When we traveled in Italy, we needed to hydrate--it's hot there, even in the fall. Of course, we carried Thermos bottles to keep water in (filling them with the public Nasoni and acqua potabile fountains, or we'd pick up bottles of acqua frizzante (sparkling water). Lucas and I also used the water to wet our bandanas, either puttin gthem around our necks or under our caps!

But there were times we just needed to quench our thirst with a bit more flavor--and bubbles. Sure, they have Coke there, but we're not such big Coke drinkers, and besides, it tastes very different there.

As we experimented with Italian sodas, we discovered that the Italian Fanta is amazing. It's not super sweet like in the States, is lighter in color, and in fact contained actual orange juice!  Fresh, fruity and frizzante!
Once in a while here at home, we will order some from Amazon to bring back that Italian thirst-quenching memory. Perfect in summer with a panino out on our patio.

Next is a classic Sicilian flavor...  Néssi's Blood Orange Soda. Again, beautiful, nostalgic artwork on the can of a woman on a bicycle. There's nothing like the flavor of blood oranges in Italy. Their flavors are more profound and the colors much deeper that blood oranges grown in the U.S.. This one is refreshing and might be a great addition to your cocktail mix collection.

If you want to drink a truly Italian, strange soda, you have to try Chinotto. It's a bittersweet flavor halfway between a cola and citrus flavor, but without much sweetness. Apparently, this beverage was popular even in ancient times. This is very popular with many Italians who consider it very refreshing. It's made from the fruit of the citrus myrtle-leafed myrtifolia tree.

When Lucas and I tried it, we decided it was an acquired taste and not for us. Still, it's an authentic flavor that you might very well fall in love with, especially if you like bitter flavors.

Several companies produce Chinotto in Italy, including San Pellegrino (under the brand names Chinò and Chinotto) and  Fanta Chinotto in Italy.

Enjoy your Italian life!

--Jerry Finzi

Buona Festa di San Patrizio!
Yes, even though we're Italian-American, we also celebrate La Festa di San Patrizio, or Saint Patrick's Day. In Italy, it's one of many Saint Days, this one celebrating San Patrizio, and to honor all men or women with that name--Patrizio for males, Patrizia for females. (Click HERE to fine your Name Day). While there are no Patricks in our familia, we do love Irish music, food and especially music. 

Along with our Shepherd's Pie each year, Lisa makes a wonderful Irish Soda Bread--one of the best I've ever tasted. Here is her recipe so you can put together your own Irish feast.

Mama Lisa's Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1-3/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup raisins pre-soaked (then drained) in apple juice or lager beer
• 1/2 cup dried dried cranberries

Irish soda bread is fantastic served warm with a generous smear of salted Irish butter (available at most supermarkets nowadays), or spread with jam in the morning, or used as a scarpetta while eating your Shepherd's Pie. That's the way we Italians do it...

Buona Festa di San Patrizio!

--Jerry Finzi

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We Italians often look for connections to St. Patrick so that we can take part in the great celebrations on St. Patrick's Day... the parades, the beer, the music, the dance and of course, the food. We'll even wear green on his day (perhaps with a little white and red too). Here are some reasons to connect St Patrick to Italians and Romans:

• He was born in the year 387 AD, in Britannia, then part of the Roman Empire. (He was enslaved and taken to Ireland when he was 16). So, Italians could argue that he has Roman roots.
• St. Patrick himself exclusively used the Latin name Patricius in his own writings and wrote and spoke Latin, the precursor of the Italian language. Some claim that he is responsible for introducing Latin into the Old Irish Language.
• He used the shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity. That makes him Roman  Catholic, through and through. 
• With the shamrock, St Patrick was utilizing the triskele symbol, much like the Trinacria, the three legged symbol of Sicily, which some scholars say came from Britannia. (Read about the Sicilian Trinacria HERE).
• Last, but not least, Guillermo Herries (a Portuguese translation), a member of Columbus' First Voyage, was actually William Harris of Galway. (Read more HERE).

Ok, so maybe I'm stretching a bit here, but on St. Patrick's Day in our home, we go all out and become Irish. Sure, we might wear green (if we remember to), but the more obvious thing is the music and food. We've always loved traditional Irish music. We've gone to several Chieftains concerts, among many other Irish and Celtic musical groups, and I actually play both the penny whistle and the bodhran (Irish hand drum). On St. Patrick's Day we play nothing but Irish and Celtic music. And consider that bagpipes are played in both Italy and Ireland!  (Read our Bagpipe article HERE.)

