February: Love, Passion, and Radicchio... Open Celery!

It’s February: Love, Passion, and Radicchio… Open Celery! The Newsletter.

Welcome to Open Celery! (Apriti Sedano!) our monthly newsletter. A four-handed gourmet adventure dedicated to plant-based recipes, stories and spontaneously unsolicited advices… made in Italy 🇮🇹 The fruit (veggie and dessert) of the collaboration between Simona (Personal Chef) and Orsola (Gourmet Traveler+)

Published in Italian (on ottimoblog.com) and English (on appetibilis.net), here happily edited and translated by Orsola. At some point, we’d like to have it as podcast as well 😀 

(Cliccate qui per “Apriti Sedano!” in italiano)

It’s the second month of the year, the shortest one, with only 28 days it is a sound bearer of various celebratory days… 29 in a leap year, because even the calendar needs a coffee break now and then 😉

Let’s start with February 7, and the Italian version of the Odd Sock Day celebrated on the first Friday of the month. An event created to raise awareness about diversity, inclusiveness and mutual respect among young children.

Simona. “When I first heard Vinicio Capossela’s “The Sock Paradise” song (which wasn’t written for this, but so what!), I’d just separated from my husband and was feeling tremendously displaced and lost, who knows where. Good thing there is a silver lining, since the intent is to raise awareness on diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect among young children. Yay for mismatched socks!”

For those of us who love to eat, there is the Dosson (Treviso) Red Radicchio Festival from January 24 to February 9 (over the weekends). It may not be a canonical celebratory day, but at heart, yes, it is.

About that, here the recipe for a delightful “Risotto” with farro (einkorn wheat), leek and radicchio

The Monococcus wheat is a type of spelt (farro) that in this version-from the CereAmo brand-is called “Granocco.” Come on, give it a go and tag us everywhere!

Time for Carnival

Dove vanno a finire i calzini
Quando perdono i loro vicini?
Dove vanno a finire beati?
I perduti con quelli spaiati
Quelli a righe mischiati con quelli a pois
Dove vanno nessuno lo sa
(Vinicio Capossela)

Where do the socks go
When they lose their closest?
Where do the blissful go?
The lost ones with the mismatched ones
The striped ones mixed with the polka-dotted ones
Where they go no one knows

It’s time for Carnival, which this year starts on February 9 and ends on March 4 (Shrove Tuesday). While in Milan it ends on the 8th (Shrove Saturday of the Ambrosian Carnival), extra days to loads on sweets 😳

The word “carnival” comes from the Latin word “carnelevarium,” which means “to take off the meat.” This is because Ash Wednesday, the last day of carnival, also marks the start of Lent, a time for abstinence.

So, we’re in the perfect (plant-based) spot to celebrate this “removing” of meat. And since Veganuary has just passed, why not start a “Vegbruary” together? More vegetables for everyone!

Plus, since it’s Carnival, between pancakes, chiacchiere, and doughnuts, a nice Bloody Mary (maybe 0%) should do to 🤪 what do you say?

In the meantime, let’s treat ourselves with these delicious Carnival Sweet Recipe: It’s Castagnole Time, an easy peasy recipe.

The “tris” of February 13th, 14th and 15th

Here comes the tris of February 13th, 14th and 15th, when ancient Rome celebrated Lupercalia. A mixture of religious rites, social celebrations and fertility practices. We can only imagine what was going on 🥳

Some see a connection between these ancient rites and the more modern celebration of Valentine’s Day… it may refer to all kinds of love — romantic, platonic, and self-love (?) We’ll leave that to the experts.

February 13, St. Benigno

Day of Universal Love, World Radio, Pancake and Tortellini Day. It is also the day dedicated to lovers (Mistress day), sisterhood (Galentine’s Day), self-love. And it is also Condom Day — because, let’s face it, it’s always good to be prepared (and not just for Valentine’s Day).

February 14, St. Valentine

Here we go: roses, candlelight dinners and chocolates (the ones with surprise text messages in it, like the fortune cookies).

It is worth mentioning that, on this day our Italian calendar celebrate also St. Febronia, nomen omen from Febris (or Februus), goddess of fever and healing from malaria.

