Rulli Brothers

You all know I grew up in the South from my earlier post. My husband grew up on the opposite side of the food world! Dom and our youngest flew out to Dom's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio this morning for a birthday party. I was remembering that my first trip to Youngstown was a cultural experience. At first, nothing seemed dramatically different from Atlanta. After visiting with relatives, Dom and took me on a tour of Youngstown. We drove by the Sparkle Market where he used to work, then took a scenic tour of Mill Creek Park. We sat on the hood on Dom’s car while we ate chocolate pecan ice cream from Handel’s. Then we headed to Rulli Brother’s Italian Market to pick up a few things to take back to Atlanta.

As I stepped through the doors, I realized this was no ordinary store. Meats and cheeses hung from the ceiling. The deli case was loaded with capicolla, mortadella and soppressatta. Shelves were stocked with cans and jars of exotic sounding delicacies like giardiniera, caponata, and cipollini onions alongside a huge selection of olives. The bakery section had all sorts of fascinating goodies like foccacia, panettone and pandoro, mustaccioli, and biscotti. They had the boxes of torrone candy that Dom received each year at Christmas from a friend's Mom. Then there was the produce area with escarole, endive and cardoons. This was a veritable wonderland of food! They even had the equipment to make pasta, pizzelles, and cannollis at home, and the espresso pots did not have an electrical cord. My head was spinning!

Dom ordered mortadella, capicolla, prosciutto, as well as a ball of the butter provolone hanging from the ceiling. We bought one of the stove-top espresso pots and a few biscotti to nibble on the drive back to Dom’s Aunt’s house. I reluctantly left the store, frequently glancing back to permanently imprint the vision on my brain. Even years later, there is nothing in Atlanta that compares to that Italian paradise known as Rulli Brothers!

Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes

On the night before Christmas in our house, strains of Louis Armstrong’s “Zat you, Santa Claus?” or Kurt Elling’s “Cool Yule” resound in the background while the smells of garlic, toasting bread crumbs, and lemon fill the air. The anticipation of the coming feast is only eclipsed by the anticipation of the following morning of ripping paper and opening presents. Italians usher in Christmas Day with ‘Cena della Vigilia’, the dinner of the vigil; the meal that breaks a daylong fast, at least in theory. Over the centuries, however, fasting obligations were relaxed, rules of abstinence from eating meat became the standard. Today, in our family, the birth of Christ is celebrated with one long, delicious (almost meatless) feast.

Dom's ancestors, the Warino (Guarino) family, originally emigrated from Calabria - a region of Puglia that borders the Adriatic Sea. There, La Vigilia means seven different kinds of seafood, cooked seven different ways. According to his Grandma, the number seven is important because it represents the seven sacraments. The number is also said to allude to the seven virtues, the seven hills of Rome, and the seven days of the week.

Romeo boys as Nativity shepherds.

After an afternoon at church, we usually start the evening at our house with champagne and raw oysters. We also put out a platter with smoked salmon and white fish with olives and crostini. It may not be exactly Italian, but everyone likes it, and it works. Fried smelts follow close behind. It depends on the year which friends and family are in attendance. Some years it is a house-full and others it is just the four of us. While I cook, friends chat in the kitchen, help set the table, or share pictures of recent travels. We have tried several different dishes over the years to comprise the seven fishes and do not always adhere to the strict interpretations that each fish must be prepared differently. Frito Misto is the perfect solution to preparing several of the fishes in our feast at one time. Gumbo is another family favorite that accommodates more than one fish. If we still need a fish to add to round out our repertoire, we add some anchovies to the pasta with olive oil, crushed red pepper and Parmesan that we serve on the side.

The custom of “La Vigilia” is revitalized whenever a new generation takes it on. We have tried to introduce the custom to our boys and family friends to keep the practice alive. As it is carried on into the future, we remember our ancestors who have added their imprint on the tradition, and it is if they are dining with us each Christmas Eve.

