Recipes From My Neapolitan Family - Carolyn Franklin M a - Bog

This is a love story about an Italian family, the Membrino's, who came on the boat direct from Naples to Boston to Fitchburg, Massachusetts - Salem Street, Orazio and Pasqualina Membrino, with five little ones in tow - four girls and one boy. They arrived just before the Great Depression, lived for the welfare of each other and were devoted to each other. Devout Catholics, not afraid of the Irish priest, not afraid of hard work, and, like all true Italians argued over who's spaghetti sauce was the best.Who were they? Nobody. What did they do? They were one family of immigrants woven into the vital fabric of America in the last century. America! Land of Opportunity, Land of Family - long before the word "togetherness," was invented - we were it. They are my family, the Membrino's: Pascualina (MamaLena = Mamali) and Orazio Membrino."Pascualina" refers to the commemoration of the Lamb as we celebrate at Easter, the Pascual Lamb. And "Orazio" means "prayers" in general, but more like the answer to a prayer.As time moved on, the Membrino daughters became: Giuseppina (Josephine) Solomito, Mary Morley, Rose Cummings, Fiorina (Lena) Franklin, Anna Sprowson (the only "American") and the cherished son, Carmen. Besides the Church (mass was in Italian), they lived for food, the best there was at that time, simple, nutritious, delicious - and habit forming. It wasn't "fast food," it was "all-day cooking food." But there was "tasting" in the interim - is it done yet? No, just a little more time... and, it was "all you could eat" - even for the Beagle, (Hunter) "Huntah." No one was overweight. With no car, we walked everywhere. Walked and visited with the neighbors as we went by. Often they would yell out the window and everyone had a moment to say "Hello..."Later we had moved to California and I was home for a visit after an absence of 7 years. I was walking down tree-lined Salem Street, and from a window, up under elm branches, someone yelled, "Hey! Ain't you Lena Membrino's daughter?" I yelled back, "Yes!" - end of the news flash for that day. This is a cookbook of my family's recipes, just as we did them then - all originals, including the conversations. Vegetables fresh from the black soil of Mamali's backyard garden, "free range" chicken on Sunday and apple pie if you have room - and, you'd better have room! The recipes should be made with love, eaten lustily with wine and loud conversation - "a tavola", laughter and arguments between Republicans and Democrats. A time to enjoy family and as many friends as drop by.