When we visit our relatives in Italy they always prepare some unique and delicious Italian foods for us, along with our traditional favorites. One of my favorites is Donkey salami. I know it sounds strange but it was delicious! The meat was tender and did not seem to have as much fat in it. The flavor was somewhat milder but still robust. I was tempted to try and smuggle some home in my suitcase but decided against it.
Some of our cousins actually own a restaurant and have won awards for dishes using donkey (asino in Italian) meat! They actually raise the donkeys themselves so the meat quality is excellent. We had asino and beef ravioli in a brown gravy that was balisemo! The homemade pasta was very tender and it melted in your mouth. I asked Anna (the head chef) how long it takes her to make ravioli and she said 3 hours. My mouth dropped open. When Nick and I make ravioli (beef and vegetables) it takes all day! She is truly an artist.
On another trip we had wild boar with pasta. They live in a hill town and the wild boar are common. This meat was slightly gamey but tender. On another occasion we had deer meat. The meat was pounded very thin then cooked and added to — you guessed it, pasta with a gravy! The meat was very lean, not chewy or gamey tasting. A couple of the cousins are avid hunters and none of the meat goes to waste.
The picture is our cousin Andrea, pizza chef extraordinaire, cutting focaccia formmagio al Greco. This is a thin crust loaded with cheese then a second thin crust is placed on top. It is baked long enough to melt the cheese completely but not burn the crust. It’s like a creamy, gooey heaven when you bit into it. He also made about 6 other types of pizza that night – all 17 of us were stuffed!
Sitting around the table with good food, wine, family and friends always leads to laughter and a sense of well-being. The food nourishes the physical body while the socializing and laughter feeds the mind and spirit. This combination can help ease all forms of pain. Did you know that laughter releases endorphins – the feel good hormone? Laughing can help reduce physical pain and boost your immune system. So the next time you start to experience some form of pain call up family or friends, cook up or go out for good food and laugh. Your will be glad you did.