E. Boyer“..Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels” A celebrity,whose name escapes me, said that. Two things we know..1) this was a very thin celebrity and 2) she clearly never had Josie Giovanetti’s gorgonzola gnocchi.
She was Mrs. Giovanetti..Carla’s mom, but the place..that comforting harbor of love and garlic commonly referred to was “Josie’s kitchen.” A place where absolutely nothing was new..everything had the patina of decades of beautiful sauces embedded in it’s copper or cast iron soul. No matter how dire your situation, being in her kitchen would set things right.
Her bolognese would get you back on your feet, her pasta fagiole would calm your nerves and her gorgonzola gnocchi with homemade sausage would part the clouds and restore your faith in mankind. Lou Pepitone swore and maintains to this day that he once heard angels sing in Josie’s kitchen when he took a fork-full of those beloved gorgonzola gnocchi. It may be worth noting that Lou was also a regular at The Cloverleaf Bar just down the street and the “angel episode” occurred on the heels of bartender, Kip MacAuliffe’s 76th birthday celebration which typically turned into two days of all the green beer you could drink for $5. Still, far be it from me to dispute the celestial powers of Josie Giovanetti’s beloved gnocchi. A part of everyone from the neighborhood was squarely rooted in that that lovely woman’s refuge we called a kitchen. It was where we learned about grapes for wine, to “fold” not mix, that sometimes good food takes a long time to make..but not always..a tomato and bread salad was “as good as anything.” She was from Italy. “Abruzzo..the best part” she would say. She lived a life full of cheese and flour, olive oil and garlic, tiny little cups of espresso and people, people and more people..she was the embodiment of humor and kindness. Christmas, in her kitchen, was preceded by a month of Pizzelle production. A tin of those licorice flavored gems were prized and coveted. It wasn’t unusual to see a young child, five or six years old, at Josie’s table with a cafe au lait and a plate of the delicate cookies..oblivious to the notion that coffee was reserved for adults. La dolce vita.. this was the only way to enjoy the heavenly crisps!
I have to chuckle when I see all the trendy restaurants in the area tout “salume” and “artisnal bread and cheese.” There was a time when these were everyday, after-school snacks for Italian home cooks. A day without a little pecorino and sopressata was like a day without sunshine! I haven’t seen a homemade pizelle in over a decade even though I’ve seen lots of fancy gadgets that claim to make the job easier. It’s funny how, the more sophisticated the kitchen becomes, the less cooking we seem to do in it! I wonder if it’s because we know we’ll never do it as well as the Josie Giovanettis of the world. Or, maybe it’s because we traded in our aprons for other endeavors. Who knows? The only thing I really know with certainty is that whoever said “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels” never had Josie Giovanetti’s gorgonzola gnocchi with homemade sausage. Kiss the cook, guys! Those memorable meals pack an emotional wallop...
