Week 10

My week started off with a bang on Monday! For my History of the Mafia class, I got to meet a ex-mafia boss who is now cooperating with the boss. *I will not be using his full name in this article, I will just refer to him as LB.* We got to meet Mr. LB who was a former associate of the 'Ndrangheta, also known as the Calabrian Mafia. LB came from a lineage of mafia bosses, and he was next in line. From the moment he could walk, he was raised as solider. This not only included the use of weapons, but how to murder. LD, by the age of 14, was able to kill and use deadly combat and weapons while being blindfolded. He had about 5 kills before he started cooperating with the police. His story was intriguing and sad. LB loved his family, but he never got a choice about being in the mafia. He was forced into it, and knew no other lifestyle. It wasn't until LB had a daughter that he realize he did not want the same fate for his family. That is when he decided to leave 'Ndrangheta and work with the police on anti-mafia interrogations and trials. His father attempted to kill him multiple times after finding out this news, and he still faces threats on a daily basis. Although LB does not get to live a normal life for his safety, it is because of him that many Mafioso's have been put behind bars.

The next day I had a pasta making class sponsored by my school at a place called QUI Sorrento. We were going to make Gnocchi alla Sorrentina which is a typical dish of Naples. Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is not just a comfort food, but it has ancient roots as well. Gnocchi is made of potato and according to tradition, it originated from Campania. The word gnocchi has a Greek influence and derives from the word “strogulos” and “preptos”, which means a round or spherical object. We can see the appearance of gnocchi back in the Renaissance time. The way gnocchi was originally made during that time, is very different than how it is now. It is thought that over time, as various countries started sharing produce, such as potatoes, gnocchi was reinvented. The name, Gnocchi alla Sorrentine, came from the cooks in Sorrento who seasoned this dish using spices and products from the Amalfi Coast. The basic flavors within this dish are tomato, mozzarella, and parmesan. Its not just the produce itself, that gives the gnocchi such a good flavor, but it is the fact that the produce is organic. If you want to try and make this dish at home, it is best to find ingredients that are fresh and locally sourced. You can do this by going to a Farmer’s market. If there are no Farmer’s markets near you, you can just get the ingredients from a natural food store.

Ingredients For Gnocchi

· 2.25 lbs Yellow Potatoes

· 2 2/3 cups flour

· 1 Medium Egg

· Fine Salt

· Semolina

Ingredients for Tomato Sauce

· 2 1/3 cups Tomato Puree

· 6 leaves of Basil

· 1 Clove of Garlic

· Extra Virgin Olive Oil

· Fine Salt

Ingredients to Garnish

· 0.5 lb Mozzarella Cheese

· 2/3 cups Parmigiano Reggiano PDO Cheese

· Basil Leaves

· LOTS OF LOVE

Preparing your Gnocchi

1. To make the gnocchi alla sorrentina, the first thing you need to prepare is the potatoes. Wash them under water and remove any dirt or debris. Once they are clean, place them in a large pot full of water, and cook them for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

2. Next you can start to make the sauce. To make the sauce you will need to add a drizzle of oil to a pot along with a whole clove of crushed garlic and tomato puree. The puree you can make using fresh tomatoes or store bought if needed. Then season the sauce with salt and pepper to your liking. After the sauce is seasoned, add in 6 fresh basil leaves and cover with a lid. The basil will develop a strong flavor and soak into the tomato puree. Leave the sauce to cook on medium/heat for about 30 minutes.

3. While the sauce is cooking, drain the potatoes and peel the outside skin off. Once the potatoes are peeled, sift flour onto a pastry board and create a well. Using a potato ricer, press the potatoes out into the well of the flour. Make sure the potatoes are still warm when doing this. Then you will start to knead the potatoes and flour together to create a dough. Some people add eggs to the potatoes mixture to help it stick, but this is not necessary.

4. After you make the dough, bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, cut the dough you made into equal portions. Roll each portion into a cylinder “rope” shapes, around ¾ inch to 1 inch thick. Use semolina to keep the dough from sticking together. You can use a gnocchi board or prongs of a fork to make the classic ridges on the gnocchi, but it is not necessary. Once the gnocchi is cut, add it to a bowl and sprinkle some more semolina and mix, so they don’t stick together.

5. Now that the gnocchi is ready, remove the garlic chunks from the sauce and poor ¾ of the sauce into a large bowl.

6. Next you will boil the gnocchi in a pot, doing it is batches. They will only need to cook for a few minutes, and once they rise to the surface, they are ready. Then you will drain the gnocchi and add them to the bowl where the sauce is.

7. Stir the gnocchi and sauce gently with a spoon.

8. Pour the ¼ of sauce left into a baking dish and ½ of the gnocchi. Then add a drizzle oil, and a layer of diced mozzarella and parmigiano over the sauce.

9. Then pour the rest of the gnocchi into the baking dish and add a final. Next you will add a final layer of diced mozzarella and parmigiano to the top of the pasta dish.

