Well, Christmas is over and many of us are feeling a little deflated – disappointed that a period of goodwill is over and even more disappointed that the holidays are over!  After a rather traumatic 2009, many of us simply haven’t had a long enough holiday and others have spent just a little too much. For this reason we decided to continue the season by remembering the beautiful Italian tradition of La Befana and by bringing a few cost effective recipes to you. La Befana will ‘arrive’ in the homes of Italian children this coming Wednesday and both parents and children will make the most of the day. In the Italian folklore,

La Befana is an old lady who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy – the tradition probably originated in central Italy and then spread to the rest of Italy. Her name may have come from the festival of Epiphany or even from the Roman goddess, Strina.  ”This Befana appears to be heir at law of a certain heathen goddess called Strenia, who presided over the new-year’s gifts, ‘Strenae,’ from which, indeed, she derived her name. Her presents were of the same description as those of the Befana … moreover her solemnities were vigorously opposed by the early Christians on account of their noisy, riotous, and licentious character“.  Vestiges of Ancient Manners and Customs, Discoverable in Modern Italy and Sicily by Rev. John J. Blunt (John Murray, 1823).

ZUCCHINI AND PARMESAN SOUP

Ingredients

• 1kg green zucchini cut lengthways into quarters and then into slices
• 60ml extra virgin olive oil
• 15g  garlic cloves, chopped
• 750ml fresh homemade chicken stock
• 60ml single cream
• 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Italian parsley, chopped
• 50 g parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
• Sea salt and  freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Method

• Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and then stir fry the garlic, the basil, the salt and the zucchini slowly until the zucchini are golden and very soft.
• Add a little pepper to taste and the stock – simmer for about 8 minutes, uncovered and then remove from the heat.
• Put ¾ of the soup into a food processor and process until smooth, return to the saucepan and stir in the cream, the parsley and the parmesan.
• Serve sprinkled with the cheese, salt and pepper to taste and plenty of crusty bread.

Another interesting tit-bit is that in the Neolithic culture, the homes found in the villages in Anatolia didn’t have windows or doors – the only entrances were through wide, horizontal roofs. The homes were thus entered via ladders that could have been withdrawn when the homeowners felt threatened in any way. The Befana always enters the homes through the chimney – much like Santa Claus and many other mythical figures throughout the world. La Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the 6th of January to fill their socks with sweets and gifts if they are good or a lump of coal or dark rock sugar if they have been naughty.

Often the children receive both and many of them are thrilled because the dark rock sugar sweet is delicious. Because she is such a good housekeeper, she will sweet the floor before she leaves and the family leaves a small glass of wine and a plate of the local food for the Befana. She is reminiscent of the Russian Bouschka. La Befana is an old lady, carrying a big bag full of sweets and gifts and she rides on a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and covered in soot because she enters the children’s houses through the chimney.  However, in the cities when she comes to hand out gifts (like the Santas in Stores), she usually rides on a donkey and has two baskets on each side – image above. Again, much like the Russian myth, La Befana was approached by the magi (because she was the best housekeeper in her village) a few days before Jesus’s birth – they asked her for directions but she did not know. She gave them food and shelter for a night and in turn they invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus. She declined because she had far too much housework. Later, however, she had a change of heart and started to look for them and for the baby Jesus. Unfortunately she couldn’t find them that, so to this day, La Befana still looks for the baby Jesus and as she travels, she leaves gifts and sweets for all the good, while the naughty children get coal or bags of ashes.

MINESTRONE NAPOLETANA

Ingredients

• 1 yellow pepperoni
• 75 g pancetta
• ½ onion
• ½ carrot
• ½ garlic clove
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 potatoes diced
• 2 generous spoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped
• 100 g shelled broad beans
• 2 zucchini (courgettes) sliced
• 100 g shelled peas
• ¼ cabbage, coarsely shredded
• 1 escarole head, cut into strips
• 2 aubergines, diced
• 100 g cannolicchi pasta
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• To serve, provolone cheese, freshly grated
• Crusty bread , to serve

Method

• Place the pepperoni under a pre-heated grill and cook, turning frequently until the skin is charred and blistered, then place in a plastic bag and tie the top – as soon as it is cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, halve and seed the pepper and dice the flesh.
• Finely chop the pancetta with the onion, carrot and garlic, heat the oil and add the pancetta mixture to cook over a low heat or a few minutes until lightly browned.
• Now add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes before pouring in 2 litres of water and seasoning with salt and pepper – bring to the boil, add the potatoes and beans and simmer this for an hour.
• Add the zucchini (courgettes), peas, cabbage, escarole, aubergines and the pepperoni and simmer for another 30 minutes.
• Now add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes until just al dente, check and correct the seasoning, pour into a soup tureen, sprinkle with basil and serve with plenty of provolone, crusty bread and little excellent olive oil for those that would like a little swirl.
• Note: remember that the pasta will continue to cook while you check the seasoning and put the soup into the tureen – by the time it gets to the table it will be perfect.

Of course there’s another interpretation of the story in which La Befana was an ordinary woman with a child whom adored – sadly the little boy died and her grief made her insane –  when she heard the news of Jesus’s birth,  she went to see him, believing that he was her son. She did get to see him and gave him the gifts to make him happy. The baby Jesus was thrilled and He gave her a ‘gift’ in return -  she would be the mother of every child in Italy. Children are not allowed to see La Befana – probably because the parents need the children in bed while they put out the gifts, sweet the floors and drink the wine on the eve of the Epiphany.  A group of delighted ‘Befane‘ walk through the streets of Urbania - image below.

Urbania is thought to be her official home and a huge festival is held annually to celebrate the holiday – hundreds of Befana’s are present, swinging from the main tower. They juggle, dance and greet all the children. However, today in Italy, there are two important places associated with this tradition:

1. Every year in Rome, in the Piazza Navona a market is held between Christmas and the Epiphany – toys, sugar charcoal and other sweets and treats are sold here.
2. As mentioned above, Urbania in the Province of Pesaro Urbino (in the Marche region) hosts the national La Befana festival is every year between the 2^nd of January 2 and 6the 6^th of January.  They even build a house for her and the local post office has a mailbox specially reserved for her letters.

UOVA AL PIATTO CON POMODORI

These eggs are baked in the tomatoes and make a delicious breakfast.

Ingredients

• 4 large tomatoes
• 4 jumbo eggs
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus a little extra for brushing
• 1 tbsp Italian (flat leaf) parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 C.
• Brush and ovenproof dish with olive oil.
• Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and any superfluous flesh – if the tomato has very little flesh – don’t.
• Sprinkle the insides of the tomato with a little salt and place upside down on kitchen paper to drain for 10 minutes.
• Now season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and divide the olive oil between the tomatoes.
• Place the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven, break an egg in each tomato and return to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley and serve.
• Note: You need to use your discretion here – you don’t want a tomato that has fallen flat – it must be cooked but still standing up so that the egg can bake in it.