Skiing, Snowshoeing and Ravioli di Zucca

Mt. Rainier from Mission Ridge Ski Area

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since my last post. Life seems to be on fast forward since New Year's. There has not been anything special to report except possibly my fabulous talk last Wednesday on the organized walks we do in Italy (see http://das.danteseattle.org/ for more about DAS)! I had a great time doing it and it was well received. That same day we had a great lunch at Tutta Bella (an authentic Italian pizzeria) and later stopped at Best Plumbing on Stone Way where we (sort of) finalized the fixtures for our bathroom remodel. Dom has been spending a lot of time on the latter project and is making good headway. The room is gutted and the door has been moved over 4 inches.

View of gutted bathroom

Last weekend I went to Wenatchee to visit my sister, Patty. On Saturday we skied at Mission Ridge with our friend Deb and her sister Cindy. The conditions were excellent--groomed hard pack and sunny skies. It had been seven years since Patty last skied but she still looked fabulous floating down the hill. What fun to once more be out on the hill with her!

Patty with goggles askew

Lou, Patty, Cindy and Deb

On Sunday the four of us plus two of Patty's Wenatchee girlfriends went to the ski hill at Leavenworth and snowshoed. Everyone had tried it before except me. In fact, they all own their own snowshoes. I found it really easy but still a bit tiring since a wider than normal stance is required. Two hours was plenty for me. The trails were frozen solid so we probably could have walked around them without the snowshoes but it was still fun to try it. I would like to do it again in soft, fluffy snow.

Snowshoeing

Since my last post I promised a fan I would provide my recipe for Squash ravioli. I am a big fan of ravioli di zucca and this was not too difficult to make. However, be warned, any sort of ravioli takes several hours to put together. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Squash Ravioli

1 cup cooked, pureed squash*

1/3 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup egg substitute or 1 extra large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1/3 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano cheese

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Nutmeg

Mix first four ingredients thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Set aside.

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup egg substitute or three extra large eggs

Pinch of salt

Prepare pasta using above ingredients. If unfamiliar with pasta making techniques refer to this demo for more information. Stretch pasta sheet to 1/16 inch thick or last setting on pasta machine. Assembly and shape of ravioli depends on type of cutter used. I use a round cutter.**

To assemble ravioli I lay 3-4 inch wide sheets on the counter and drop about 1 tsp. filling every 1-1 1/2 inches. I fold sheet over and cut with ravioli cutter. Do not try to reuse scraps for ravioli but can be cut smaller and frozen for use in soup. Completed ravioli can be laid on a cookie sheet liberally sprinkled with flour. Top single layer of ravioli with more flour and a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Continue layering ravioli like this. Makes about 60-80 pieces. Cook immediately or set entire cookie sheet in freezer. When ravioli are frozen drop in plastic bag and return to freezer. Can be kept frozen for 1-2 months.

Butter

Freshly grated Grana or Parmigiano cheese

Freshly chopped sage

To cook ravioli bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt just before adding ravioli. Cook 1 to 3 minutes. Leave in another minute if cooking frozen ravioli. Drain well and top with melted butter into which chopped, fresh sage has been added and freshly grated Grana or Parmigiano cheese. If serving a large amount of ravioli layer butter and cheese between the ravioli on a platter. Do not try to toss as ravioli will fall apart.

*I used cubed butternut squash, cooked it in the microwave and then mashed it well. In a pinch one could probably use canned pumpkin.

**Ravioli cutters and other Italian kitchen gadgets PLUS my favorite cookbooks are available under La Cucina Italiana at my Amazon store. Click on the sidebar link to the left.

Seattle's Festa Italiana

Yesterday, Dom and I went to Festa Italiana at the Seattle Center.

It is held annually at the end of September and celebrates the Italian community in the Greater Seattle area. There are a variety of activities and exhibits including cooking demonstrations, a grape stomp competition, a bocce tournament, an Italian car show, children’s activities, booths selling Italian food (pizza, pasta, sausages, Italian sodas, gelato, coffee, etc.), and Italian products for sale (food, Venetian masks, ceramics, baked goods, olive trees, paintings, tours, Festa memorabilia, etc.). There are also a variety of Italian heritage and cultural groups with information booths. These include the Sons of Italy, the Italian Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society, the Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association and the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington. Dom and I have been members of “Dante” for a long time (Dom at least 10 years longer than me!) so we volunteered at the booth for an hour or so. Above is a picture of us working the booth.

One of the most interesting exhibits at Festa was a photo and artifact display that detailed the internment of Italian immigrants during World War II. While the interment of the Japanese immigrants is well known, this is a little known chapter in our history. Some people know that Italian merchant seaman and others were interned but few people know that many long time Italian immigrants were also sent away. All were subject to registration with the government and heavy travel restrictions. For a time, most areas of the West Coast were off limits to these people and this forced many families to move inland. It was a well-done, informative show that we both enjoyed.

It had been nine years since we attended Festa and it was great to be back. We saw a number of people that we had rarely seen in the intervening time. Before buying our place in Italy we worked the “Dante” booth every year. For many years Dom ran the children’s bocce pit which consisted of teaching bocce to youngsters and their parents and organizing practice games. We were usually there from set-up Friday afternoon until cleanup on Sunday evening. This year we purposely delayed our departure for Italy so we could be there once again.

We really love the “Dante” group and even though it is a long haul from Whidbey Island we still attend a number of meetings when we are in the U.S. There are “Dante” groups, or similar organizations, throughout the country. They celebrate all things Italian and help Italians or Italian aficionados keep in touch with the language and culture. Our “Dante” group has meetings twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Both include presentations with the first being in English and the second in Italian. The topics range from Italian art and literature to raising bilingual children to Italian food and wine to members’ travelogues. Before the English meetings, there is a communally prepared dinner of pasta, salad and bread. Antipasto is served before the Italian meetings. The members are a fun, diverse group of people. Some are immigrants, some have Italian heritage and some just love Italy. The “Dante” also sponsors an Italian language program that holds classes on campus at Seattle University.

The next meeting on October 8th is a demonstration of making your own fresh mozzarella. I am really sorry to be missing it as mozzarella is one of my favorite foods. For more information on the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington visit the website at http://das.danteseattle.org/index.html.

Tomorrow we are finally on our way to Italy. Our plane does not leave until 9:25 p.m. so we have a rather leisurely day in which to prepare. I am curious to see if I sleep any better on the flight since we will actually be flying during our normal sleep time.

I will be posting nearly every day while we are “at home” in Italy. Make this page a favorite and check back often.