Thursday, February 5, 2015

Ciao

Ciao, my name is Connie Staccato and I'm a displaced Sicilian-American housewife living in a suburb of Chicago.  I say "displaced" because the only time a Sicilian-American should live in a suburb is when they're in the witness-protection program.  One woman's opinion.

I come from "food" people.  My father-in-law owned a (once famous) Italian restaurant and my grandmother could feed a hundred people, WELL, without breaking a sweat.  My Aunt Caterina is a great baker.  And my son, Nino Staccato, became obsessed with "Food Network Star" while recovering from an illness, though he was a little disturbed by what they were doing with the Chicken Vesuvio.  Still, he was inspired.
  
Pretty soon I'm going to start sharing my thoughts, my adventures, my advice, and my recipes with you.  Soon, because right now I'm so mad at my washed-up, Italian-American (not a Sicilian, my grandmother warned me) husband for conveniently "forgetting" to hire a snow-removal service this winter that I can't even think straight.

In the meantime, until the blisters on my hands heal, you can make yourself a sandwich.  A real sandwich.  Not involving peanut butter.  My recipes, including the one below, will be written in the same way as if I were telling them to you in my laughably small suburban kitchen.  (Where the dishwasher has never worked, not once.)

My daughter, Nikki Staccato, refers to this style of recipe sharing as "passive/aggressive".  (You want passive/aggressive?  I'll give you passive/aggressive.  Your father.  That's passive/aggressive.)

Nikki thinks I need to be more precise, like a cookbook for non-Italian people.  My cousin Vita, on the other hand, says that my recipes are like listening to bedtime stories.  She finds them soothing.  I think that if you're looking for precision, you can go Google something.  You want love in your food?  That's what you're going to get here.  It tastes better.

Sicilian Sandwich
Take a slice of your favorite bread.  I recommend whole wheat, but whatever floats your boat.  Drizzle it with olive oil, and add some salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with some grated pecorino-romano cheese.  That's it.  Delicious.  Simple.  Teresa Giudice could make it in prison, for God's sake.  My husband likes to toast it in the oven, but his people were from Naples.  'Nuff said.

I apologize for the lack of a photograph here, and I'm sorry for using a painting of Santa Lucia (those are supposed to be human eyeballs on that plate, isn't Catholicism a hoot?) as my "profile" picture, but I don't have a camera yet.  Also soon.

More to come.  You lucky bastards.


10 comments:

  1. Can hardly wait for what's to come but so far I'm in LOVE!
    Got to try this delicious sandwich asap!
    The best of luck with your new site my dear!
    Follow you forever!

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  2. Yummy sandwich! The X-man recently made mozzarella cheese from scratch and we ate it drenched in olive oil and salt and pepper. I was pretty impressed. Can't wait to hear more recipes.

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  3. Honey a new blog?? You know, I follow you wherever you go :)

    God I love the idea of sharing more recipes. Hello, I bought some Olive oile on my trip to Rome and now I have 5 l of these amazing stuff I have to use for the most extravagant meals you can imagine :)

    Besides!! You´re an Italian mamma! You husband should be afraid to forget to do what you told him to :)

    Cant wait for more to come here!!!

    Hugs from Germany (without any snow) :)

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  4. I'm always on the "hunt" for new recipes to try, dear friend. This is so simple and appealing, I'll try it tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing your recipes that are certainly as small stories full of good humor. I add this blog to my feed too !!

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  5. This is wonderful, my dear hermana.
    I am sooooooooooo glad you made it.
    Tons of love ALWAYS
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  6. Stunad! Whole wheat?? Pane Sicilliano!

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    Replies
    1. I stand by it: bread of your choice. My husband sometimes goes for SALTINES! And MY Sicilian bakery has a sourdough whole wheat that would make Baby Jesus cry. So sorry you've been missing out.

      Stunad.

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  7. My thoughts exactly. My local bakery has a rather nice Ciabatta that is just calling out for this recipe.

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  8. I am making Sicilian Sandwich sometime Tonight with Ciabatta.Thanks( Saffron from Australia)

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  9. Yes, this is the kind of recipes I'm fond of! And please no ounces or oz, I'll allow for cups :-)
    Baci,
    Coco et La vie en rose - Valeria Arizzi

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