The sense of smell is known to be a trigger of memories, mood, and emotion. This could not be more true as it is for me today. Nearly 40 years ago, when I first went to Italy, my senses were aroused with new scents that were like a kaleidoscope to my nose. Walking by a restaurant, any open window along the street, or entering Stefano's house, brought new olfactory experiences that still invoke the happiest of memories. The aroma of freshly baked bread, pastries, grilled meats, and tomato sauces swirled around me. In fact, I was so impressed with these smells, that I wanted to compliment my future mother-in-law on them the fist time I was invited to dinner. I never lived down those first few words spoken to her in my broken Italian, "che bel puzzo!" I wondered why her sweet smile faded so quickly until Stefano intervened, "Mamma, she didn't mean stink, she meant that it was a lovely smell." When Mamma cooked, gli odori, were essential ingredients of every dish. I remember watching her curiously as she stuffed whole, fresh sage leaves and garlic into holes that she made in a roast or sprigs of rosemary in a pan with chicken. Gli odori, literally translates as "the smells" in Italian. She used a slang term rather than erbe aromatiche (aromatic herbs), in proper Italian. Where I grew up, herbs and spices came in a little tin can with the word Schilling on it. I'd never seen what they looked like in their original form. This past spring, I planted my own mini herb garden. It was a labor of love that brought me a lot of happiness during our pandemic lockdown. When I smell the aroma of the basil, rosemary, and sage as I harvest, I am drawn back in time to the wonderful memories of happy times, new love, and discovery. Here is a recipe in which "the smells" take me back. Mamma usually used zucchini flowers in this recipe, but I don't have any this summer. I have enjoyed fried sage in restaurants and they are a delicacy! Salvia Fritta (Fried Sage) Ingredients: 30-40 large sage leaves 100 g. flour 200 ml. cold beer Salt & pepper Olive oil Steps: Put flour in a mixing bowl. Pour the beer into the bowl and stir quickly until smooth without lumps. I used a whisk to stir the batter. You don't want it too runny or too thick. Add more flour or beer to the batter until you have the desired density. In a pan, heat up a table spoon or two of oil oil. Dip the sage leaves in the batter and place in the hot oil. Fry the leaves until they are golden brown. If the batter runs off of the top side, you can spoon on more batter. Flip over so they are browned on both side. Be careful not to have the heat too high to avoid burning. Cool and drain excess oil on a paper towel. Salt and pepper to desired taste. Eat the sage leaves while still hot/warm. One of the best treats was when Nonna had extra batter. Sometimes she dipped other veggies like zucchini, eggplant, or onions in the batter and fried them up, frittura di verdure. But my absolute favorite way was when she poured the batter in the pan and made pastella fritta, fried batter. Sometimes she even put ham and cheese in them sort of like a crepe. Ah, such memories...
Creatively, Cathy
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About CathyI'm a wife, mother, friend, educator, traveler, creator, tech lover, (and much more) inspired by Brene Brown's call to being vulnerable and daring greatly. Archives
September 2020
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