Macon Magazine

80 l MACON MAGAZINE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013 ose had moved to Atlanta in the 1980s (to be near my family) when her husband of more than 50 years grew ill. A few years later Grandpa Mike passed away, but Grandma stayed in her apartment until she reached 100 years of age, and my parents insisted she move in with them. She no longer had her own kitchen, but maintained her assistance in my mother's kitchen. Five years ago, we were privileged to host Grandma Rose's 100th birthday celebration here in Macon, and it was a gathering of the masses. e matriarch of our large Italian family, news of Rose's birthday celebration reached family from Arizona to Canada, from Minnesota to Chicago. ey came from far and wide, dozens of our "paisanos," to congratulate her on her longevity and vibrancy. In celebration of that special occasion, I sent out a request to all these cousins and aunts, uncles and grandchildren for their favorite family recipes. I wanted to make a cookbook, featuring Grandma Rose's specialties – many never before written down. I wanted to know how to make her bread, her pasta, her cannolis. And so did everyone else. e recipes poured in, along with little stories about their creators – Grandma's brother Domenick had been known for his sautéed escarole, a recipe never before written down. e recipe for storied Italian beef sandwiches from Aunt Tina was finally in our hands. It was glorious. In all, about 26 family members contributed nearly 300 recipes for our book, which we had printed and bound along with several photos of Grandma Rose in the kitchen over the years. We printed enough to distribute to everyone who came to the 100th birthday celebration, and extras to give to all our own children when they grew up and began cooking themselves. My copy is always within arm's reach in the kitchen, the food-stained go-to cookbook for all things wonderfully delicious and wonderfully Italian. We recently celebrated the 105th birthday of my Grandma Rose. Of course, we celebrated with countless homemade Italian delicacies, as was her fondest wish. ough they are priceless, I'll share a few of our favorite recipes with Middle Georgia today. Macon is a long way from San Marco, Italy, but maybe feasting on some of these recipes can bring us all a little closer. M PASTA FAGIOLI SOUP 1 clove pressed garlic 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup petite diced tomatoes with juice 2 ribs celery, sliced 2 tablespoons oil Chopped parsley to taste Salt and pepper 2 cans rinsed great northern beans 1/2 pound cooked tubettini pasta, or tiny elbows Brown pressed garlic and onion in oil; add tomatoes with juice, celery, salt and pepper, parsley and 3 cups water (more if you like it soupier). Simmer ½ hour. Add beans; heat through. Add cooked pasta and serve. EGGPLANT CASSEROLE 2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick 2 eggs 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon salt 2 hard-boiled eggs 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup parmesan cheese Tomato sauce (see below) Vegetable oil Beat 2 eggs with milk, salt and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Dip slices of eggplant into egg mixture and fry in vegetable oil on stovetop until golden brown. Layer eggplant with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella. Pour sauce over top layer and sprinkle with additional shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Tomato Sauce: 1/4 cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, pureed About 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon oregano Fry onion in oil slowly for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and water, then remaining ingredients. Cook all ingredients together in covered saucepan for about 30 minutes. R m Find more authentic Italian recipes at www.maconmagazine.com Rose Mattia

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