No “Malocchio” on This Pennsylvannia class! (Mar 15, 2013)

Like arriving home in Italy as soon as I walked into Frank and Sharon’s welcoming Malvern home: chatter filled the kitchen as Frank’s sisters washed a colorful array of fruits and vegetables for our class and in the corner, a pizza oven’s cheery flame warmed all. Pizza was not on our menu but southern Italian foods highlighted our feast: a good culinary match for Frank’s family of pugliese origin and guests with Sicilian ties – like Ed. And they all knew about the need to keep away the malocchio or evil eye- and the right gesture to do it.

Umbria touched this cooking class, too: Joe and Frank had biked the region and prized Montefalco reds enhanced the flavor of our Sicilian pasta dish and the savory herbed chicken/potato dish. All guests fully participated in the cooking – and in the feasting. And the goodness did not end that night: when I woke up the next day, Frank had baked hot scones for breakfast and was rolling out the pizza dough. The pizza oven would not just warm the kitchen that night: it would be filled with pizzas topped with our antipastos from the cooking class. I’d miss our Sicilian eggplant with mint on the pizza.

Can we do pizza next year, Frank and Sharon?

Mille grazie to you each – and to all our enthusiastic chefs.
Thanks to you, too, young Taylor, for following our class with your camera – you certainly captured all the fun.

Thanks to each for you comments:

“Any time I get to spend with my brothers and sisters is wonderful thing! Thank you for spending time with us. Food, family and friends.” Mary P

“Thank you for a magical evening – informative. Delicious!”

“…what an amazing night! Food and conversation of Mafia references: you made Ed feel right at home! Can’t wait to see you again.” Nicole

“Controlled chaos! It was incredible! Great food, great insights and great company…” Ginny P