Winter Solstice Tweet Hearts

Today is the shortest day of the year. It is known as the Winter Solstice and marks the day when the sun shifts and starts to move northward again. This is the time to celebrate the renewal of the earth. Branches of pine, cedar, and juniper are commonly used as a symbol and bring wonderful fragrances into the house. Red candles are used to symbolize the fire and heat of the returning sun as the days begin to lengthen. In Europe, the tradition of the yule log* is celebrated on Winter Solstice. A special log is brought in and placed on the hearth where it glows for the twelve nights of the holiday season. After that, it is kept in the house all year to protect the home and its inhabitants from illness and any adverse condition. Luminaria are also placed outside to light the way for travelers on the longest night of the year.

The longest night of the year also falls during the coldest part of the year. There is very little food available for wildlife to forage on, so to show our appreciation and concern for nature and its inhabitants we put out bird seed, berries, suet and bowls of water for our outdoor friends!

"Tweet Hearts:"
½ cup peanut butter
1 cup birdseed
2 ½ cups cornmeal
½ cup melted shortening (or suet)
muffin tin (greased or lined with paper cups)
pencil-sized sticks (popsicle sticks work fine)
yarn, string or ribbon

Combine the first four ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together. Press mixture into a heart-shaped tin or cookie cutter. To create the hole for hanging stand a stick in the center of your bird cake and let the cakes stiffen, then remove sticks and thread string through muffins. Muffins can then be tied to a branch outside your favorite window.

*The yule log is the counterpart of the midsummer bonfires, which are held outdoors on Summer Solstice to celebrate the shortest night of the year.

Gingerbread 101

The tradition of making treats with the pungent spice, ginger, dates back through many centuries and across several continents. Ginger was a plant native to China and India where much of the world’s supply is still grown. The ancient Romans used ginger as a remedy for the plague. During the thirteenth century, the English made medicinal ginger candies called ”gingerbrati.” During the following century, gingerbrati changed to gingerbread as breadcrumbs were added to the candy mixture. It was the fourteenth century Germans who really began to take gingerbread seriously. They formed guilds of gingerbread artisans, distinct from existing baking guilds. Although Queen Elizabeth is credited with first presenting gingerbread likenesses to her guests, the notion of edible figures is considered to have originated as substitutes for live sacrifices. Throughout the nineteenth century, finely crafted ginger-bread was used to express greetings, recognition, affection and celebration. The heart-shaped gingerbread Valentine was especially popular. In English villages, maidens would eat a gingerbread “husband” on Halloween to ensure that they would find a real mate. In the United States gingerbread has been popular since colonial days. George Washington’s mother was famous for her spicy gingerbread. Ginger was also included in the rations of Revolutionary soldiers, both for its medicinal value and to add flavor to their bland meals. Several children’s books have been written which carry out the gingerbread theme: The Gingerbread Boy, and the Brothers’ Grimm Hansel & Gretel are good examples. A tradition as long-standing as the baking of gingerbread yields great rewards: filling your home with a wonderful aroma; satisfying appetites; and, passing time with utter delight.

Gingerbread Dough:
½ cup butter or margarine
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup molasses
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375o. Beat sugar, shortening and butter together until creamy. Add egg, molasses, and lemon juice; beat well. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to butter mixture; beat well. Divide into to portions, wrap in plastic and chill three hours. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Place pattern for house and cut with a sharp knife or use cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Assemble house or decorate cookies with Royal icing.

Gingerbread House Construction:
Upside down ice cream cone covered in green frosting and decorated makes a great Christmas tree; use “Golden Graham” cereal for shutters, green lifesavers or green “Fruit Loops” for wreaths; red licorice for bows, roping, outlining windows and doors; brown, black and white “Neco” wafers for stone walls and lighter colored wafers for roof shingles, flecked jelly beans make good rocks; coconut flakes make great snow for landscaping and cinnamon sticks cut in half make a great log pile. Let your imagination run wild!! (Cheater’s version: Use Royal icing to “glue” together a graham cracker house and decorate.)