Paparul Crushk

I read the same article Jeanne did. It really brought back memories. I tried to order the peppers from the website the article mentioned but no luck. Sooooo, I bought the dried red Anaheim peppers and gave it a whirl with them. They where/are really to dark and thus once they hit the oil get even darker. Not bad, but not what I recall them tasting like.

I discussed the how-tos with Aunt Rose and tried again with some different peppers. Although they came out better, the frying intensified the heat of them so much my boys and I where wrecked. May be only a memory, but its a strong one.

Update:
For more information about paparul crushk, please visit http://romeocucina.blogspot.com/2010/06/fried-italian-peppers.html.

Fried Red Peppers

I just bought the May issue of Saveur magazine. The front cover caught my eye because it was titled The Real Italy. While I was paging through the magazine I noticed a section on Basilicata, Italy. The article mentions the sweet fried red peppers that many of us remember from our childhood and talks about how salty and crunchy they are. There's also a store where you can order the dried peppers by the pound.

I wanted to share this with those of us who remember eating the peppers with fried eggs or as a snack like potato chips.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Jeanne

The Shrub

Aunt Rose remembers the shrub but does not know what it was. We both loved the fruits of the garden and the trees.

Great videos Dominic.

JoAnn and Aunt Rose

The Shrub in the Back Yard

Do any of you recall the shrub/bush that was in the back yard of Truesdale? The yard had a sweet plum tree, a Bing cherry tree, a peach tree (that never produced a single peach in my memory) and a Bartlett pear tree. I ate those pears all winter long from the jars Grandma would put up. Grandpa could grow anything. I digress....

Back to the shrub...
It was about 2/3rds of the way to the back fence from the house on the DeCastris side of the property. The following is what I remember of that odd plant and its history.

I used to have to plow the back yard each year with a pitch fork (twice because that is what it took). Then we would rake the plot with a hard rake and plant tomatoes and peppers. We planted (for reference sake) about 40 tomatoes and 25 peppers. They (the Warino patriarchs) where very dependent on the garden for food and that carried to my childhood. The need for food production from the yard was clearly very real to them. The plantings where done from the prior year crop's seeds and raised from seedlings in the "hot box." I believe the original seeds came from Italy with one (or both of our grandparents.)

The shrub was an odd plant, as it was wild in a place where all was tame. Once while I was working the plow, (read pitchfork,) I kept running into a stray branch of said shrub. Irritated I reached out and broke off the branch. Grandma gasped, in a way she rarely did. When she could speak again, she explained the bush was very special and that I should be more careful. The bush it seemed was a combination of many varieties of flowering shrubs which Grandpa had grafted together. The bush was ALWAYS in bloom. Various blossoms of yellow, white, pink, but mostly red. Just when the blooms of one branch would being fading away, the flowers of another would be just about to pop into full view. The bush was clearly visible from the window in the pantry. I was never sure if the shrub was purely utilitarian to draw bees to the garden or designed to make Grandma happy as she washed the dishes. James had a special knack with gardening. Clearly he could grow anything (see above). What he did grow is fascinating.

This story remains perhaps the most practical and romantic I have heard of the "Gid" and "Fanny".

First Black Belt in the Family?

Last evening, after a marvelous display of talent and skill, Dominic was approved to test for his black belt! Dominic has been working toward his black belt for almost 5 years which of course, is based on far more than his physical abilities. His black belt will exemplify the qualities of discipline, perseverance, respect, leadership and humility as well. The video shows Dominic doing his black belt form during last night's test. Dominic will test for his black belt on Friday, July 17th, and we invite all the Warinos to join us in Atlanta to celebrate Dominic's accomplishment!

Have there been any other black belts in the Warino family? I couldn't think of any.