Family Search Turns Up Certificates
Family Search sent me an email saying they had some documentation relating to Harold Perugi. This the Certificate of entry June 6, 1910 on the ship Canopie and the Naturalization paper on November 18, 2013.
Archie Goes to Italy
I found some old pictures in my dad’s photo book from the time (post 1973) he went to Carrara to visit Almo and Eligio and family. You can see those three plus Almo’s wife and a few of Franco! The other relatives Nancy and I may have met in 1973; a banker cousin and his wife whose house was tiled in multi colored marble inside.
Dad also took photos of Alligio’s grave site. I included a wider view so that we may be able to locate this place.
Archie Family Italy
Almo and Eligio family
Almo Eligio Mealtime
Attilio grave site
Attilio Resting Place
Doorway near Attilio grave
Ricotta Cheesecake
I saw this on TicTock on brazzitrattoria. Great for easy Easter dessert! This is his picture. My cake is in the oven!
6 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
2 cups sugar
3 pounds (48 oz) ricotta cheese
Grease springform pan with spray or butter
Set oven to 400 degrees
Mix six eggs
Add vanilla and mix again
Add corn starch and sugar and mix
Add ricotta and mix again well
(if you use a 2 lb. carton of ricotta, cut the rest of the ingredients by 1/3)|
(converts to: 4 eggs, 1 t. vanilla, 1 t. cornstarch, 1 1/3 c. sugar, 2 lb. carton ricotta
Add 1-2 t. grated lemon if desired
Pour into pan and bake at 400 for ten minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
Bake 1 hour then turn off oven and let rest in oven for another hour
Baked Polenta
From Pam Perugi Marraccini
• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
• 9×9 or 10x 10 baking dish brushed with olive oil
• 2 c polenta
• 6 c water or chicken stock
• 2 t Salt
• 2 T Butter
• ½ c grated parmigiana
1. Cook polenta. I bring the liquid to a boil with salt and add the polenta all at once stirring with a whisk to
remove all lumps, takes only seconds to accomplish.
2. Lower the temperature and continue stirring until it pulls away from the sides of the pot (20 minutes or so).
3. Add butter and parmigiana. Stir thoroughly.
4. Spread evenly in baking dish and sprinkle top with thinly sliced brick cheese if you can find it or 1 ½ c grated Monterey jack or other mild cheese mix. Then add Quick Tomato Sauce on top of that.
5. Bake for 30-45 minutes. It’s even better reheated the second day; it gets firm and becomes sliceable.
Note from Deb: I have placed firm pieces of polenta on a charcoal grill and added sauce before serving. Excellent!
Quick Tomato Sauce
By Pam Perugi Marraccini
When Dad came home from one of his visits to Italy, he showed me this quick method for making tomato sauce taught to him by his cousin Bruna Palermo. It has been my standard ever since.
You can use fresh peeled tomatoes or jarred/canned tomatoes.
I use canned whole San Marzano Tomatoes or the Jarred version by Jovial.
• ¼ – ½ c Olive oil to cover bottom of pan. (I use a frying pan which speeds up the process due to the larger surface area, cooks in 45 minutes or less.)
• 1 – 28 oz can whole/peeled San Marzano or 2 – 14 Oz Jars of Jovial whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste
• Any herb that suits your menu of the day: marjoram is my favorite, but oregano, rosemary, or fresh basil (added at the end) will work too.
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until transparent, add whole tomatoes and chop them with the edge of a wooden spoon while cooking them ( or pulse them in a food processor to a chunky texture.) Add all seasonings, except basil. Stir and chop regularly. Takes only 45 minutes or so. Add fresh basil at the end.
