Italian-Canadian Glass Art and Glassblowing

We didn’t intend to connect with an old Italian art when we signed up for an glassblowing class last month, but that’s just what we got. A connection to art, heritage and community and some great glass pieces to go home with.

Us two Italian-Canadians headed to small town Ontario, namely the beautiful town of Elora, to learn how to create art out of glass. We thought it would be a neat new thing to learn. As soon as I saw the fires, kiln and gorgeous glass artwork, I was immediately reminded of the spectacular sights in the glass shops in Venice that I saw when I was much younger. Venetian glass dates back to the early 1200s, glassblowing in Ontario, I’m sure, is just a few hundred years old but has a very strong artistic community.

At Blown Away Glass Studio, Katherine guided us through the toughest art lesson I’ve ever had. I don’t think I even grabbed a sixteenth of the glass that the real artists pick up to work with, and yet my arms were killing me.

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Italian-Canadian sausage making – a photo essay

In the Italian-Canadian year, because it is marked by big events, January and February are sausage season (and capicollo and soppressata season). In truth, I’m not the biggest fan of cured meats. Though I’ll eat my share, what I like best about the whole process is that it becomes a big family get together. And, of course, we make things from scratch and we know exactly what is in the food we are eating. Here are a few photos from the yearly process.

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Happy San Valentino… Italian love phrases for the day

Happy Valentines Day! I could go on about the Italian origins of this romantic day but I found this cute little book instead that offers something way more useful. Berlitz’s Hide this Italian book for Lovers offers a slew of fun, cute, sexy and romantic Italian love phrases that not only sound really good (and there is pronunciation help!), they could just land you an awesome Valentines date! “I can’t live without you” …make it hotter with “Non posso vivere senza di te.” Here’s a few key Italian love phrases for Valentine’s day.

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Recipe: Pasta con fagioli e salsiccia

It’s sausage season (that’s January and February to the uninitiated) and there’s always a few sausages that break and really should be used immediately. And really no one minds, because no matter how you prepare it, fresh ingredients taste great. Here’s what we had this week: it’s quick, easy, and makes you wish there were more left overs (this recipe should feed four).

Pasta with beans and sausage / Pasta con fagioli e salsiccia

2 cups dry pasta (penne work best, but that’s just my opinion)
1 fresh sausage link (7 oz of ground pork meat, cured with salt, hot peppers and red pepper paste)
1 medium potato
1 medium onion
6 oz romano beans
olive oil
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste

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From the archives: Italian immigrants arrive at Union Station

These are some of my favourite vintage photos as an Italian-Canadian. From the archives at York University, these pics show Italian immigrants arriving at Union Station in Toronto. The clothes, the suitcases, the look of wonder; these photos from 1951 look almost movie-perfect to any story about immigrant arrival. I’m on the lookout for more vintage, archival photos of Italian-Canadians, if you know of any, share them in the comments!
 

Italian Dessert Food Groups Pyramid

I have a definite appreciate for the four-course meals that are part of Italian rituals…but in doing my Italian Food Pyramid a while back, it struck me that there’s also a certain method and hierarchy to Italian dessert too. Thus, the Italian dessert food groups or pyramid.

I find the after-dinner ritual of dessert just as comforting as Italian food itself. Offering guests a small glass of alcohol and proceeding into coffee. I also appreciate the serving of fruit, something that is not necessarily always common in other cultures, before the heavier things are served. And it’s always in that order, so the pyramid was easy to build. Digestivo first, coffee and fruit and nuts, followed by a good canoli (or panettone at Christmas, or zeppole in February…).

The rituals of desserts and dolci play a big part of my family heritage with recipes that are old and new variations that have become favourites. What I love about Italian desserts is that they aren’t always super sweet, but can go a bit to the savoury side, using nuts and honey and wine in cooking. What this really stems from is Italian dolci always being simpler, in fact it was mostly fruits used as sweets many years ago, and it is thought that only with the addition of French and American influences that some of the other cakes and rich desserts that items like tiramisu become popular. Many cookbooks point to Italian desserts being “humble”, which I don’t necessary agree with. It’s not the fat content in the desserts that I find satisfying – and I think this might be the same for others – but it is the complex tastes that do it for me.

My attempt to diet, especially while making this Italian dessert food groups pyramid is being, is being challenged. But it a part of a meal I’d loath to give up, if just for the memories and familiarities it brings.

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The significance of gold…and snakes

Before she left for Canada, my grandmother made one last purchase. A gold ring in the shape of a coiled snake. I’ve never seen another like it and I’m left wondering if there was some significance to the snake itself or if buying gold was another way of protecting what little money they had.

There is this Italian obsession with gold, though I’ve come to know living in Canada that it isn’t unlike other cultures obsession with the same precious metal. I’m well aware that that my friends who travel to their country of heritage go shopping there, like India, to get a better price on gold, just as we do when we go to Italy.

I was struck by the image of a snake bracelet the other day that I adored, only to have it make me recall a snake ring that my mother has, as my grandmother is no longer with us. It is precious to my mom because she remembers it from the trip to Canada and, of course, throughout her life. I remember it on my grandmother’s hands a lot.

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Recipe: Nutella Butter Cookies for World Nutella Day

Happy World Nutella Day! Two bloggers Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso started the February 5th celebration of World Nutella Day in 2007 to celebrate their chocolate hazelnut spread.

I’m celebrating one of the best days of the year with a jar of Nutella and a spoon, but, I suppose, you could also use Nutella to make some cookies too. The last time I was in Italy, my relatives made these simple cookies that hit the spot. They used a “pasta frolla” a dough that is similar to a shortbread and common in many Italian desserts. There are many different recipes for pasta frolla with the ratios of flour, butter and sugar altered to better accompany different fillings (such as ricotta, nuts or fruits). This pasta frolla recipe is one of many found in Great Italian Desserts by Nick Malgieri.

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