Comments on: Antipasto calabro [Calabrian appetizer]

By: caroline

caroline — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:10:56 +0000

i love your site my parants are all gone 7 they are or were from calabria.ilove to get receipes from there.,to hear of your visits and the beautifull pictures.
thank you.keep on sending them.
caroline

By: admin

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:16:42 +0000

@Dolores: I think you’re referring to panzanella, even if your version is slightly different from mine. The panzanella recipe I know comes from Tuscany and also has tomatoes. I love panzanella is a really refreshing and tasty dish to savor during hot summer days. Here’s my version if you want to check it out. http://www.cookingwithpatty.com/italian/recipe/panzanella/

By: Dolores Calzaretta

Dolores Calzaretta — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:10:55 +0000

Hello Patty…….I enjoy your website so much.

My grandparents were from the Abruzzi region…L’Aquila. My gramma left me with many of her regional recipes.

There is one that may sound rather strange to some, but because she and I ate it together, I love it. I am not fluent in my Italian and speak a convoluted dialect (so I am told)!! I think my gramma pronounced it “Ciambanella.”

She took a loaf of day old bread, sliced it in half and poured some water over the halves until they were saturated. She then thinly sliced onions and placed them on top of the bread, followed by an herb similar to oregano, but only comes from that region. Salt and olive oil were then drizzled over the onions, and the bread was then cut into thick portions.

We ate this as a snack or as a meal with a salad.

Have you ever heard of such a recipe?

Thank you so much for your attention.

By: Pat Nardi/Francey

Pat Nardi/Francey — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:43:20 +0000

Calabria. How wonderful to hear that name. My grandparents came to the USA from there and like most American born people, we did not have privaledge to the information we would one day long to know. I have been trying for years to gain some information about my heritage. Sadly, my parents and most of my older relatives are gone, and those surviving, know about as little as I do. I have tried to find the place that they left from, the boat they sailed on and all and every little other information I could gain.
I hope someday to visit there to see if there
are any relatives with thier name still alive.

Patty, I love your column and read it with great enthusiasm. I recognize some of the receipts from my youth and tried several of them. I look forward to your next one.

Ciao,

Pat Nardi/Francey

By: admin

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:29:31 +0000

@Louise I took the photos in Tropea.
@Linda The plants are prickly pear cactus, we call them fichi d’India and they grow naturally. Their fruits are edible and I adore them.

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:28:22 +0000

What a beautiful place you went to!! I saw cactus in one picture. Does it grow there naturaly or was it brought there? I’m just curious.

By: Louise Hundertmark

Louise Hundertmark — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:43:28 +0000

Can hardly wait for Antipasto night at our Dante Alighieri meeting! This will be a nice change from my usual Molise style. We have yet to travel far into Calabria, but think we visited the castle on the rock. Can you tell me where the photo was taken? Grazie!