Tag: god

to eat (from god) in a church – Italian Cuisine

to eat (from god) in a church


A church in Grottammare, a town of the Piceno orange tree, becomes a tavern where you can eat and drink like a god. Buatti soup included

In Grottammare there is a place where you can eat in a church. And the Sant’Agustino winery which, after centuries of inactivity, has come back to life thanks to a cultural association of various members, including the promoter Don Giorgio Carini, parish priest and architect. You think someone even criticized him, accusing him of having transformed a sacred place into a temple of pleasure, of being "someone who knows how to have fun". But isn't it perhaps the primary task of priests to keep the churches alive, to cheer people's hearts and make them feel good?

The church and the association of Sant'Agustino

The Cantina di Sant'Agustino was active as a convent until 1691. Then it was discharged and had other functions for years, until 12 years ago the cultural association Cantine di Sant'Agustino was born with the aim of recovering and reviving life. to some historical places in the area. The name derives from a fresco of 1500 which was found on a wall of the room, which together with two other churches in Grottammare, San Pio and Santa Lucia, is part of the same parish structure. In particular, it was Don Giorgio who conceived the project for the recovery of the premises, as well as being the promoter of the various activities including the kitchen. In fact, it was still a former refectory. So, initially, dinners were organized at the winery between founding members, to discuss how best to exploit a structure of this value; then over time the association started cooking also for the outside, it was enough to make the membership card. Since June 2019, exactly one year ago, it is no longer necessary to become members: the winery has officially opened to the public as a restaurant or, better, as a tavern, because just like in church here the intent continues to be that of a place where first of all we are comfortable, at peace and together. In addition to cooking, other activities also continue, such as playful Wednesdays with table games or after school for children. In short, all ways to keep such a sacred place alive.

The cellar kitchen

Today there are about ten members who manage the tavern: there is Simone, that after various experiences abroad from Berlin to Paris, he is in the kitchen, together with his dad Gigi who makes ice cream and Mrs. Candida, a cook from Pozzuoli who knows what she is doing about fish. "The Campania tradition for fish is the best", Simone admits. Then, there is Alexander in the room and so on, all united for the (good) cause of a tavern where everything and every person is in their place, the right one. The cuisine is first and foremost that of the territory, which is sacred to them, so there is both meat and vegetables, and fish (for those who do not know Grottammare is located overlooking the sea). In general, we try to respect the seasonality, both of the land and of the sea, using lesser known fish, mistakenly considered poor and little consumed. So in June and November there are always sea snails on the table, o Bombolotti, as they call them here, while at other times of the year there are anchovies, octopus soups; the exceptional are almost always present spaghetti with clams (with the delicious addition of zucchini in summer), mixed fried and roasted meat of the day. But be careful, because we are still in the realm of soup. And what a soup!

The brodetto alla sambenedettese

Those who live on the Adriatic are well aware that soup is a serious matter and that it can also vary a lot a few kilometers away. But in San Benedetto, where it is called "lu vrudètte", it has something more, because it is perhaps the most authentic and pungent version there is, certainly in terms of broths from the Marches. Here, in fact, the tomato sauce disappears, the quantity of White wine vinegar and add up green tomatoes and peppers, better if a little unripe: in this way the soup is presented in all its essence, not covered by any other flavor, but, indeed, tested by the acidity of the other ingredients. Needless to say, at the Cantina di Sant’Agustino they prepare it as god commands, with fish varying according to availability.

The buatti soup

Another of the noteworthy dishes is the buatti soup, which is traditionally traditionally prepared together with rice and at bibs. These are two white rock fish, very common in the Adriatic, especially in spring, from April to June. Believed to be poor fish, they are rarely used for various reasons, including the presence of many thorns and the alleged ugliness, so much so that often to make fun of themselves here they say "you look beautiful like a buatto!" In reality these fish have an exceptional taste, in particular in this traditional soup which at the Cantina offer it in their variant only with the buatto and with the quadrucci of water and flour instead of rice; the fish is cooked in a sauce of carrots, onion and celery, with the addition of water, oil, breadcrumbs, lemon, parsley, which continue to cook until the peel flakes and invades all the broth with its flavor. In short, everything is in this dish: the tradition of fishermen, the intimate flavor of a house by the sea, the delicacy of white fish and the skill of those who know how to cook it.

