Mothers come in all shapes, sizes and disguises. We don’t get to choose our Mother and sometimes we have to make adjustments and work the best we can with what we are given. However, along the way, if we open our hearts, we are blessedly provided with alternatives. I was fortunate to have a few. I had a very loving “Little Nonna”and I had a hard-working Grandmother.  But the Mother that had the most impact on my life was my sweet Mother-in-law.

My husband and I met in grade school and began dating as teenagers. I enjoyed many Sunday meals with my future in-laws. My Mother-in-law was a great, intuitive cook and during my teenage years I was fortunate to learn a few things from her. Also she became my fiercest defender early on. However, it was the two years before Charlie and I married that I benefited the most.  While he was in Maryland working for Westinghouse, I would spend every Wednesday with my in-laws having dinner.  My father-in-law was a day laborer, so his hours depended on the weather.  He could come home anywhere between 5 and 8. I would arrive at their home right after work and my Mother-in-law who I affectionately called Momma would be cooking.  So, I had the advantage of cooking lessons.  If the cooked meal was close to being done and the table was set, Momma and I would lean out the window of their 3^rd floor flat on 48^th street, with our arms resting on the sill and she would tell me stories of growing up in Sicily, her attempts to come to the United States and her early life adjusting to a new world and then marrying and raising children. This was miraculous as my Italian was limited and Momma’s dialect was Sicilian. As soon as we saw my Father-in-law turn the corner onto 48^th Street all talking stopped and we returned to the stove and cooking.  It was rigidly performed so that after he entered the apartment, cleaned up and sat down his dinner was set in front of him. We finished any discussion left at the windowsill while doing the dishes.

Those were beautiful times and we lost her much too soon.  Our children didn’t get to know her as a grandmother and hear her stories which is sad because I did see her caring interactions with her older grandchildren. However, I am grateful for the time I did have with her, the stories and the wisdom she shared and the patience she had with me.  I had cooking lessons, I learned how to be a loving mother and nurturing grandmother and I think I learned how to be a good mother-in-law and above all the wife she wanted for her son.

My mother was of a different nature. But along the way there were probably a few lessons learned there, too.

So, to all the Mothers in my life, I thank you for lessons learned, encouragement and affection.  To honor you, I’m trying my best to pass these gifts on to my children and grandchildren.

But, as I do so, I also learned (with a heap of patience) this from another Mother too.

You will teach them to fly,

but they will not fly your flight.

You will teach them to dream,

but they will not dream your dream.

You will teach them to live,

but they will not live your life.

Nevertheless, in every flight,

in every life,

in every dream,

the print of the way you taught

will always remain”

(Wise words from Mother Teresa)

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you very special, beautiful people. May you be showered with Love!

(My 3 wonderful Daughters among them)

Anita Sandroni Augello

This is a great recipe for a Mother’s Day dessert and best made the day before!

STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA WITH VIN SANTO SAUCE

Panna Cotta con Salsa di Vin Santo e Fragole

Panna Cotta which translates “cooked cream” is a traditional Piedmontese dessert.  It can be eaten plain or topped with a variety of sauces.  For this dessert, which is perfect for Mother’s Day I am suggesting a Vin Santo Strawberry Sauce.

For Panna Cotta:

1/4 C. Cold Water
4 tsp. Unflavored Gelatin
4 C. Whipping Cream
1 C. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract – or to taste
1 Tbsp. Vin Santo – or to taste
2 C. Pine Nuts
1 Tbsp. Honey – preferably orange blossom honey variety

Pour ¼ cup cold water into a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin and let stand for about 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.  Set bowl in saucepan of simmering water and stir for about 1 or 2 minutes until gelatin dissolves.

Combine cream, sugar, honey, and vanilla in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat, add gelatin and Vin Santo, and whisk until well blended.

Divide the pine nuts among 10 custard cups (3/4 cup size).  Divide the cream mixture among the cups and chill for at least 6 hours or best overnight.

To Serve:

Set cups briefly in a small bowl of warm water to allow to loosen slightly – 15 or 20 seconds.  Run a small knife around the top inside of the cup and invert the mold onto your serving plates.  Spoon sauce over the top letting it drizzle down the sides and pool around the bottom of the Panna Cotta.

Strawberry Vin Santo Sauce:

4 C. Firm Strawberries – hulled
1/3 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Lemon Zest – freshly grated
2 Tbsp. Vin Santo – or to taste
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract – or to taste

Rinse the strawberries, drain well and quarter.  Puree the strawberries in food processor and then transfer to a heavy pan.  Mix in sugar, Vin Santo, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.  Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is reduced to 2 cups, stirring often – about 15 minutes.  Cool before pouring over the panna cotta. This can be made the day before.

NOTE: I am extremely fortunate to have a cousin who lives in my Father’s birth hamlet of Montefollonico a province of Siena.  Andrea makes the most delicious Vin Santo for which he has won many awards and whenever we visit, he presents me with a bottle of this delicious liqueur for which I am eternally grateful and enjoy in many ways.

BUON MANGIATA!