Enjoy a stuffed Italianelle with a grilled Caesar salad. You’ll wonder why anyone ever served them cold.
When I think back over my life, I am reminded of the small rituals that made and continue to make life worthwhile. For me, those are rituals of food and family that create a rich and caring home, offering a secure and nurturing embrace to our children and others we love.
When I was growing up, Saturday night supper was usually frankfurters and beans. My mother would open a can of baked beans and added some ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. We thought they were delicious until she bought a bean pot and soaked her own beans overnight before baking them with the same ingredients that she added to the canned. After that we were never satisfied with the canned version. She also served brown bread which we enjoyed with lots of butter. Monopoly was a favorite game to accompany the dogs on a Saturday night. These are just a few of the traditions that I remember well.
We would also watch Jackie Gleason on those Saturday nights. My mother taught my little brother Anthony and I to make our own “pizzas” with English muffins. We thought they were delicious and fun to make. When we had company my mother would ask us to make our pizzas for guests and we were so proud. Occasionally we were allowed to have orangeade with our pizzas, which was a real treat for us.
My mother was the only one in her family with a car. After church on Sunday we would go to the Quality Bakery in East Boston and buy pastries to take to my Noni’s in Beachmont. Usually, we’d pick up some cannoli and a few other desserts like rum soaked pastries that my Noni liked. Sometimes, we would take a ride to Revere Beach where it was a tradition to get a frozen custard and have a ride on the flying horses.
Later in the day we would play cards under the grape arbor. By four on Sunday afternoons, some of my grandparents’ 10 children and their kids would pay a visit. We would play cards under the grape arbor, always for money — Noni had a jar with pennies for the kids. The men would play horseshoes while my aunts would crochet or knit. By five, Noni would bring out a platter of her delicious meatballs and sausages and any meat from her sauce left over from dinner, a nice loaf of Italian bread, a bowl of fruit, nuts to crack open and some leftover cannoli.
Sunday afternoons we usually gathered with the family at Short Beach on the Winthrop/Revere Line. When the tide was high we jumped off the boulders, when it was low we dug for cherrystones. In between, we ate the most delicious lunches and watched the rabbi who was a constant companion dive in and out of the waves.
In summer, the hottest of days were spent on Revere Beach. After clamming and picnicking and building sand castles and playing ball we often went across the street to the Ocean View for ice cream. My brother and I loved black raspberry. If the heat remained intense overnight, Noni would pile up her Indian blankets and we would sleep on the beach. That was a tradition that I adored.
I try to have my own traditions with my children and grandchildren. I just love it when I hear one of my kids talk about a tradition they remember from their childhood. One of the things that added richness to their lives growing up, our house was always filled with people. Uncle Billy would come over every Sunday with a big jug of Cribari wine, a shopping bag filled with goodies from the North End, prosciutto, beautiful cheese, breads, pastries. Son Georgie would often go out in his little boat and bring in his catch which I would cook up for breakfast and if he was lucky a few lobsters. We were right on the water, so many hours were spent with friends and relatives at our beach, followed by a cookout.
I have started playing cards with my grandsons, for money of course. After dinner we do “the question of the day.” We take turns with the questions. Like Noni, I have a jar of pennies whenever the mood strikes. We often play charades which the boys love to play, four square, tennis and any other game involving balls. The boys and also the girls like to draw. While the boys haven’t gotten old enough yet for scrabble, the girls enjoy the game, as do my daughters and daughter-in-law.
One of my springtime traditions is the Swan Boats in Boston. It’s kind of sad that the grandchildren seem too old now, but that sort of ritual has been replaced now by little league, which keeps the boys — as well as Todd and me — quite busy, which is a joy. But we hope to return to the swan boats soon since Todd’s brother and his wife have a new baby, Zach, who is just a year. When they visit we will definitely take him.
Todd and I have our traditions. We love walking the beach after dinner or the first thing in the morning. We might have a picnic lunch at his office, which is right on the harbor in Salem. And on Saturdays, unless the weather is too nice, we like to take in a movie We often go into the Kendall theatre in Cambridge where the non-Hollywood, independent films play. I have my lunch dates with my best friend Susie. She recently moved to Boston and I miss that she is not nearby anymore, but we make it a point to see each other every week for lunch, our tradition.
We love taking the boys for ice cream. In a few weeks we are planning a trip to New York where we will go to Serendipity, a cafe that my children loved when they were young. They have frozen hot chocolates and foot-long hot dogs in the most exciting environment. I can’t wait to take the boys. FAO Schwarz was always a favorite with my kids, but I think it is gone now. The Museum of Natural History will be perfect and the traditions will continue.
A Perfect Veggie Supper
— Corn on the cob is looking pretty good these days. I prefer mine grilled or boiled. Italianells are delicious stuffed with seasoned bread crumbs:
— For six peppers you will need three cups of fresh bread crumbs.
— Place several pieces of a hearty bread in the food processor, a few cut up pieces at a time with a clove of garlic, a sprinkle of olive oil and a few stems and flowers of flat leaf parsley.
— Process in small batches and place in a bowl.
— Add a half cup of grated Parmesan cheese, a third of a cup of toasted pine nuts, and a third of a cup of raisins that you previously soaked in three tbsp. of Marsala wine.
— Season with salt and pepper and add a third of a cup each of olive oil and water.
— Cut half inch off of the ends of the peppers and remove the seeds. Place the peppers one at a time in the bowl with the crumbs and stuff the mixture into them loosely. If you like you can smash three canned anchovies into the crumbs.
— Place on an oiled shallow pan and turn to coat with oil. Bake at 350 for thirty minutes or until the peppers are golden.
Grilled Caesar salad
— Wash and dry a head of lettuce.
— Oil a grill pan with enough oil to coat the bottom. Place clove of cut up garlic on pan and cook for a minute, do not brown.
— Place the lettuce cut side down on the garlic and using your kettle filled with water for weight press the romaine down to brown.
— Turn lettuce over and brown the other side. You can also cover a brick with aluminum foil for this purpose.
— Remove to a platter.
— In a small bowl place a cut up garlic clove, quarter tsp. Dijon mustard, the juice of a lemon, a sprinkle of salt and pepper a half cup of olive oil, and three tbsp. Parmesan grated.
— You can pulse this mixture in your food processor.
— Spoon a heaping tbsp. of the Caesar dressing on each half of romaine and sprinkle a little more grated cheese on top. The remainder of dressing will keep for several days in fridge. If you like you can add a few anchovies to the dressing, however everyone is not going to like them.