It was a dream come true on Saturday, Jan 4, 2014.
For the past year I have been following cookbook author Pamela Sheldon Johns on Facebook. I had purchased her last book 'Cucina Povera' and loved it for its authenticity.
During my November trip to Italy, I saw a FaceBook announcement that Pamela Sheldon Johns would be holding cooking classes in the Santa Barbara area. She actually had more than one class and I would have gladly paid to attend each one, but the time and distance was a factor. The Saturday morning 11.00 class in Montecito (Santa Barbara) was timed just right for me to attend.
On Friday night, I washed and prepared my old car for its Saturday morning drive to Santa Barbara. Google maps told me the trip should take just over 2 hours. It was a real advantage to travel early on a non workday. The freeways would not be congested. Just to be sure, I allowed 3.5 hours for the trip.
It was so hard to sleep Friday night. I was so excited to attend this class. At 7.30 in the morning, I set my Garmin navigation device for the address in Montecito and departed from Long Beach. The Garmin stayed steady in its arrival prediction of 9.35.
There was no traffic! I needed to constantly check my speedometer, as it crept up to 80 miles an hour. The weather was cool and slightly foggy. At Hwy 101 I drove down the steep drop into Oxnard beach cities. The return trip up this incline would not be pleasant, I thought.
During the night I kept worrying I had not found the perfect gift to take to Pamela. We've all eaten too many sweets this holiday season, so candy was not an option. Luggage weight is always a factor, so I didn't want anything to weigh down her return trip bags. My mind was finally free of work stress as I drove, when the answer came to me. Of course! I would do exactly as if I were in Italy. I would take her fresh cut flowers.
Just as both Garmin and Google had predicted, I arrived at my destination at 9.35. I was an hour and a half early. Perfect for my next task. I checked the internet for Saturday morning Farmer's Market. Not finding one, I decided on Trader Joe's.
The area around Montecito and Santa Barbara is really hilly with tiny, curvy roads, with no turnouts. Somehow I ended up at the Santa Barbara Mission, not exactly where I wanted to be. At that point the Garmin showed me I was 40 minutes from the class location. I reprogrammed it for Trader Joe's.
Trader Joe's always feels like a safe port. I ran in, bought iris and sunflowers. The counterman helped me cut the flowers and then I arranged them. They were exactly what I wanted.
With the Garmin reprogrammed, I hopped back onto Hwy 101 and dove south, only speeding a little. I arrived at the class at 11.00 exactly.
What a lovely home! It was light, open and airy with beautiful succulent flower arrangements, inside and out. I looked for Pamela. And there she was. Without thinking, I began speaking Italian as I handed her the flowers. It's always there, my desire to be in Italy. She was very gracious. We had never met in person. FaceBook acquaintances only.
She introduced her house host, cooking helpers and Chef Tim Neenan, Johnny Johns her husband, adopted Italian grandfather Virio, from their village and other friends, here to enjoy a class and reunion with Pamela.
Pamela started her class with a short history lesson. Modern Sicilian cuisine has evolved from its past relationships with the Greeks, Arabs, Normans, French, Spaniards. The Greeks settled near Syracruse, the Arab influence can still be seen in Palermo and the French in Messina.
The island’s 25,000 square kilometers hosts a variety of climates. Three seas surround Sicily’s 1000 kilmeter coastline: the Ionian Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Mediterranean. Pamela stated seafood has always been eaten along the entire shore of Sicily, but in the past, fish was not widely eaten in areas not close to the coast. Salted anchovies and sardines were used inland as seasonings.
She mentioned the early Romans had changed Sicily’s climate when they cut down its interior forests to plant wheat. After World War II almost all the native cattle had been eaten. Historically, bovine dairy products have not been commonly used. Cheese was usually made from sheep's milk.
Also, the water based sorbets and granita are much more refreshing during hot seasons, because the body is not required to expend energy in digesting milk based treats.
It's important to also eat foods which are in season. Modern foods have been modified in the laboratory to be available year round. These foods are less flavorful. Only good farming practices, not just an organic label, will produce food with good flavor.
Pamela was approached by the Phadion Press (Great Britain) to write new narrative for the original Sicilian recipes from the cookbook the Silver Spoon (Il Cucchiaio Argento).
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_cucchiaio_d'argento
I noticed a stack of her books and a few tins of her just pressed olive oil on the counter. I was anxious to buy that new book!
We enjoyed a nice talk on sustainable fishing. I don't cook with a lot of fish. I always worry about pollution and where that fish had been. Randee Disraeli, a scientist and owner of Kanaloa Seafood, gave us information on how to be informed purchasers of good fish. Wow! Julia Child used to order fish from her. She spoke about special packaging which now allows fish to be safely delivered anywhere in the world. I need to check her website: http://kanaloaseafood.com/
While Pamela spoke, helpers were busy cutting, kneading and cooking. My eyes were wide open, trying to take it all in.
Of course I had to go crazy taking pictures. Unfortunately I am too shy in crowds and didn't exchange more than a few words with other participants. I was very engaged in watching every aspect of this class. Since there was no hands-on class participation, I was constantly on the lookout for moments to document. I've never had Sicilian food. One day, I hope to spend some time there and experience it in person.
The class was perfectly designed with pauses for tasting and eating everything which was being prepared.
Our first pause was for oil tasting. Pamela told us to hold the little cupful in our hands, to warm up the oil to release its odor. This organic olive oil is from last fall's olive pressing. Each olive had been hand harvested on her organic farm in Montepulciano, Italy.
We dipped sticks of carrots and celery in the oil. I nearly cried when I saw on the table, abandoned little glasses with plenty of oil still left. I sipped mine. Every drop. There is nothing better than fresh olive oil.
Pamela talked about the practice of blending oils from different areas, ranges of acidity, color differences, picking at the right time and how careful handling adds to an oil’s quality. It's buyer beware when it comes to purchasing olive oil. Labeling can often be deceptive. I found this on the internet to do more research: http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/
Pasta made in Italy, with only two ingredients, flour and water, is the best. Pasta formed with old-fashioned bronze dies are the best. Pasta extruded through Teflon dies are too smooth surfaced to allow the sauce to cling. Pasta slow dried and not dried quickly in highly heated ovens are best.
Since I'm always researching to be more informed, I found an Italian site that sells pasta dies: http://www.italgi.it/e-dies.htm
I'm having a love affair with Italian language, food and culture!
Arancini
Fish (Back cod)
Pasta con le sarde (using black cod)
Sfincione (Sicilian pizza)
Caponata classica
Eating!
Pistachio gelato
Thank you Pamela for a great class! I spent Saturday evening reading my very own copy of this yummy cookbook.
And the drive home was pleasant after all. A jackknifed truck had the southbound Hwy 101 backed up for miles. I detoured just in time, to Pacific Coast Hwy and arrived home in three hours, at 6 pm.
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