Entry 47: The Rooster with a Beautiful Red Comb - U Gallu ca Crista Bella Russa
- Basilia Staltari
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Location: Calabria
Date: circa 1955
The ingredients for making Pittelli Patati (Potato Fritters) are very basic: potatoes, flour, eggs, ricotta, parsley, basil, parmesan cheese, salt and olive oil… however, we’ll return to the recipe soon. Firstly, the scene needs to be set.
When Cecilia Moschilla entered the home of her aunty and uncle, the ‘focularu’ (hearth) was already lit and a welcoming warmth infused with the aromas of burning firewood wafted throughout the kitchen. She took a slow, deep breath, inhaling the sweet woody fragrances that filled the room. A large pot of precious water (the households only source of hot water) sat over the flames, gently heating. Cecilia was greeted by a bustle of six male cousins, as they busily scurried around in non-stop motion during their last-minute efforts of dressing. They were getting ready to attend mass at the parish of San Nicola, where the Confirmation of their eldest sister was to take place. Also present and outnumbered was another sister, who sat, quietly content among the familiar whirlwind of brotherly activity.
Cecilia wouldn’t be attending the church service with her ‘Zia, Zu e cugini’. Instead, she was going to remain at their home to prepare lunch. Zia had previously briefed her about the menu – so as soon as everyone emptied out of the house and departed for the uphill walk towards Siderno Superiore, Cecilia had the peaceful space to begin cooking. She was surprisingly unfazed by the huge task expected of her - to have lunch ready by the time the family returned from church. Those growing boys in particular would be arriving back home very hungry! Feeling confident, Cecilia started by collecting the necessary ingredients for one of her favourite dishes – Pittelli Patati.
From the vegetable garden, she dug the potatoes out of the ground. The dirt was scrubbed until the skins were clean, then she brought them into the kitchen. The potatoes were put into a saucepan, covered with several ladles of preheated water, and placed over the fire to boil. Returning to the vegetable patch, Cecilia picked and washed a handful of parsley and basil, and then collected the eggs from the chook pen – ‘u gallinaru’. Once again, taking the produce back into the kitchen. To make Pittelli Patati, there was one more ingredient to organise – the ricotta. She picked up a ‘suppera’ (bowl) and headed towards the goat.
The goat was tethered to a long rope, securely attached to a wooden stake hammered into the ground, giving it abundant space to walk around in search of food. Cecilia picked an armful of fresh grass and heaped the bundle in front of its head, thereby enticing it to remain in one spot. Distracted by the pile of juicy, green grass, the goat happily munched away … chewing, chewing, swallowing, regurgitating and then rechewing the grass once more. Meanwhile, Cecilia knelt down beside the goat and placed the ‘suppera’ underneath the swollen udder. Grasping a teat, she gently squeezed – squirting the milk, with precision, into the bowl. She’d been doing this chore since she was a young girl, and in her mind she heard the voice of her mother, Concetta, who regularly asked her (or one of her siblings) to get a small bowl and go milk the goat.
“Pigghia suppera picciula e vai lla crapa. Mungi nu pocu i latti.”
With a well-practised rhythm, she continued milking until enough liquid was collected. On the way back to the kitchen, she cut a small branch from the fig tree to use as a “wooden spoon”. Making ricotta was a simple process. Cecilia heated the goat’s milk, added a pinch of salt and used the fig branch to stir the liquid. The cut end, oozed a white sap and when mixed with milk, caused it to curdle and form ricotta.
Next, the boiled potatoes were peeled and mashed with a fork, then combined with the other ingredients. Portions of the mixture, the size of meatballs, were hand-rolled, shaped, and fried in olive oil. Cecilia tasted one and was delighted with the flavour - delicious!
To start preparations for the main dish, Cecilia returned to the ‘gallinaru’. She stood outside searching for the plumpest rooster with the brightest, red comb. After making her choice, she entered the pen and chased after it, until it was finally cornered and caught. The flapping bird tried to escape Cecilia’s grip but soon settled down calmy, nestling in her arms. As she gently stroked its feathers, panic set in when Cecilia realised what she needed to do next. Overwhelmed with the disturbing thought, she knew she didn’t have the courage to carry out “the deed”, and as a result, she was now facing a major dilemma. Zia, to celebrate her daughter’s Confirmation, had decided to sacrifice one rooster for this special lunch. Farm animals were rarely eaten, especially when they were still productive - whether it be for breeding, wool, milk, eggs, etc. Zia’s instructions to Cecilia were clear: use one of the roosters for cooking the pasta sauce.
“Cucina u sucu da pasta cu nu gallu.”
Traditionally, using onion and garlic sautéed in olive oil, and salt for seasoning was the usual way to cook a tomato based sauce for pastas. However, to elevate this classic dish for a special occasion, the key ingredient - rooster, was crucial. Everyone was not only expecting, but also looking forward to having chicken with their spaghetti! What should she do? Cecilia needed someone to help her and fortunately, the neighbours lived nearby. She carried the rooster next door, where the farmer’s wife swiftly and efficiently solved the problem – she did, what Cecilia couldn’t do.
Back at Zia’s home, Cecilia was now able to continue processing the rooster. She brought a pot of hot water outside and dunked the bird into it. The softened feathers were plucked, the innards were removed and the carcass was cut into pieces. The main ingredient was sorted!
Close to lunch time…
Racing ahead of their parents and sisters, Cecilia’s male cousins were the first to arrive home, each accompanied with a hearty appetite. She added more kindling to the flames and inhaled deeply; the wooden fragrances from the ‘focularu’ now mingled with the mouth-watering aromas of simmering ‘sucu’. In another pot, water would soon be boiling, ready for Zia to add the spaghetti to, as soon as she walked through the kitchen door.
That day, twelve relatives dined together, sharing a memorable feast prepared by Cecilia. Using fresh ingredients, it was a meal cooked with flames on an open hearth - a remarkable achievement for a teenage girl who was only 15 years young!
