Adri Barr Crocetti

Here’s one I have never seen in a bakery in California – Abruzzo’s Christmas classic – Parrozzo, a specialty of Pescara, where my grandfather was born. This dome shaped almond cake glazed with chocolate gets its name from Pane rozzo, a sweet rustic bread made by the shepherds of Abruzzo. Read the remainder of this entry »

Adri’s Great Blog Cook-a-thon #5

Greetings of the season to all. And to those of you who follow me on Facebook, welcome to installment #5 of my Great Blog Cook- a-thon. For the rest of you dear Readers all, who are wondering “Great Blog what?” – let me explain. I often wonder if anyone actually makes the recipes I post. I figured I could not possibly be alone in the wondering. So I thought I’d cruise my fave blogs and make some of the recipes I see. So far I’ve made Linda’s Spiced Persimmon Cake, Greg’s Potato Galette, Mette’s Parrozzo, and Paola’s Ciambella.

Today it is Gabriella’s Calcionelli, a Christmas cookie from Italy’s Abruzzo region.

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Mushrooms and Zucchini with Nepitella and Italian Parsley

I love growing herbs and vegetables, and my garden offers quite a wonderful bounty. It must be in my DNA. As a youth in Abruzzo, my grandfather, Gaetano Crocetti was a farm laborer. We Crocettis’ have been at this for a very long time.

If you read my post on Nepitella and are still wondering how to use it, try this take on the classic vegetable dish, Funghi trifolati. “Trifolati” is a style of preparation in which vegetables are sliced very thinly, as one would slice truffles. Often mushrooms, particularly porcini, are prepared in this fashion. In the classic method, the vegetables are sauteed in olive oil and garlic and tossed at the end of their cooking time with chopped parsley. I have upped the ante with earthy Nepitella, a natural match for mushrooms. Read the remainder of this entry »

Baked Egg Custard with Punch Abruzzo

Infused with Punch Abruzzo, this silky liaison of milk, cream and eggs is comfort food that speaks Italian. Punch is a liquor from Abruzzo, the homeland of my grandfather, Gaetano “Pop” Crocetti. The flavor of Punch is a remarkable combination of citrus, coffee, chocolate notes and tobacco with a hint of rum and a hearty dose of spice. It’s got character, just like Pop.


Treat the eggs carefully and you will be rewarded with a smooth custard with a soft interior. First “scald” the milk, cream and sugar, a technique that involves heating them just until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan, far below the boil. Next, slowly combine the hot mixture with the eggs to “temper” them, ensuring that the heat of the heat of the oven does not shock and curdle them. Read the remainder of this entry »

Punch Abruzzo – The secret ingredient in my Caffe, Cioccolata and Tiramisu
 
una bevanda che fa cambà cent’anni e cente mise – a drink that will let you live a hundred years and a hundred months

OK. Mayors do lots of wonderful things for towns. Chief administrators, they look out for the well being of their citizens, perform good works – everything from planting trees to visiting the needy and serving Thanksgiving meals. But one Mayor, Sig. Antonio Evangelista of the small town of Borrello in the province of Chieti (in southeastern Abruzzo) performed magic. To stave off the winter cold he decocted spirits, herbs and spices to come up with Punch Abruzzo, a most magnificent liquore. The mayor made it in his home fireplace, and apparently it caused quite a stir in the town, inciting all kinds of curiosity in the townsfolk.

Over time he refined his creation, making it for friends and fellow citizens, and in 1907 he named it Punch Abruzzo. Closely guarded, the formula has been handed down from father to son, and now the third generation of Evangelista produces Punch Abruzzo according to his grandfather’s proprietary formula, having moved the firm to Sambuceto (CH).

Punch Abruzzo has won much acclaim, and now on little cat feet it has quietly made its way to us. Expect to hear much more about this masterly infusion over the coming year as the importer rolls it out across America. Today’s enterprising mixologists will no doubt make hay with this one in long drinks and cocktails. I can’t wait. Read the remainder of this entry »

Croccante di Natale or Croccante di mandorle (Almond Brittle) is Abruzzo’s classic Christmas confection. You will find it in every Abruzzese home, on every dessert table and under every Christmas tree. My grandmother, Angela Barra Crocetti, made Croccante throughout the Christmas season. With the American holiday of Thanksgiving behind her, she went to work shelling bag after bag of fragrant almonds. I have never smelled almonds like the ones she used, and to this day I do not know where she bought them. As magnificent as the almonds smelled in their burlap bags, their true wonder was revealed as they toasted in her oven. Even still the perfume of roasting almonds transports me back to her kitchen. Read the remainder of this entry »