Artisan-style, Gluten Free Bread
By Ivo Cola, from Pam Perugi Marraccini
INGREDIENTS:
• 500 grams (1.1 lbs) (17.637 ozs.) Caputo Brand, “Fioreglut”, gluten-free flour (this flour works best, period)
• 5 grams dry yeast (i.e. 1 ¼ to 1 ½ tsp)
• 400 grams (400 ml) (14.1 oz) of luke-warm water, around 80-degrees F
• 10 grams salt (i.e. 1 ½ tsp)
•12 grams (3 tsp) extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) plus more for mixing
• Some extra gluten-free flour for dusting
PROCESS:
1. Add yeast to the flour, and then add the water, mix to incorporate (before you mix, coat your hands with EVOO. If
using a spatula to mix, coat the spatula with EVOO)
• Add the salt and mix in until incorporated
• Add the EVOO and continue mixing (use the pincher method, which is to squeeze the dough while mixing)
• Once all ingredients are mixed thoroughly together, let rest, covered, for 10 minutes
• After 10 minutes, coat your hands with some EVOO and shape the dough into a round shape (like making a large meat ball)
• Sprinkle a proofing basket (or bowl) generously with gluten free flour (this will help prevent the dough from sticking) and then place the dough in the basket
• Sprinkle some gluten free flour on top of the dough and cover with a kitchen towel until it doubles in size, which is typically 3 – 4 hours
• Place a Dutch oven with its lid (or any other oven proof bakeware and lid) into the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
• Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from your oven, and carefully place the dough inside. Score the top of the dough with a bread lame (or you can cut the top with scissors) Place lid on top and cook in oven for 30 minutes with the lid on
• After 30 minutes, remove lid and cook for 10 minutes
• After 10 minutes, change setting on oven to broil and broil for 5 minutes (this will add an amazing color to the top of the bread)
• Then remove the bread and let stand 30 minutes. Enjoy.
Pomodoro (Marinara)
1 large can San Marzano tomatoes with juice. (Find authentic San Marzano at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Wegman’s and World Market.)
1/4 c olive oil
1 garlic clove
2 T tomato paste
fresh basil leaves
Bottle of Passata (purchase at Whole Foods or World Market)
Pour olive oil into saucepan and add roughly sliced garlic clove, brown lightly and remove. Add tomatoes. Break up as they cook into smaller pieces. Add tomato paste to thicken. Crushed red pepper if desired. Cook to reduce sauce. Add basil leaves and continue to cook until done..
Use as a base sauce for eggplant parmesan, Sasage Ragu, Pasta Puttanesca, Cattiatore, pizza, etc.
(Photo to come)
Celebration in Martha’s Vineyard
The Slate and Perugi families were all aboard for the wedding of Ed and Wendy Slate’s daughter, Charlotte Rebecca Slate to Matt Carmody. As you can see, the cousins had a great time!
Pam Perugi Marraccini
John Slate
lee marraccini and nancy slate krug
John Krug
serving
underthetent
ed and nancy
richard saltus deb perugi
Grandma’s Rice Custard (updated)
From Grandma’s hand written note:
1/4 cup rice, wash well.
Cook slowly in quart milk, a little salt, stir all the time in a sauce pan, until rice is cooked
1/2 cup sugar to taste
Take 5 eggs if small (4 if large), heat a little, put a tsp. vanilla
Place in buttered pan, 4 small pieces of butter on top
Put in medium oven (325°) about 25-30 min (45 min.in our oven) until knife comes out clean.
(Note: Rich and I both felt that 1/4 cup uncooked Basmati rice was not enough in this recipe. Next time I would use 1/3 to 1/2 cup instead. Also, I would change sugar to 1/4 C. — Deb)
Pizza
MAKE DOUGH
Dissolve 1 package yeast (or 1 T) by mixing into 1 C warm water. (tap water is ok)
Add 1 t salt and 1/4 C olive oil and mix.
Stir into 2 C flour (00 flour is best) I used King Arthur Pizza flour.
Knead on floured counter top about 1 minute. Place in bowl and cover with damp towel and place in oven (turned off) to rise for 1 hour. (1st proof)
Scrape out onto floured counter and knead for two or three minutes. Sprinkle flour to keep it from sticking. Put back in oven and let rise up to 3 hours. I only did 2. (2nd proof)
Remove and knead a little to shape and spread in oily shallow baking pan.
Turn oven on to 400 degrees F. While that was heating up, I put the dough pan on the bottom rack to bake a little.
MAKE SAUCE: (Can be made ahead.)
I used a small box of Cento chopped tomatoes. Heat on stove and add olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram and then mix. Add tomato paste and a little anchovy. Cook until thick enough for pie.
CHEESE:
After spreading sauce on dough, sprinkle almost a small package of shredded Italian cheese. (Stop and Shop brand) Then add sliced mozzerella, I used almost one fresh white ball. The whiter the better. Then lastly some grated parmesan cheese.
Bake 10 minutes in the middle rack and 8 minutes on the top rack.
molto bene!