This story deserves to be told. It is the story of one day in New
Jersey , in the house of someone I didn't know.
Here it is me, still in middle of the so-called
“nowhere”.
Am I really here? I asked this simple and deep questions several
time to myself in these days in U.S.A.
It is Saturday January 21st, 2017. From Penn Station, NYC, I take the train
New Jersey Transit. After about 10 minutes of dark – which i suppose was a
tunnel – here it is the train in the day
light.
Iron and iron and iron
around me. Then, after e few more minutes, water. Not nice
water. Looks dark … marshy… with dead
water plants, some oil, broken tires here and there, dismissed huts. Then
, after a few more minutes, canards, more oil in the water, long iron bridges,
then ugly buildings on the other side of the water.
The train goes and I hope to see a nice neighborhood
with nice houses. Usually I am invited to nice houses to cook special meals.
No nice houses around. My destination is Rahway. It comes after the station
of Elizaberh and Linden. The train arrives. I get off. I see the sign that says Rahway.
Thus this must be the right place.
Just I cannot see the station.
I am on an elevated track. The group of houses below me must be the town called Rahway.
Mr Spitzer was supposed to pick me at the station.
As I do not see the station, I do not see Mr Spitzer either.
Actually I do not remember the face of Mr
Spitzer. But there is nobody here so I don’t risk a bad figure, in case there
were some men.
I decide
to go down the elevated track. Just i do not know if going to the right or to
the left at the end of the stairs. I option for the left as I see a little green
roof that could be the waiting aera or the ticket office.
Nobody there.
No… there is a man, sitting on the only bench, with the un-mistake-able
paper bag in his hand and the aspect of a
homeless. I am sorry for
him… bug I hope that is not Mr Spitzer.
Ok.
Time to turn on the roaming and try to call.
Fortunately
I have phone numbers. Mrs Spigzer, Jeanne, answers. She says: my husband
is there, try to call him, his number is like mine just replace the last 3 with
4. So i do.
I am secretely ready to
catch the first train back….. Anyways… Mr Spiter answers.
-
Hello…Gerry?
It s Marcella here. I am at the station of Rahway but… I do not see
you..-
-
… know what? You are right in front of me.
Gerry Spitzer gets off a big black American
car, parked right in front of me. I go forward him. I do not recognize his faces….. damn!...... ok,
never mind… for sure he knows me…… after
all that exchange of emails back and forth - about 50... - to agree on date, numbers of
guests, menu……..how can he not know me?????
I had been searching for reports of his lesson, photos, receipts in my pc. Not
found any… but, you know, sometimes in high season I do not have tome to take pictures
and save them… I know that often I give up that part of my work. I know is the guilty part of my professionality……
but, what can i do? If I have no time….
I have no time.
So… for sure I do not recognize him, ma he
knows who I am.
Otherwise it would not make sense he calls me
to organize a dinner party in his house.
We are in front of each other now.
We look at each other.
-
So… are you Marcella?
-
Yes I am
-
Where is your husband?
-
…..
my husband? He is in Italy
-
Ah…
he is not with you…?
-
No…I
am travelling alone.
Silence. Maybe only for a few
seconds.
-
I was expecting two people
- I
have never told I would have come with my husband
-
Actually
it is true. You never mentioned that in your email…. For some reason I thought that….. but….…………….. Are you Valentino’s wife?
-
Valentino
?!?! –
I thought he must not have
understood the proper name the time we met. Actually the name of my partner can
be mistaken….
– my husband’s name is Pellegrino….like the
water.
A few more seconds of silence while
Mr Spirzer looks up. Then again at me
-
Can you cook?
I must have
had a question mark om my face…. I do not understand the question. But I answer
-
Of course i cook
-
That’s
good….. ok…. Let’s jump into the car
I was a little frick out. But i
tried to conseil myself. I had
spoken with a woman…hopefully his wife…maybe he does not remember my face – I
don”t either – but his wife will.
I hope.
If not…. Everyone at home knows the address I
am going to…. Someone would find my body….
The conversation in the car
started to become interesting. Some more short meaningful questions by him…
some long answers by me.
Then finally the truth came up.
We never met.
