Books & Bites
Smalltime by Russell Short
Smalltime tells the story of his family’s connection to the Mob in Johnstown during its heyday. Much like in other small towns across the country, the Mob originally provided some help and protection to the immigrant labor force who came to build this country, but who were being discriminated against. They ran the “numbers” which the State of Pennsylvania now runs and refers to as the PA State Lottery. The book explained the area to me perfectly, but what is more, it helped me understand my own family history so much better.
La Dolce Vita Estate sits on the main drag, not too far from where the speakeasy, Shangra’la, was, “a big supper club in the woods, out toward Ligonier, on the way to Pittsburgh. It was gonna be posh as hell.” And it was, with fancy cars arriving full of women in furs and men in suits. The party went on into the wee hours with lobsters and champagne flowing freely.
You still can eat in one of the steakhouses from the era, though the Shangra’la was torn down and a church now sits there (how is that for the sacred and the profane?). The Eastwood Inn is in Ligonier, and they will have to buzz you in through the plate glass lobby, complete with bullet holes. The ladies of ill-repute worked right above the dining room (the table in the front corner of the bar, to be exact). They still serve old fashioned drinks and big steaks.
Our friends live in the home that the Mob’s bookkeeper, Minnie, lived in until her recent passing. Minnie and Phyllis, who lived in La Dolce Vita from 1970-2012 were great friends…
Celebratory Caraway Pudding Carawiyah/Karawiyah/Karawya/Meghli/مغلي
Of late, I have a renewed fascination with Carawiyah, a warm rice and caraway pudding served at celebrations in the Levant: think Christmas in Lebanon (where it is served cold), graduation in Syria, or after a woman has a baby in Palestine. Happy times!
Traditionally, this nourishing pudding is served to a new mother as a galactagogue (gets the milk flowing), and a carminative (gets rid of gas, colic, & flatulence). Limonene, the terpene that has “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antinociceptive, anticancer, antidiabetic, antihyperalgesic, antiviral, and gastroprotective effects, among other beneficial effects”1 is a component of the humble caraway seed. It is what relieves stress, increases energy and lifts one’s mood.2 Grandma knew best: caraway provides a lot and is easy to stomach for a new mama. The benefits of it pass to the baby to prevent colic. In addition to being great for new mother and baby, caraway symbolizes faithfulness and is said to protect anything from being stolen.
My mother and sister-in-law served it to me after each of my three children and it was divine. The thing that reminded me of carawiyah recently was discovering the biggest jar of caraway in the pantry circa 2006 when our last baby was born. Time to plant some new, but I will let this caraway come full circle and be served at his high school graduation as it will complete my role as mama!
Carawiyah is yummy and fortifying, because it is topped with plenty of mixed nuts & seeds, dried fruit and coconut. Normally it is made with white rice and sugar, but I use ground brown rice combined with date sugar, ground caraway and cinnamon. Whisked into water this makes a hearty pudding. We always top it with cashews, pine nuts, raisins, big coconut flakes, and my favorite, shelled pistachios. Now that we have a black walnut tree, we use those, too!
Recipe
1 cup brown rice
8 cups of water
2 teaspoons of caraway seed
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 cup of date sugar*
Raw nuts (esp. cashews, black walnuts & pignoli), dried fruits (esp raisins, dates & figs), maple syrup and coconut for topping.
Grind the rice and spices in a high-powered blender or spice mill. (If you don’t want to do that, purchase cream of rice and ground caraway!) Place water in a pot over medium heat and whisk everything in. Stir as it comes to a boil and then reduce to low and cook until it reaches your desired thickness. Spoon into ramekins and serve piled high with nuts, raisins, and coconut.
* To cut sugar completely, omit it and use only 7 c. water. Add a little dollop of maple syrup for those who want it sweeter.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29427589/#:~:text=The%20therapeutic%20effects%20of%20limonene,other%20beneficial%20effects%20in%20health.
- https://www.mamedica.co.uk/everything-to-know-about-limonene/#:~:text=Limonene%20is%20an%20aromatic%20mono,other%20species%20of%20botanicals%20too.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6328425/#:~:text=Caraway%20fruits%20are%20used%20as,disorders%20(bloating%20and%20flatulence)
- https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/what-is-limonene-and-what-are-the-benefits-of-this-cannabis-terpe
- https://herbsocietyblog.wordpress.com/2022/10/03/herb-of-the-month-caraway-an-old-world-herb/#:~:text=For%20that%20reason%2C%20it%20was,24th%2C%20the%20feast%20of%20St
- https://marblecrowblog.com/2019/04/19/magical-caraway/