Our other Irish tradition is also very Italian... we cook and eat!  Each year I make my Shepherd's Pie while Lisa makes her Irish Soda Bread. For drink, it's Harp lager--not wine. All that's missing is the Blarney Stone. A couple of years ago we made a mistake and invited some friends over to share in our Irish feast, but the evening left us without any leftovers! We're now very selfish about our Shepherd's Pie.... locking the doors, turning the music up high,  watching the St. Patrick's Day Parade saved on our DVR and filling our bellies with the Irish starchy equivalent of pasta Bolognese--potatoes, veggies and beef!

Here's my take on Shepherd's Pie...

Babbo Finzi's Shepherd's Pie

Use an larger size pie plate (we use Emile Henry's 11" round pan) or a casserole equivalent to a half size lasagna pan.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Lean Ground beef
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup carrots, 1/2-inch dice
1 cup sliced celery, 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, sliced (not crushed) thinly
8 ounces diced tomatoes (Canned Italian style)
11 ounces canned corn (Green Giant Shoepeg is our favorite)
1 14 ounce can Italian flat beans or golden green beans
1 cup beer (Harp Lager, etc.)
1 cup beef broth
2-3 bay leaves (remember to remove them before filling your pie!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (40 cracks with a pepper mill)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (make a light paste by adding cold water to thicken, as needed)
3 pounds, peeled potatoes (Yukon Gold preferred) boil until tender
1 tablespoon margarine, Parkay Squeeze (substitute butter if cholesterol isn't an issue)
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded  (we use packaged Irish Dubliner)

Babbo Finzi's Shepherd's Pie

Use an larger size pie plate (we use Emile Henry's 11") or a casserole equivalent to a half size lasagna pan.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Lean Ground beef
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup carrots, 1/2-inch dice
1 cup sliced celery, 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, sliced (not crushed) thinly
8 ounces diced tomatoes (Canned Italian style)
11 ounces canned corn (Green Giant Shoepeg is our favorite)
1 14 ounce can Italian flat beans (Del Monte Italian Cut, if canned)
1 cup beer (Harp Lager, etc.)
1 cup beef broth
2-3 bay leaves (remember to remove them before filling your pie!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (40 cracks with a pepper mill)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (make a light paste by adding cold water to thicken, as needed)
3 pounds, peeled potatoes (Yukon Gold preferred) boil until tender
1 tablespoon margarine, Parkay Squeeze (substitute butter if cholesterol isn't an issue)
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded  (we use packaged Irish Dubliner)


Directions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add quartered, peeled potatoes. Boil until tender as you are preparing the rest of this recipe. A fork should offer no resistance. When done, drain potatoes well before using.
• Heat oil in large skillet and heat on low-medium flame. Place diced onion in the pan and sprinkle sugar over them (this helps with caramelizing the onions). Saute for 5 minutes or more until onions are a light walnut color. If onions are drying out, add a tablespoon of water and continue cooking. 
• Next, add the carrots and celery to the onions and saute for another 10 minutes on low heat.
• Place beef and bay leaves in the pan along with the onion mixture and saute until browned, breaking up the meat with your spoon as you go. If the meat is crowded and is releasing lots of liquid (I've found that ground beef holds a lot of water), use a turkey baster to remove most of the liquid as you render down the beef. About halfway through this stage, sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and pepper and add the garlic.
• After the beef is lightly browned, turn up the heat to high and add the beer to de-glaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a flat wooden spoon to release the fond (the browned bits at the bottom).  
• Next, turn the heat down to low and add the corn, green beans, and tomatoes and stir well.
• Add the broth, and simmer another 30 minutes. If it gets too dry add beer or broth or water as needed to leave enough liquid for a sauce at the end of cooking. (You can always thicken the sauce with a bit of corn starch thickener, but you can't add sauce where there is none at the end!) 
• At the end of cooking, the veggies should be tender, not hard. If the resulting sauce (really a gravy) is watery, raise the temperature up until it boils and then thicken the sauce by adding the cornstarch paste.  (A tablespoon or so of cornstarch with a tablespoon or two of water, then stirred makes a great thickener--but only works when the liquid is boiling).
• Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes. This helps to prevent the potatoes from getting mushy when putting the "pie" together.
• Prepare boiled potatoes (this can be done as you are cooking the stew filling). After they've cooled a bit, use a potato masher and mash down to a smooth consistency. The potatoes should be virtually lump free because to allow for piping out of a large pastry bag with a large decorative star tip. Add the butter and 1 tablespoon salt as you are mashing. Taste to see if more salt is needed. Keep the potatoes on the dry side to prevent them from getting mushy when baking.
• Preheat oven to 425.

