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.

Celebrating Saint Joseph’s Day

Two days ago the Irish celebrated the feast of Saint Patrick , today other nationalities such as the Italian and the Polish celebrate Saint Joseph’s Day. it’s mostly a big feast on the Italian islands of Malta and Sicily where special dinners and pastries are served. Lots also Italy’s Father’s Day where dad and grandfathers are honored from Trieste to Torino, from the Alps to the Adriatic.

Last year I wrote about this days pastries which are incredible. Many love the zeppolis , the ricotta filled fried puffs along with cream puffs also stuffed with a cannoli filling. However in some Sicilian and Maltese households. However there are also other dishes served before that. Spaghetti is big but it has to be serve d with a meatless sauce or topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. Broccoli rabe can also be served , probably with the salmons balls or fried codfish, baccala that the Sicilians are so fond of eating. Other dishes include stuffed (meatless) peppers and orange salad, all indicative of the two islands’ bounty of fish an harvests
Sweets are also a big part is the festa or holy day. Not only are zeppolis served but also rum cakes and various cookies. Zeppolis are usually made at home and recipes vary from family to family. Most make them with a choux paste, the same dough used in making cream puffs. Some bakers make add orange or lemon zest for more flavor. The filling is always a ricotta cheese one, either redolent with chocolate chips or lemon zest. Some put bitter cherries on top to decorate the zeppolis. This adds a nice dose of tartness to the taste. All are then lightly dusted with confectioner’s sugar .
Saint Joseph’s Day is just as important as St Patricks Day. It celebrates the saint along with fathers throughout Italy. it’s also celebrate s th e foods of Sicily and Malta as well.