We had never seen each other before.
Mr Spitzer even confessed me to have been afraid to have felt into a froud
to steel money from him since he was trying to recognize me at the station.
So…? What’s the matter?
It seems that Gerry Spitzer and his family were
in Italy last year, precisely in the area of Lucca, Tuscany. They wanted a cooking class. So they
contacted me. Then they decided to not come to Florence from Lucca for a
cooking class – I don’t blame them, driving in Tuscany and coming into Florence
in the summer time can be the anticamera of hell, with that un-breathable heat...!
They decided to take a cooking class
with a lady in Lucca instead. They had
fun and enjoyed the experience.
Their email remained in my mailing
list that is how they got to know I was going to NY .
Mr Spizter mistook me with the lady from Lucca.
So he contacted
me believing I was the lady from Lucca.
At the train station he was waiting for
this lady with her husband Valentino.
The rest of the ride was a long
laught.
Finally we introduced to one other.
Finally I saw the pretty neighborhood with the pretty houses.
Finally I met his kind and lovely wife, Jeanne.
Finally, in the nice kitchen, the action started.
The pretty table setting shows the care for details of..
...Mrs Jeanne Spitzer.
We prepared some finger foods in advance, so
that the “cooking guests” would have had something to nibble on while working:
shrimps with coriander and holed zucchini filled with shrimps , served with red
sauce.
When the friends arrived, we
cooked all together:
Marinated eggplants served with a good Pecorino
cheese I brought from Tuscany (for this unknown family)
Gnocchi with sausage sauce
Beef stewed in wine
Salad
Tiramisu
Everybody had fun… especially after knowing the
story. Everybody had good food
and good wine.
I have to say: this friendly happy group was a little loud…. But
they were all nice and we all laughted. I have to say also that, at the of the meal, they did not let me wash
any more dish or pot. Everybody helped, without even agreeing between
themselves. They all knew what
to do and they did it instantly. The kitchen was again clean after a few
minutes. Magic. Thank you all,
guys.
I slept there, as the Spitzer family has been
so trusting to offer a nice bedroom to this un known Italian woman.
The next morning we had time for a pleasant
conversation before Gerry took me to Rahway to catch the train to NY. They got to know more about me, my cooking life, the people I met, some of them famous. I got to know more about him and his family.
I know he works for banks and also that we have
a common “known person”, Mr Arthur Martinez – when you say small world…-. He
was impressed by the fact that, through my job, I met many well known people:
Julie Merck, Dick Wolf, Berno Hamilton. He was impressed by the fact that a
couple of hours later I would have met Michael Cartellone, the actual drummer
of the band Lynyrd
Skynyrd and his pretty and talended wife, the soprano Nancy Meyer.
Now…well…dear Mr and Mrs Spitzer:
we cannot say anymore we do not know each other. More, I want to say that I am very happy to have met you. It doesn’t
happen often to find people who welcome strangers in their house. You have something special to share: your
simple way of being. Thank
you. Sincerely.
ANELLI DI ZUCCHINI E GAMBERI
RINGS OF ZUCCHINI AND SHRIMPS
INGREDIENTS:
for 6:
6
large zucchinis
18
jumbo shrimps
400
gr ( 7 Oz) fresh tomatoes, diced or canned pureed tomatos
2
scallions
100
gr ( 3 Oz) smoked bacon, sliced
250
ml (1 cup) white wine
6
sage leaves
2
red hot chilli peppers
90
gr ( 3 Oz) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Peel the shrimps and take out the intestine and the heads.
Make a broth with the shrimps heads and shells, scallions , the wine,
same amount of water. Cook to reduce. Filter through a sifter. Gather the jus
and cook the tomato puree in it. Regulate salt and pepper.
Mince the sage and sprinkle it upon the shrimps tails.
Make a hole lengthwise inside the zucchini. Toss them in boiling salted
water and cook 2 minutes. Drain. Stuff the zucchini with the prepared tails.
Wrap them with the bacon slices
and put in the oven for 5 minutes at 200° (400 F)
Cut
the zucchini rolls in smaller rings.
Serve
them in individual “spoons “ or “little
trays” for finger food with some of the sauce.
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