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(photo: the author of Cucina Povera, Pamela Sheldon Johns)

If you were to tell people that Italy and America have a few things in common you'd most likely receive some awkward stares.  After all, America is a country driven by capitalism and rationality while Italy operates under a lifestyle driven worldview with importance placed on living well and understanding the subtleties of day to day existence (at least outside of large cities like Milan, Rome, and Turin!).      

 

Our 22 month old son Tommaso has been on a frenetic streak over the last 6 months, that is to say, he has both the energy and ferocity to take on any task including doing full fledge sprints with theatrical spins and twirls, pooping dramatically, greeting family members and complete strangers ad nauseam, separating his parents from a warm embrace and kiss (read: jealousy), and reading letters/sections of books with Herculean zeal.

A while back I wrote about my definition of the la cucina povera or the kitchen of the poor.  I view la cucina povera as a style of cooking centered on cooking with whatever, non bourgeois, ingredients are in the house.  My family in Calabria once cooked in the above manner (mostly due to economic reasons but also because what was "in the house" included the farm and items like milk and cheese, olives, vegetables, wheat, some meat, some cured meats, beans, and some fish).  And la cucina povera of early to mid twentieth century Calabria is probably closer to today's haute cuisine than the poorman's food everyone associates with peasant cooking.

My first experience with the Italian language was in utero and I suspect I overheard a conversation between my mother and grandmother in relation to food (something along the the lines, "cosa stai facendo per la cena?" or what are you making for dinner?).  Post birth, I didn't aquire English until I was five or so; legend has it that my mother dropped me off at kindergarten class in 1981 and the teacher asked if I just flew in from Milan given my brown leather boots, Merino wool short sleeved turtle neck, deep tan, and inability to speak the English language?  My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Biggio, argued that I should work on my English at home and register for school the following year.  Of course, my mother refused and told, not suggested, Mrs. Biggio I was ready for school and that I would pick up English quickly.  

(photo: cover of My Calabria)

Authentic Calabria

When I see or experience anything with a resemblance of Calabrian authenticity here in the United States I get very excited.   I had a wonderful experience stumbling across Mary Palmer's very genuine, and heartfelt, cookbook Cucina di Calabria at a used book store during my college days.  Along the same lines, when I recently sampled a small artisan gelato made in Pennsylvania (Gelato di Baba) the hazelnut flavor brought me back to my childhood days strolling the streets of Reggio di Calabria with my Uncle and cousins (with gelato in hand).

Flipping through Rosetta Costantino's new cookbook "My Calabria", I experienced the same aforementioned sense of authenticity via her recipes, photos, and general understanding of the southernmost province in Italy.  

(photo: the varying parts of a pig, photo courtesy of Meat Salt Time by Tony Seichrist)

(Photo: Mary Ann Esposito, photo courtesy of NY Mag)

Every big idea or theory has an associated sound bite.  The French philosopher Rene Descartes is remembered for his famous line, "I think, therefore I am.", the chef Jacques Pepin loves to utter, "fast food my way", and the chef, turned uber capitalist Lidia Bastianich (see the mega Italian Mall, Eataly, just opened with Mario Batali and Lidia's son, Joe) loves to utter "Tutti a tavola a mangiare" (translated roughly as everyone come to the tables it's time to eat - kind of ordinary sounding in English!) after she prepares her TV meal.

If the Italian table had an associated sound bite it would be something like, "simple ingredients make outstanding food."  Give me a few days and I'll jazz up the tag line, but the idea of simple, great tasting, food made via fresh and seasonal ingredients is at the heart of what it means to eat or cook like an Italian. 

For PBS host and cookbook author Mary Ann Esposito she's taken the idea that the best Italian food is made via simple, and fresh, ingredients as a literal truth and just released her new cookbook, Ciao Italia: Five Ingredient Favorites.  Mary Ann's book includes recipes (from dinner to dessert) that are made with five ingredients or less (including salt and pepper).  Some of my favorites include pork chops with pistachio crust, Prosciutto di Parma and pine nut pizza, and chocolate, hazelnut and banana tartlets.


(Photo: Mushroom and celery salad from Ciao Italia Five ingredient Favorites by Mary Ann Esposito. St Martins Press, NY)

In honor of the new cookbook and the fact that I used to see Mary Ann Esposito on the campus of the University of New Hampshire (she tapped her PBS show Ciao Italia close to campus) during my undergraduate years (I never had the courage to introduce myself), I interviewed Mary Ann and asked her a series of questions about her Italian American experience and how she defines Italian cooking.



Moreover, Scordo.com has also partnered with Mary Ann to offer one lucky reader a chance to win a free copy of Ciao Italia: Five Ingredient Favorites!  Here's what you'll need to do to enter the contest:

- Become a fan (or encourage somone to fan) Scordo.com on Facebook and leave a comment on our wall on your favorite, simple, Italian recipe or food and 2. Become a fan of Mary Ann on Facebook.

- Only one entry per person please.

- The contest is open until 12 midnight on 9/9 and a single (1) random user will be picked via Random.org (sorry contest only open to folks from the US given shipping logistics).  The winner will be announced immediately on Twitter (so please follow me) and on Scordo.com by 8PM on Friday, 9/10.

