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Last year we did a whole podcast covering some of the strange and mysterious customs we\'ve experienced in Italy during holy week. You can find that here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/easter-in-italy/
\\nThis year, we sat down with Paul\'s mother so she could tell us how they used to celebrate Easter when she was young. She shares some recipes, memories and laughs.
\\nHere\'s a list of all we talk about:
\\nConnie describes her famous ragu sauce recipe. You\'ll find that here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/connie-cappellis-ragu/
\\nConnie confirms our no meatballs and spaghetti rule the we talked about here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/032-traditional-italian-food-what-not-to-do-when-it-comes-to-cooking-eating-italy/
\\nI will be following up with a real recipe with pictures and a video here. But here\'s the recipe as Connie describes it. If you listen, you\'ll see why we say "recipes are dumb" as no Italian grandmother will ever give you exact amounts.
\\nThe stuffing ingredients include mortadella or ham (no prosciutto as it will taste rancid when cooked), eggs, grated Pecorino Romano, bread crumbs, parsley, a little salt and pepper. The stuffing will be rather thick, as you need to actually stuff it into the meat.
\\nThe cut meat is a some of the ribs with a little bit of the belly. The hole is cut into the side along the belly (when I get pictures, that will help explain this).
\\nConnie explains you can used the exact same stuffing to make Stuffed Cuttlefish.
\\nWhat she doesn\'t explain is they will stuff the cuttlefish and tie them up, and then cook in a tomato sauce. You would eat the sauce on pasta, and the cuttlefish as second.
\\nThis was eaten on Friday because you could NOT eat meat on Easter Friday at all.
\\nWhat the heck is cuttlefish?
\\nIf you don\'t know what a cuttlefish is, it\'s essentially a cousin of squid or calamari. Here\'s a nice article about cuttlefish.
\\nWhen you are eating them, they look and taste pretty much like calamari. Honestly, most people wouldn\'t be able to tell the difference. The cuttlefish is just thicker and meatier.
\\nPaul explains that in Italian, they are called seppia (which I just discovered is very close to their scientific order name Sepiida). The cuttlefish excrete a unique brown pigment when it is alarmed. And that is how we get the word "sepia" which refers to the brown pigment color in English.
\\nThe bone found in them distinguishes them from their squid relatives. This is the bone you\'ll find in bird cages.
\\nHow Paul\'s mother speaks four different languages: English, Italian, the local Terlizzi dialect and a version of the dialect which is a mix of dialect and English. She gives a lot of fun examples in the podcast.
\\nA fun Easter dessert in the shape of a basket with an egg on top. I have not personally seen this my self here, but I\'m sure you\'ll still find them in many homes and bakeries.
\\nThis is the Monday after Easter. It is a very big celebration in Italy. Almost as big as Easter itself.
\\nIn Connie\'s time, the would pack up all the leftovers and head to the country and have a big picnic with the leftovers.
\\nWe talk about how back in Connie\'s time, they used to eat what is probably a much truer Mediterranean diet than today.
\\nAlmost every day they would eat fish, and meat was maybe served on Sunday. Even then, it was a pound of meat for five people just to flavor the sauce for your pasta.
\\nThey would have a lot of vegetables, nuts, and olives. Junk food didn\'t exist and celery was a snack. Would this be nice again!
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\\nThe depressing parade that\'s been going on in town for years. He covered a lot of this in last year\'s podcast again, which you\'ll find here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/easter-in-italy/
\\nHere\'s a quick video of it as well.
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