Festival Time

September is the time for all sorts of festivals.There are church feasts and street fairs , along with those celebrating the end of summer or the beginning of fall.These are filled with all sorts of tasty dishes and treats. Some are handmade , some are typical festival fare but all are delicious.

The biggest feast this month happens in Lower Manhattan. San Gennaro is one of the largest and oldest street festivals in the country.It started in 1926 and has long been known for its' tasty dishes it's The feast, celebrating Neapolitan Saint Gennaro , has spawned other festivals from the Hamptons to Los Angeles with Las Vegas in between.It's a chance to sample the fried doughy treats known as zeppoli, which are pizza dough puffs deep fried in oil and then coated in confectioner's sugar. Any feast will have some yummy sandwiches such as sausage and peppers or a meatball sub. Antipasto is also sold if you're lookinjg for lighter fare.

Street fairs in any of the major cities and smaller towns also come up in September. Again there are some delicious foods to be found. Smaller town or church fairs have the various women's groups and  congregations cook and bake for them. Food choices vary from a zucchini bake and chicken stew to Streusel cakes and snickerdoodles for dessert. Street fairs also offer a wide variety of dishes from French crepes to Indonesian satays. Fairs are also a time to try those fun treats such as fried Oreos, potato chips on a stick along with the classics of Sno Cones, candy apples and cotton candy.

Beach weather may be over but  it's time to enjoy the many festivals and fairs. These get togethers are great places to savor traditional foods like zeppoli and sausage and peppers. They;re also great  to indulge in international fare such as a fruit crepe or enjoy a fun classic like a grape Sno Cone. festivals are just a neat way to have fun during the still warm days of late summer.

Spear Shakers Unite! It's Asparagus Festival Time!!!!

What vegetable heralds Spring more than the asparagus? This symbol of rebirth and renewal is the perfect accompaniment to holiday meats such as ham and lamb. In my great grandparents' Swabian and Bavarian hometowns of southwestern Germany asparagus, known as sparkel , has its' own festivals. My cousins go mad for the white variety sold at roadside stands. This love carried over to my grandfather, my mother's father who made it a staple of his springtime dinners(my granddad was a killer cook by the way). His wife, my Piedmontese grandmother, put her own spin on it and produced a buttery , easy to make asparagus dish.

If you don't love asparagus, you should. Why? it's a good source of potassium and fiber along with being low in calories and rich in rutin. Rutin is a much needed bioflavenoid needed by our bodies to strengthen capillary walls. Hey, the real reason why you should love asparagus? The fresh Spring-y taste! Nothing can beat it!
PS - If there's no Asparagus Festival by you - then gather up your fellow spear shakers and throw one!
Here is my Nonna's asparagus recipe:

1 bundle of asparagus
1 hard boiled egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

Cut ends off asparagus bottoms. Plunge spears into salted boiling water and cook for ten minutes until all spears are tender. Place in a large dish , with spears all facing one direction. Cover asparagus with a sliced hard boiled egg and grated Parmesan cheese. Pour melted butter over this and serve. You can place the dish under a broiler for about two to three minute to melt cheese if desired. Serves four.
Don't worry about leftovers. There won't be any. Believe me.

My thanks to the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board for the nutritional information

FOODIE PANTRY WILL BE THROWING ITS' VERY FIRST EVER CONTEST SOON! STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS!!!!