A Taste for all Seasons

Book excerpt: Back-Cover Authentic recipes with origins in the Neapolitan and Abruzzi regions of Italy found their way to southern New Jersey with Italian immigrants settling there around the turn of the twentieth century. The Rodios were among those who established farms, planted their roots in the Jersey soil, and nurtured their families in the New World. This book is not only a legacy of hand-me-down recipes that were perfected over a century or more, but it is also a memoir about a lost era in Americana culinary history. It chronicles a time when food nourished the heart and soul, a time when love inspired family and friends to have impromptu gatherings, and a time when being with loved ones was as important as the food on the table. Arranged by seasons and emphasizing the importance of using fresh produce, the pages unveil a cornucopia of Italian classics, as well as some innovative ideas that will whet the palate. Highlighted are seasonal themes where the readers find themselves embraced within the family circle as they eat and enjoy the Easter bread, fire up the summer grill, slaughter the pigs for the harvest festival, and soak the salt cod for the Christmas Eve Feast of the seven fishes.