The Feast of San Giuseppe

March 19^th is the feast of San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s day)

For Italians, San Giuseppe is their Patron Saint. That means a feast of special foods and wine.

Italy is a land of regional cooking, so every area, even every small town, has their own styles of food to celebrate Saint Joseph’s day. However, Sicilians have taken the front position in honoring San Giuseppe with Pasta con Sarde and Zeppole di San Giuseppe.

Pasta con Sarde is Spaghetti with a sauce made with sardines, wild spring fennel, pine nuts, raisins, tomatoes, onion and garlic. The recipe is widely available or you could simply buy a can imported from Sicily as I do. It is very good! Just boil the pasta of your choice, heat the sauce, mix and enjoy.

This dish calls for a glass or two or three of San Giuseppe Chianti. That way you cover both North and South of Italy and have everything “San Giuseppe”, wine and food.

Now, for desert, Zeppole di San Giuseppe. These are fried doughnuts filled with ether cream custard or ricotta cream.  Find a good Italian bakery for these and heighten the pleasure with a bottle of San Giuseppe Moscato.

San Giuseppe Moscato is a lush, half dry white wine with low alcohol that is the perfect desert wine.

So, for every Italian, half Italian, part Italian or if you just like things Italian, “Look for the Lily (the flower of St. Joseph) on the Label” and say, Ah! San Giuseppe.

Bouna Festa San Giuseppe!