Yes, that is Saint Joseph. What you ask does Saint Joseph have to do with gastronomy? Well, every good Italian knows that the feast day of Saint Joseph on March 19th brings with it a pastry that is made only at this time of year - zeppole. Here's a picture of these wonderful creations.......
Courtesy of....
So, we set out on Saturday to Franklin Ave. Now, a trip to Franklin Ave would be incomplete with just one stop, so we made the rounds of Hartford's Little Italy. First stop - D&D market, or to those in the know - "The D&D". We picked up some of our favorites - a slab of ricotta salata, Sicilian olives (which we dug into in the parking lot), a nice soppressata, Sam Maulucci ricotta, some beautiful hot sausages, and some imported pasta. We could just stare at the meat counter for hours. A trip to the D&D reminds me of my childhood - getting a slice of cheese from Sal at the deli while listening to my grandparents (and all the other shoppers) placing their orders in Italian. Fond, fond memories.
On to the next stop - South End Bakery, for Sicilian pizza. Three kinds, to be exact. Sauce and mozzarella, sauce and grated cheese, and anchovy for me. While we were there we picked up some cassata, too. Unfortunately, they were out of Sicilian bread, so it was on to Mozzicato's, with the pizza in the front seat to eat on the way home since we hadn't had lunch.
Mozzicato's was quieter than usual, thank goodness, so the wait was not too long. Here we picked up the zeppole we originally set out for, and also took home some arancini and a pound of cookies. They were out of Sicilian bread, too, so it was on to Ciarcia Bakery, with the cookies also in the front seat for the ride home. Unfortunately, Ciarcia had no Sicilian bread, so we settled for a nice loaf of Italian and headed North. We managed to stuff ourselves pretty good between the ride home and the first hour at home, so we opted to have a light dinner and save the rest of our goodies for Sunday.
We were both struck by people's reactions to Matthew throughout the day. Every where we went, people commented how cute he was, but what struck us was that everyone also said "God Bless You", or "God Bless Him". Love that.
On Sunday, we had a 1st birthday party to attend. There, we had our fill of pizza and birthday cake. We headed home around 3:00, thinking of the fabulous feast we were going to have for dinner. But, our efforts to go straight home were thwarted by this...
Seriously, THE best chocolate frosted donuts on the planet. And with St. Patrick's Day around the corner, it seemed only fitting to make a stop to strike a balance between the Gaelic and the Garlic. Not that donuts are particularly Irish, but there's a celtic knot on the box, so that counts, right? We each had one on the way home, again stuffing ourselves. Later that evening, Dennis made a scrumptious Italian dinner for us - thanks Babe!
As we made our rounds this weekend with Matthew in tow, I couldn't help but wonder if someday he'll do the same, or if any of these places will still exist by the time he's old enough to go on his own. I sure hope so, and I hope they'll bring back fond memories for him, too.
Oh, a final thought - is it any wonder I can't fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes???
4 comments:
OK - so - I HATE YOU, only in the most loving way. We can't get those zeppole here, so how about shipping some??? That's it...I am now on a mission to find these ....somewhere....
Chris and I have taken James into Mozzicato's everytime we have been back East--so he is no stranger to Italian cookies, ices, or candied almonds! My mouth is JUST WATERING!
Good looking treats! I thought that was just a bunch of green swirlys on that box...
Popi ans I wondered the same thoughts when the little Egans were growing up. Every Sunday Denny and Dad would pick Grampa up and Stop at Magaziners for fresh rye bread, now it is Chemera's Bakery and Gawins for easter kielbasa. And Iam sure it won't bem long before Matthew goes with Dad. Waving out the car window to Mom as they leave the driveway
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