Celebrations and Hospitality

I often say I know something about hospitality, but I know nothing compared to my family here at Enoteca Properzio.  The other night we were privileged to join a group from Ciclismo Classico and a couple from Georgia as the enoteca offered a cooking class and wine tasting to celebrate a birthday and the return of Ciclismo Classico to the enoteca. A chef came into the sala di pranzo and prepared a 3 course meal for all of us. 

Cod over artichoke cream with roasted artichoke

Risotto

Risotto with peas, and truffle

Chef Angelo and Luca

The main, being built:  pickled cabbage, tomatoes

Pork tenderloin with a "sausage" made of pork belly, prosciutto and herbs

Heaven on a plate

Chef Angelo with Roberto

 

Each course is served with small production, biodynamic wines to complement each food.  

While the group was being served, we were sitting in the beautiful garden.  It had been raining all week, and the temperatures were cold, but this night was magical due to the warmer temperatures and no rain.  

Happy birthday!

No celebration is complete without a cake.  When I talk about Italy, I talk about the treasure here, it is not the food, wine, art, history or culture, it's the people.  At Enoteca Properzio, you are treated like family. Each time we bring friends here, we prove our point.  Hospitality is in their DNA, and they welcome everyone to their door.  We are leaving Spello today, I leave my heart here until we return in the fall.  Saying Ciao each time my heart breaks a bit, so ciao for now Spello.

The Empty Chair

Today, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to someone who could not attend the ceremony because they are jailed in China. An empty chair was set up to signify his absence to the world.

I know I don't usually talk about politics in this blog, but the chair got me thinking about all the empty chairs there are in our lives.

This holiday season seems to bring them to the forefront, and whether your memories are good or bad, those empty chairs generally signify loss of some sort.  

I like to think of December as a season of peace and forgiveness; where we look back, and celebrate the people in our lives, both those who are here with us, and those who are gone. 

Some families even set a place for the loved ones who can't be with them at the holidays. I have many friends who have lost family members this year, and as sad as it is to go through the holidays without them, this is my time to celebrate what that family member gave me.  

At Christmas, I remember my parents and how beautiful the house looked; my mother covering the entire tree with cotton to make it look like snow (no wonder we all had allergies!) and lovingly arranging a village underneath the tree where my brothers would set up their trains to run.  

My father would write Christmas cards on Christmas day; by then he'd had enough eggnog to fuel his writing personal notes to everyone on the list.  Those cards were masterpieces, something I could only dream of accomplishing!

Talking about those we have lost seems to bring them closer, and we learn what they taught us about life, and yes, death. 
Having an empty chair at the table isn't about mourning those we've lost, it's really about celebrating who they were, and what they gave us: friendship, love, encouragement, joy in the midst of pain, and their hearts. 

At the end of this year, I celebrate all those that we've lost by honoring their memories, with tradition and love.  I hope that your holidays will be celebrations, as you remember and celebrate those that aren't with you this holiday season. 

Let them Eat Cake!

This weekend our granddaughter celebrated her first birthday, and our son celebrated his 30th birthday.  It got me thinking about birthday cakes, and how we celebrate birthdays. I know people who will spend weeks planning and executing amazing dinners, or children's birthday parties, only to have them turn into familial disasters that are talked about in hushed tones for years to come, or others who prepare a great casual celebration to mark milestones.  This weekend our granddaughters' birthday was perfect-- the menu was slow smoked pork shoulder from the Meat Hook in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, and slow smoked brisket, rubbed generously with Big Bob Gibson's BBQ rub and smoked til it was melt in your mouth tender, served alongside potato rolls, slaw, and fresh corn on the cob.  Life doesn't get too much better than that when you are sharing a celebration with friends and family.  The cake is my favorite part---for our granddaughter we thought an ice cream cake (Carvel since her daddy worked for them in High School) would be perfect, and it was just the right cake for a first birthday---smeared to perfection over her hands and face. We actually weren't sure we would be able to get the blue food coloring off her hands!

For Ryan's 30th birthday the cake has been the same for years; a vanilla cake with a chocolate frosting.I managed to make this in our daughters' easy-bake-style oven in her teeny weeny kitchen. The cake is simple but oh so good, and gets better the next day for breakfast with a cold glass of milk. So even if it isn't your birthday, celebrate someones birthday today and eat a piece of cake!

Ryan is the founder of RumorsandRants.com, hence the soccer players on the cake!

Ryan's Happy Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Makes two 9-inch layers, or about 36 cupcakes (and a zillion mini cupcakes)


3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar4 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 recipe Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting


1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat two 9-inch round baking pans with nonstick cooking spray.


2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.


3. In a 4 cup measuring cup, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla.


4. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour and milk mixture to the mixing bowl, and beat until smooth. Add the baking powder, salt and soda, stirring to blend.


5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.


6. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans, and cool completely before frosting. (At this point the cakes can be frozen for up to 2 months)

Chocolate Frosting

Makes enough to frost two 9-inch cakes






3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream, plus extra to thin the frosting if needed

1. Stir together the sugar and cocoa in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
2. Beat in the vanilla, butter, and sour cream on medium-high speed until the mixture reaches a spreading consistency. Add more sour cream if the frosting is too thick.