Mamma’s Love and home made pasta

Mamma and I

Growing up in an Italian family It was always the norm that food will fix everything. I went to mum and I was a bit Down, her answer was don’t worry bella I fix this.

As fast as a tornado I watched mum getting some fresh eggs from her chickens and a packed of plain flour.

eggs and flour

Without measuring she put the ingredients in her new pasta machine and she started making Tagliatelle.

Mamma making Tagliatelle

Then she went to her veggie garden and she got fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and onion. She fried the chopped onions and garlic, she then added the passata made with her fresh tomatoes and she let it cook slowly for a few hours

Tomatoes and sugo

Once the sugo (sauce) was ready she went to cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water .

Mamma cooking the tagliatelle

Yes mamma’s cooking made me feel so much better.

Reggio Calabria

Reggio Calabria

In the Ionian Gulf, the Greeks found the promised land, and founded Rhegion, a city on the coasts of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Strait of Messina.

Scorcio di Chianalea, porticciolo e barche

Reggio Calabria, as it is called today, is an agricultural, administrative and commercial city.

Lungomare di REggio Calabria

After the terrible earthquake of 1908, the city was rebuilt along with its wonderful lungomare (seafront promenade). According to the famous writer Giuseppe Verga, it was the most beautiful promenade in Europe.

Bronzi di Riace

The city is rich in archaeological materials excavated from sites in Calabria and Basilicata, which are important testimonies of the culture of Ancient Greece. In the collection, among the most renowned discoveries are the Riace bronzes: two large statues of Greek warriors, which depict the most classical image of Greek culture, by showing the harmony of the universe through the perfection of the human body.

pesce spada

The gastronomic specialty of Reggio Calabria is fish: from swordfish to solmoriglio, as well as fried anchovies, sardines, cod, stockfish, and nannata.

nannata

stoccofisso

Codfish by Nonna Melina

STOCCAFISSO Ingredients: 1 kilo of soaked stockfish 1kilo of potatoes 150gramsof olives 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce 1 red onion Basil Parsley Salt

Pepper Method for preparation: Cook the cod in boiling water for about 30 minutes, drain, dry, and cut into pieces. Heat the oil in a pan, preferably terracotta, and fry the onion and parsley, then add the tomato sauce.

Add the pieces of cod and the potatoes.

Add the basil, salt and pepper.

Cook for 30 minutes, adding a little hot water if needed.

When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the pitted olives, and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve very hot.