from forming a large spaghetti log.

And have plenty of water in the pot so the pasta can move around.

Paul believes you should add the salt after the water has come to a boil. Steven doesn't necessarily agree. Find out why.

2. Don't ever mix cheese and seafood

This is another one right on the money, except for a key recipe shown below. Never ever add grated cheese to a seafood pasta dish. The restaurant will give you grated cheese if you ask for it, but they'll look at you as barbarian tourist.

The one except I point out for this is Mussels Genovese. Recipe below. NOTE: This is the name the people here in our region of Puglia call this recipe. I'm sure every region is different.

Essentially, as Paul points out, this is like making a frittata, however it's still breaking the rule.

Mussels Genovese Recipe Type: Main Cuisine: Italian Author: Villa Cappelli Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 30 mins A delicious, simple way to enjoy mussels. The amounts and the ingredients here are more estimations. Use your judgement when making. Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of mussels, halved
• 6 Eggs
• 2 Tablespoons grated cheese
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Place the mussels (you only need the half with the actual mussel in it) in a flat bottomed frying pan so the mussels are facing up. Add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile mix your eggs, cheese and parsley in a bowl. Add pepper to taste, but don't add an salt. The cheese and mussels will have enough. When the mussels are ready, pour the eggs over them in the pan, recover, and let cook until the eggs are cooked, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Here is where you would need to used your judgement. You want a thin coasting of the eggs on top of the mussels, but not so much egg that they are completely submerged in a big egg frittata. If you need more, add some more eggs and cheese. And hold back if it looks like you have too much. Use the leftovers for an omelet the next day.
4. Serve and enjoy.

A lot of adding the cheese to a pasta is a habit we've all formed, just wanting to add cheese to pasta before we've even tasted it. However, in this case, the cheese just overpowers the flavor of most delicate seafood and Paul says it's just not "kosher."

There are other exceptions here, but as Paul points out, they really aren't Italian dishes. Do you know an exception we missed? Let us know in the comments!

3. Don't top pasta with chicken

This one's totally right. Those dishes you see being passed off as Italian at the big Italian restaurant chain, well, they aren't very Italian.

We couldn't think of a single pasta dish that even includes chicken. In fact, Italians aren't really big on chicken in general.

And, by the way, there is no such thing as Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Parmigiana here. It doesn't exist.

4. Don't serve bread and butter

Very very true. They may cook with butter up north, but they really don't do the bread and butter ...