The Mel’Arancia, the Piceno blond orange (and the marinades)

Another symbol of their love for the territory is the association to which they belong, created to recover the Piceno blond orange, the Mel’Arancia, as it is called locally. The first certain news of the presence of these citrus fruits dates back to the 14th century, when they were introduced by the Sicilians. The orange, in fact, is part of the municipal coat of arms of Grottammare. Then over time they decreased to a few specimens, mainly for two reasons: the spread of cheap Sicilian and Calabrian oranges, and too many winter frosts that killed the oranges from Massignano to San Benedetto. So, today, thanks to them and a few others, the melaranci are returning to populate the Piceno coast, moreover without making any competition with the Sicilian or Calabrian ones. In fact, despite having been brought from Sicily, they are affected by the years spent in the Piceno where, due to less sun and less heat, they bear fruit more harsh, Appreciated by the food industry for the highest content of vitamin C compared to the sweeter ones in the south. Therefore, they are ideal for other flavors and preparations, such as le marinadeswhich are very common in local cuisine.

The passion for Scotland

Finally, another great passion of Don Giorgio, which also unites most of the members of the association, is love for Scotland, in particular for the world of whiskey. It will be difficult not to notice them, given that an entire wall is dedicated only to them and to all the most sought after spirits they have personally chosen over the years. But that of the conservation of drinks is an old story, which is already part of the tradition of the Cantina di Sant'Augustino, since just below the various whiskeys there is an ancient cellar where they brought wine, in an ex nevaia, while above there they are signs with the words "Long live Jesus", since most likely he would have nothing against such a sacred selection.

This is the story of the Cantina di Sant’Agustino, a partial presentation of its founders and a short story of its cuisine. But the Cantina di Sant’Agustino cannot be told: you have to live it, as it is a good and right thing.

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Like God commands. And as the monks realize – Italian Cuisine

Like God commands. And as the monks realize


Honey, jams, herbal teas, herbal products but also delicious sweets and liqueurs: there are many products that continue, even today, to be made inside convents and monasteries. Friars and nuns carry on a millenary tradition, the one from which were born authentic excellences of "made in Italy", such as Lombard Grana Padano and Sicilian martorana fruit. But they also know how to keep up with the times, as shown by the development of new, more "trendy" productions, such as the abbey beers, anti-age creams, herbal remedies and fine wines. But above all, as evidenced by the arrival also in web convents, and the adoption of e-commerce as a means to bring conventual productions all over the world.

The sites to buy them online
Today, therefore, there is no longer any need to go to the monasteries to find the delights that are produced there (although the pleasure remains of doing so, of knowing often enchanting corners of Italy and of discovering curious and exciting stories): enough search on the internet for the sites of the convents and portals specialized in conventual products. How Bottega del Monastero, the e-shop created by a social cooperative that welcomes people with disabilities, on which you can buy online the products of about fifty Italian and foreign monasteries. Among the most sought after products there are the liqueur Laurus 48, made by the Camaldolese monks, and, during the holidays, the panettone with Trappist beer. In addition to many individual convent products, the Terra in Cielo portal also offers baskets, packs and gift ideas, both food and beauty, for every occasion.

The specialized shops
As many as 700 products can be purchased in the Bottega Monastica store, which is located in the center of Ancona (corso Stamira 13). Sweets, wines, jams, natural cosmetics, oils and perfumes made in monasteries in Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands can also be purchased online. Also in Brescia there is a shop dedicated only to the best of monastic productions: it is Lo Speziale (via Antiche Mura 6 / A), which also offers interesting meetings, and which also sells in e-commerce through its website. In Milan, products from convents and monasteries can be purchased in the Pime Mission Center shop (via Monte Rosa 81), a large shop where you can find everything: from the beloved jams of the Trappist nuns of Vitorchiano to the honey of the Discalced Carmelites of Loano up to the beauty routine products prepared by the Cistercian nuns of Valserena. In Bologna, instead, the right place is the Emporium of the Basilica of Santo Stefano, a few steps from the two towers. In addition to the productions of local friars candles and hand-decorated Christmas decorations you can find many products made according to the ancient recipes of the monastery like the famous bitter Flora, prepared by hand according to an ancient recipe with 23 types of herbs and with the addition of saffron which gives it its characteristic color.

Special jams from Piedmont
In the Cistercian monastery of Pra 'd Mill, in the hills of Saluzzo (CN), the production of jams was born due to a small necessity: that of using the many fruits received as a gift, from kiwis to plums, and those obtained in the lands of monastery, from the cultivation of small fruits, apple orchards and chestnut woods. And over the years it has become a truly special activity, which today produces dozens of exquisite and special jams. In addition to the simpler ones (such as lemon peaches, pears, blueberries, ramassin and chestnut cream), the monks are famous for their gourmet recipes, all made in the monastery's laboratory: elderberry, mint or coffee apples, with cedar or with raisins, pears with lavender or ginger, peaches with wild thyme or sage, zucchini with orange, pumpkin with lemon. There are 36 types of jams and compotes that can be bought on the monastery's online store.

