Looking for Lost Italian-American Recipes? Just ask!

       Trying to find an old traditional family recipe is not easy. If Grandma and Great Aunt are gone, often the recipe is too! They will not be found in modern Italian cookbooks either. These cookbooks do not always reflect the Italian-American culture. They reflect the Italian culture and there is a difference. You have a better chance of finding your recipe in cookbooks made by church groups and Italian societies.
      If you are looking for an old family recipe of Italian background, just ask. We will try to find it. We may not succeed, but perhaps another person out there will have the answer and post it to us.
    Please try to provide the following:

1. your town and province in Italy (if mother and father are from different

places, give both.

2. a history of the recipe in your family: special holidays, weddings, etc.

3. describe the recipe as much as you can: appetizer, sweet, physical

appearance, taste, name.

4. tell us a family story about the recipe.

5. if you have a photo, we can post it.

It is very important to give us the region, as the same dish is often prepared differently in different sections of the country, or called by a different name. In addition, if your mother came from one area of Italy and your father from another, we need to know who prepared this food at home. Both men and women enjoy making good food! Be sure to include your family name and the names of your immigrants. You can reach us at cass@telerama.com

Arancini -- A Sicilian rice ball stuffed with goodies and deep fried.
Fiori di Zucca Fritti -- A deep-fried northern Italian zucchini or pumpkin flower.
Pane Fritto -- A deep-fried dough ball filled with sweets or savories.
Sfogliatella Frolle -- A Neapolitan pastry shaped like a shell and filled with cream.