- Please be sure to send me an email to let me know you've become a fan on Facebook (sorry, Facebook doesn't allow me to sort by new fans), email me at blog at scordo dot com

- Mary Ann's publisher will send out the book to a single contest winner during the week of 9/13.

Finally, here's my interview with Mary Ann, enjoy: 

Question One:
Tell us what it means to be an Italian-American and how you would best suggest to young Italian-Americans to keep our traditions alive and well (across food, lifestyle, and general living)?

Mary Ann's Answer:
"It means everything to me because the Italian culture has historically set the standard for so much of world achievements.  When you think of inventions, art, architecture, music, saints, science, religion, fashion, family and food, much of it has been attributed to the Italians. Young Italian Americans should involve themselves in organizations like the National Italian American Foundation, study Italian in school and on their own and above all talk to their family members about the history of the immigrants who made them who they are today. I try to do this through our web site ciaoitalia.com and Mary Ann Esposito Foundation which encourages would be chefs to study Italian regional cooking. You can learn more about the foundation on the web site."

Question Two:
What part of Italy did your family originate from?  What traditions do you (or your family) bring to the US from Italy?

Mary Ann's Answer:
My family is from the province of Avellino in the region of Campania and Caltanisetta in Sicily. My grandparents were very proud but poor people. First and foremost they brought strength and a fearless attitude. They brought strong religious faith. They brought their skills of tailoring and farming and olive culture. They made wine; we did the same. They cultivated gardens; we did the same. They made all their own food; we do the same. I try to emulate their traditions by recreating the foods I grew up via my books and my PBS series television, Ciao Italia now in its 21st year of broadcast. I also keep my family traditions alive through my blog.

Question Three:
How you define Italian cooking at home?

Mary Ann's Answer:
Fresh, in season ingredients, treated simply to keep the integrity of the food. All my cookbooks stress this.


(Photo: Pistachio pork chops from Ciao Italia Five Ingredient Favorites by Mary Ann Esposito. St Martins Press, NY)

Question Four:
You have a Masters Degree in history from the University of New Hampshire; has your knowledge of history impacted how you cook and see the world?

Mary Ann's Answer:
Absolutely. When I wrote my thesis on a Renaissance Italian cooking manuscript, I began my introduction by saying without food there is no history. Food and history are inseparable. Early foods like grains, legumes and puls allowed civilization to flourish and many wars were waged over whether there was food or not. In Italian culture, food is the cornerstone of everything. Take bread as an example. When I make it, I am reminded of how this simple staple from water and flour is still the staple food of third world and emerging nations. I see that waste not want not quality that my grandparents had who revered bread so much that not a bit was every wasted. To this day, I never throw away stale bread, using it instead for bread salads, as fillers for vegetables, to sprinkle over pasta dishes and as what has come to be very chic and in today, the bruschetta or crostino.

On Ciao Italia I give you not only a recipe but the story behind the recipe; where does it come from, why is it named so. The Mary Ann Esposito Foundation's goal is to keep the history and traditions surrounding Italian regional foods alive. I want the next generation of Italian Americans to take over where I leave off so we can preserve our heritage for generations to come.

Question Five:
What are some of your favorite recipes and food types outside of traditional pasta with tomato sauce, for example?

Mary Ann's Answer:
I love to make polenta and risotto as well as traditional breads and pizza. Once you start studying the regions of Italy and their local foods, you have a better understanding of why there really is no Italian food per se; there is only regional food. I love eels from the Veneto and from Sardinia; the bistecca of Florence and the porchetta of Umbria. Any eggplant dishes and rabbit stews are also favorites. I have so many that it would be impossible to mention them all here and that is why their importance has consumed me in my work.

Question Six:
What are the top five ingredients that you keep in your pantry at all times?

Mary Ann's Answer:
Extra virgin olive oils, imported semolina pastas, dried beans, arborio rice, San Marzano tomatoes. In fact my latest book is called Ciao Italia Five Ingredient Favorites and you would be surprised how much you can make with just 5 ingredients as opposed to a whole list!

(photo: via the Italian Farmer's Table, rye bread)

A college professor once told me that most adults finish all serious reading by the time they reach the age of 23.  He went on to say that most professions, even ones that require a four year degree, do not require the worker to engage in prolonged or critical reading.  And while I'm sure there are exceptions to the statement, I agree wholeheartedly with the professor's conclusion.  Ask yourself, for example, what was the last serious novel you read or the last time you read The Economist from cover to cover (that's Immanuel Kant on the left, by the way; he wrote a Critique of Pure Reason and should be on your reading list)?

I've been fascinated with Kafka since High School and Zadie Smith offers an excellent review of The Tremendous World I Have Inside My Head: Franz Kafka: A Biographical Essay.

I think vegetarianism will most likely be the preferred way of eating in the far future (say once we over fish the oceans and grow up ethically as a civilization) and Su restaurant in the NYC metro area will start the conversion of the meat eaters (I'm currently one but thinking about a conversion)!