Putting The Shepherd's Pie Together & Baking

• Remove the bay leaves from the filling, then place the stew filling into a 11-12" ceramic deep dish pie plate or Pyrex casserole. Make certain that your filling has cooled off before topping with the mashed potatoes.  I tend to pipe the potatoes on top with a pastry bag and a large decorative tip. This gives lots of nooks and crannies that will crisp up at the end of baking under the broiler. You may also do this rustic style... spoon and distribute potatoes over the top of the plate, making sure to fill in along the edges. You can then use the spoon or a spatula to create a pattern of ridges on top. The more ridges, the more crunch when browned.
  
• Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. For a richer look, you can place small pieces of butter here and there or spray with PAM butter spray at the end of baking, just before broiling.
  
• Place on the middle rack of a 425F oven and bake uncovered for 5 minutes. It's best to put a sheet pan on a rack under your pie in case yours bubbles over during baking.
  
• Next, turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake covered with a loose tent of foil (or the lid of a casserole) for an additional 30-40 minutes.
  
• Turn on the broiler for another 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the potatoes. Keep an eye on it--you just want the cheese to bubble and the potatoes to take on a nice crust... don't let it burn!
  

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down a bit before serving. A fruity nut bread or Irish Soda bread goes great with this dish. A green salad is also a great side dish. We like to have a nice Irish lager, like Harp with it... Lucas like's having a glass of sparkling cider.
Lá Shona Fhéile Pádraig!
(Happy St. Patrick's Day!)
--Jerry Finzi

Ingredients
For the Custard

• 4 cups milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp All Purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Zest of 1 orange

For the Zeppole/Donut

• 6 Eggs (whole)
• 2 Cups All Purpose flour
• 1 - 3/4 cups Water
• 4 oz. Butter
• 1/2 Cup - Sugar
• Canola Oil for frying
• Blueberries, raspberries or candied cherries for decoration
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Custard Cream

1. Mix the flour and sugar in a pot and whisk until blended. Turn on the heat to medium.
2. Under medium heat, add the milk and whisk well.
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and then whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs to warm them a little bit.
4. Lower the heat to low, then add the eggs into the mixture, whisking continuously as it starts to thicken.
5. Add the vanilla and orange zest and stir continuously until the custard thickens.
6. Allow the cream to cool before piping into the center of each cooled zeppola.

Zeppole

1. In a medium sized pan on medium heat, add the water and butter. Stir until the butter melts.
2. While stirring with a wooden spoon, slowly add the flour, letting it absorb the liquid until you obtain a firm ball. Mix the dough for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place the dough ball into the bowl of a stand mixer and while mixing at low speed with a paddle, add the sugar, completely incorporating it into the dough.
4. Stop the mixer and let the dough cool off in the bowl for 15 minutes.
5. When the dough is completely cooled off, with the mixer on low speed, and add one egg at a time until each egg is completely absorbed by the dough. The resulting batter should be very soft.
6. Heat the canola oil in a deep fryer or large sauce pot (at least 3" deep) to a temperature of about 325 F degrees.
7. Cut several 4x4" squares of 4x4 of parchment paper (or foil will also work).
8. Place your dough into a large pastry bag with a large sized star tip and pipe out a 3-4" circular donut with a hole in the middle onto each piece of parchment.
9. While the zeppola is still on the paper, gently place it into the hot oil. Put no more than 2 at a time to prevent over-crowding and lowering the temperature of the oil too fast. The paper will quickly separate from the zeppola and you will be able to remove it with tongs.
   
10. Using a fry spider or large spoon with holes or slots in it, turn the zeppole several times until golden brown on both sides.
11. Remove the zeppole from the oil with the spider, and place on a plate lined with paper towels or brown paper to drain excess oil. Let the donuts cool when all are finished, then place on a serving tray ready for filling.
12. Put the cream in the pastry bag and fill the hollow center of each zeppola, mounding the custard higher than the donut.  Garnish with berries and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve for breakfast with some espresso or cappuccino  or have them for dessert with a glass of Prosecco...

Buon appetito!

--Jerry Finzi