The typical wines of the Euganean Hills
On the site of the abbey of Praglia, located in Teolo (PD), you can buy herbal teas and infusions, creams, soaps, herbal ointments, honey and sweets, which are delivered within a week. Calling the Benedictine monks one can also order the prized DOCG wines made with grapes grown in the 10 hectares of abbey vineyard, where the traditional grape varieties of the Euganean Hills grow, including the lesser known ones, such as garganega, friularo and Moscato Fiordarancio. All the products can also be bought in the shop housed in this large Renaissance abbey complex (to be discovered during regular guided tours, which also take you to the splendid library where the ancient books are restored) where there are also the best products from other convents, also abroad, like the sweet truffles of the Polish Trappist nuns.

Liqueurs and Trappist beers in Rome
It has over 100 years of history the Trappisti Liquorificio delle Tre Fontane, born in 1873 inside the homonymous abbey complex on the Via Laurentina. Even today it continues to use traditional recipes and, as far as possible, the herbs cultivated by the friars, to make some special liqueurs using traditional methods. The most famous is the historic Eucalittino, but there are also the grappa di eucalyptus and hazelnut cream. Recently the Trappist friars have provided their recipes to a brewery that produces the Birra dei Monaci, a high fermentation triple characterized by the balsamic note of eucalyptus and which has obtained the prestigious hexagonal stamp granted by the central committee of the Trappists of Vleteren. All these products can be purchased in the monastery annex, which also sells selected cheeses and wines, and many products made in other Trappist monasteries, such as Vitorchiano jams, Valserena cosmetic and craft products. A curiosity: in the abbey museum there is an installation in virtual reality that allows you to enter the spaces of the monastery reserved for the cloistered life of the Cistercian monks.

Manuela Soressi
December 2019

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Surrendering onions

I’ve been away. I know. I have noticed. Thank you for your patience during the disruption to your service.

I’ve been terribly ill, you see. Sick, so sick. Morning sickness it is. Was. It’s over now – sort of. I still get the odd billowing wave of it, bobbing up around my solar plexus but I’m no longer a drooping, greyish figure haunting my house. Urgh. I hate – hate – people who say that horrid thing to pregnant women – “You’re not ill, you’re pregnant.” Really? Because it feels an awful lot like norovirus to me.

Anyway I feel better now. And I had my 12 week scan – just one spratling, thank god, in the right place – and so I can start moaning on about being pregnant again. The other thing that’s happened is that I’ve finished putting together that book I was talking about. In the end it really wasn’t very much work, it was just impossible to do anything feeling so sick. Ten minutes typing, 1 hour lying down, ten minutes typing, one hour lying down. SO SO SICK. I got some pills off my doctor, The Beast, in the end. I just couldn’t take it anymore. But they only took the edge off, it wasn’t like I was bouncing out of bed in the mornings.

I honestly am still reeling from how awful it was. It just wasn’t that bad with Kitty. And I wasn’t that tired either. But for the last six weeks I’ve been wiped out, asleep from 1-3pm every day. Wiped out like chalk on a blackboard. And then wake up feeling like shit. Poor old Kitty. Or rather lucky Kitty – she has eaten biscuits and watched telly solidly for six weeks. But thank god for telly. Thank GOD! What would we have done without it.

I am trying not to think too much about being plunged back into a babyhood. I am trying to look on the bright side. I must have learned something since Kitty was born. It surely won’t be as awful as it was. I don’t want to go mad again, I really don’t.

It has to be different this time – for one, Kitty was brought home to a house that didn’t have any children in it. It was a grown-up house, really quite spooky in a lot of ways – silent and strange and unfit for a baby. These days it has a chattering lunatic nearly-two-year-old in it, dropping crumbs and kicking balloons and watching telly and running from one end of the house to the other for no reason other than youthful high spirits. The changing mat now has its own room, rather than squatting on the kitchen table. The kitchen extension means that everyone can slob about in the kitchen, rather than me being at the stove, running out every ten seconds into the living room to make sure everyone’s okay.

And maybe I’m different. Broken in, broken down. Resigned. Institutionalised. Used to that special sort of monotony you get with small children, so intense particularly in babies. My expectations from life are different now. I am surrendered, like onions.

Surrendering onions is a slow but pleasing task. It is what you do if you want very soft, aromatic, almost creamy onions (for an onion gravy for example, or a tangle alongside some sausages) and the trick is to cook them for a good 1.5-2 hours on the lowest heat on your smallest available burner.

You slice them into rings, reasonably thinly and scatter them in a pan with some oil – and butter, if you like. Then sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt and put a lid on and leave them. Do not turn the heat up and do not poke them about too much. Take the lid off if at any point the onions start to even think about sizzling. Towards the end of the cooking time, the onions will almost in a matter of seconds collapse into themselves – they will surrender. I can’t help but think of motherhood like that. But not in a bad way.

 

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