The 14th is not just about the amount of chocolate candies consumed on this day; it’s also Library Lover’s Day, a day dedicated to those who love books. The best gift on this day is a good book, which is great for your waistline and mind.

Love is sharing your popcorn. (Charles Schulz)

February 15, St. Faustino

For “par condicio” (fairness’ sake), the 15th is Singles’ Day. So if you don’t give a damn about Valentine’s Day, in all its commercial glory, this is the perfect alternative holiday. After all, “If you want something done right, do it yourself”, right?

What else is there to say?

Whether you’re in a relationship (even a clandestine one), or have the desire and time to celebrate with friends (the real ones), or are alone at home (in pajamas and mismatched socks), or in the company of your beautiful cat (practically a Zen master of relaxation)… This is the time to breathe. Devote quality time to those you love and especially to yourself.

Plus, no one forces us to follow the usual clichés of red roses + chocolate + dinner format. You could opt for:

a nice brunch filled with chiacchiere pastry, pancakes, and crêpes; or
a goliardically healthy weekend dedicated to food & yoga.

La Chef on the Road

For La Chefs on the Road segment, let’s look at the upcoming dates that our Simona (La Chef) has on calendar, and which you can’t miss!

Sunday, February 16 – Santa Teresa Gallura (Sassari) – Plant-Based Cooking Lesson in Sardinia.

After a short but meaningful introduction to the energy of food, we’ll explore how to use natural thickeners like xanthan gum, agar agar, and psyllium husk. Finally, we’ll prepare a recipe highly requested: delicious raw spring rolls, to be enjoyed in different ways!

On Saturday, February 22, we are “tasting” in Bologna

At the ELAB Cultural Association we’ll be tasting an assortments of “Vegromage” vegetable cheeses (www.viveredistinto.com), some Monococco CereAMO flours made into bread and piadine, and a selection of zero-alcohol fermented beverages.

Simona says: “Vegromages are an integral part of my menus and I make it a point to let everyone taste them to convey the ease of being able to make them independently and from the comfort of home.”

March 21 to 23 let’s meet in Tuscany, [Bucine (Arezzo)] for a “Food & Yoga” weekend.

Good food to prepare together, with yoga and relaxation. Let’s celebrate together the Spring Equinox (which will be March 20) under the theme of well-being.

What we are reading

The books we are reading.

Simona finished “Dining with Mindfulness” by Lynn Rossy, a book she feels to recommend to everyone… (mentioned in our last January newsletter)

The book offers some simple points and tips that can help us change our relationship with food and learn to accept ourselves as a whole person. Being aware of what we eat even when we bite into a sandwich can make a huge difference.

“Read it even if you think you don’t need it (especially if you think you don’t need it). I always appreciate a well-written book that offers insights that can help me grow and improve. I’m sure you’d enjoy it, too!”

Orsola is reading, “The book of eating,” the autobiography of Adam Platt, food critic for New York Magazine.

A journey through time, paced “meal by meal” by travels and tastings made around the world (especially in Asia) – following his father serving as diplomat – and which have influenced the author’s life. Immersing himself in the local culture through food makes Platt say “I’ve always equated the glamor of travel and living in far-off lands with the eternal joys of a good meal.”

A “sui generis” critic who-with his playful and irreverent outlook-continues to chronicle his detail-rich “visits” in a style somewhere between an essay and a personal journal, with – here and there – a dash of cultural lifestyle and a splash of travel.

That’s all for now, until next month, Happy February to all!

Interesting Links

La versione in italiano della nostra newsletter del mese. Febbraio: Amore, Passione e Radicchio… Apriti Sedano!

More Newsletters from Italy

ockstyle

I’m an Italian gluten-free Gourmet Traveler+ and a passionate storyteller, writing in English and Italian. Fluently speaking (eating and dreaming) in Italian, English, French, and Russian. When I’m not writing, I cook and test recipes for special diets, and photograph (also on film). Not necessarily in that order. — / — Sono una viaggiatrice buongustaia (la Gourmet Traveler+) senza glutine, appassionata narratrice di storie. Scrivo in italiano e inglese, parlo (mangio e sogno) fluentemente in italiano, inglese, francese e russo. Quando non scrivo, cucino, testo ricette dolci e salate per diete speciali, fotografo (anche in pellicola). Non necessariamente in quest’ordine.