10. Cook your gnocchi alla sorrentina in an oven preheated to 480°F for 5 minutes. Then the dish is ready!

The next day was the 1st of November, which is a very special day in Italy. November 1st is All Saints Day and November 2nd is All Souls Day. This day has many other names, that are used across Europe, but the celebrations are the same. During this day, people will honor all of the saints of a Church. While honoring the saints, people will also offer blessing and prayers to their loved ones that have passed. Although this holiday may sound sad, the way it is celebrated is not. Saints and loved ones are celebrated together, and many people will feast in reembrace of those loved ones. On November 2nd, there are special All Souls Day desserts that many people will eat. There are a few traditional desserts for this holiday, but the one I tried was Torroncini. I didn't understand why food and special desserts were such a big tradition on this holiday. But I found out that food, especially sweets brings a lot of people together. These deserts which can be filled with chocolate, nuts, fruits, and more are supposed to bring a sense of comfort and lift people spirits with there sweet taste. After learning about the history, my friends and I decided to go to a nearby pastry shop, Veneruso, to try them!

After a week full of adventures, we headed to Rome on Friday! We got to Rome around noon on Friday and started walking towards the Trevi Fountain. This fountain is several meters tall and is one of the most famous fountains in the world. Its original purpose was to serve as an aqueduct for more than 400 years, but now it serves as an iconic landmark. Many people also make wishes and thrown coins into the fountain, and the money (~3,000 euros per day) is used for charity. After the Trevi Fountain, we headed towards the Pantheon, which is nearby. This building was built as a Roman temple and contains many iconic symbols within its architecture. I really enjoyed seeing the Pantheon and right outside of it was another beautiful fountain. I haven't even been in Rome for 1 full day and the architecture and buildings were so beautiful.

Then we started walking to the Colosseum, since we had a tour booked, and got to see a few other famous buildings on our walk. Eventually we got to the Colosseum and I was amazed! I knew the Colosseum was big and many tourist went there, but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. It was such a cool building and had so much history that not many people know about. Like many people, I really enjoyed learning about the Gladiators. Now of days, people view Gladiators as these strong fighters and they are viewed with a high status. But during the Roman times, it was not like this. Gladiators were slaves, and they were forced to fight for the entertainment of others. Most were schooled in harsh conditions and socially marginalized. They were forced to fight to the death, and those who were at the top, brought political support for their "owners". Many politicians would actually use Gladiators and fights to win over the peoples votes. After the Colosseum, we went to the Roman Forum and the Trojan Market, which also have close ties to the purpose of the Colosseum. At the Trojan Market we got to see the Trojan Column. The Trojan Column is about 30 meters tall and is lined with engravings and sculptures all around.

After our tour, we stopped for a very late lunch. I got Cacio e Pepe which has become one of my favorite dishes. After lunch we walked around and went into a few different stores. One of my favorites was the Christmas store we found. I got something very cute there, but it is a surprise for when I get back home! After enjoying the local shops, we went to what we thought was a Van Gogh immersive experience. We had tickets and everything, but when we arrived it turned out to be a different artist and it didn't have many immersive features. Although this was not what we planned, we laughed it off and eventually went back to the hostel and hung out for a bit. We had walked about 16 miles at this point so we were all tired. Eventually we got dinner and the went to bed!

The next day we went to Vatican City! The first part of our tour went through the Vatican Museum. Throughout the museum there was all kinds of art from Renaissance, to Modern, to Ancient Egypt. This was once of the biggest Museums I have been in, with over 70,000 works of art. My favorite thing however was not the paintings on the wall, but the ceilings. There is so much detail and beauty put into the ceiling paintings and I always enjoy them the most. In the Museum, we also got to see the Sistine Chapel which was decorated by Michelangelo. This ceilings show many religious symbols, two of which are the life of Moses and the life of Christ. Furthermore, when looking at the details you can see various pictures that tell a story about the creation of the world, God's relationships with mankind, and mankind's fall from God. The Sistine Chapel is used as a religious and functionary place for papal activity. Now, each time a new pop in selected, the ceremony takes places here.

By the time we got through the Museum and Sistine Chapel, we had a few short amount of time before we had to catch a train back to Sorrento. So we stopped for a quick meal in Vatican City and then headed back!

The next day was Sunday and I had a field trip for my History of the Mafia class with my friends. We went to a buffalo farm where they make buffalo mozzarella. This mozzarella is very similar to cow mozzarella except it was more creamy. The farm we were at was Pontere in Caserta, and it was byfar the best mozzarella I have ever had. You may be wondering what the connection was to the mafia, but it is actually very interesting. At one point in time, there were diseases that were being transferred into the mozzarella, and although it didn't harm humans, it was being passed between all the animals. The government wanted to stop this, and would pay farms to put down the disease animals, that way they weren't spreading the diseases just to sell enough cheese. The mafia used this to their advantage, and scammed the government, and started making money by saying they had diseased cows. They were also not making the mozzarella using buffalo milk but cow milk. They would have high prices for what people thought was good quality buffalo milk, but it wasn't. So the mafia was spending less money in production but making lots after sales. Due to the mafias effect on mozzarella production, this types of farming has become highly regulated.