Crack your eggs, dropping them into the hole of the flour hill. Then pour oil, sugar, and water into the hole.
Knead dough. If dough is tough, add more water. Only add 1 teaspoon of water at a time. Knead the dough again until the consistency is smooth. If not smooth, repeat, adding 1 teaspoon of water and kneading the dough.
Mix all of the above ingredients for the filling in a large mixing bowl.
Roll out the dough you made above with a rolling pin. The sheet of dough should be about ½ inch thick.
Place about 1 tablespoon of filling onto a corner of the rolled out dough. Using a pastry cutter, cut around the dough. Be sure to leave about an inch from where you placed the filling to the edge of the dough so that the filling doesn’t leak out when frying the raviolis.
Carefully fold over the dough, covering the filling in the center. If it seems like you might have placed too much filling in the center of the ravioli shell, then scoop some of it out. You’ll know if you placed too much when you fold over the dough and the filling spreads to the edge of the shell. Repeat process until all of your raviolis are made.
With a fork’s prongs, press the edges of the raviolis to seal them shut.
Carefully separate the yolks from 2 eggs into a small bowl. Beat the yolks. Stir 1 teaspoon of water into the yolks to create an egg wash.
With a pastry brush, lightly brush the egg wash onto the raviolis.
Add ¾ cup of vegetable oil to a skillet. Turn heat up to medium. Let oil heat for about 1 minute.
Carefully drop the raviolis into the skillet. Watch them closely and turn them over with a spatula after about 1–2 minutes. Fry until each side of the raviolis is golden brown.
Place fried raviolis onto a large plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Once raviolis have cooled, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Once raviolis are cooled, they can be served. Any leftover raviolis should be covered with plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator.
Riso Nero di Pasqua (Black Easter Rice Pudding)
1 pounds short grain rice 1 pound roughly chopped almonds
1 quart milk
¼ teaspoon salt 1½ tablespoons triple sec or orange liqueur
3½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla ¼ pound semisweet chocolate, crumbled
1 pound unsweetened cocoa powder
Ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons orange zest
Place rice in a large pot. Add the milk, salt, sugar, and vanilla, and stir. Cook according to rice package directions. When the rice is almost cooked, lower temperature to a simmer, and stir in the cocoa, little by little. Then stir in the grated orange zest. Keep stirring. Be careful that the rice doesn’t overcook or stick to the bottom of the pot.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped almonds. Let the rice cool for about 15 minutes. Then stir in the orange liqueur and semisweet chocolate.
Scoop rice pudding into small dessert bowls. Sprinkle cinnamon generously on top of rice pudding. Can serve either once pudding has completely cooled or can chill in refrigerator and serve later.
Spiedini di Vitello (Skewers of Breaded Veal)
1 pound veal cutlets Ground black pepper
½—1cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon minced parsley
½–¾ pounds seasoned Italian bread crumbs Skewers (If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for an hour beforehand.)
½–¾ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
Set your oven to the broil setting. Pound veal cutlets with a meat mallet until they’re a nice, thin consistency. Be careful not to over pound them. You don’t want the veal to be too thin.
Cut veal cutlets into long strips, about a half-inch wide.
Pour olive oil into a shallow dish. Set aside.
Mix bread crumbs, Romano cheese, black pepper, and parsley together in a shallow dish. Set aside.
Dip veal strips into the extra virgin olive oil. Then dip both sides of the veal strips into the bread crumbs mixture.
Roll one end of each of the veal strips all the way to the other end. Carefully slide them onto the skewers. You should be able to fit about 5 veal strips onto each skewer, depending on how thick your meat is and how long your skewers are.
Place the veal skewers under the broiler.
After about 4–5 minutes, turn the skewers over. Broil the other side for another 4–5 minutes. Keep a close watch on the skewers so as not to burn them.
The recipe for Biscotti d’Anise was adapted from the cookbook La Dolce Vita. The recipe for Muffuletta was adapted from The Martha Stewart Cooking Show. All the other recipes I received from my family. Spiedini di Vitello and Ravioli Fritti were my grandmother’s recipes, which she passed down to my mother, who then passed them down to me. Riso Nero di Pasqua was passed down to me from my father, but instead of making it for Easter, he made it for Christmas. For more recipes, special reading group features, and blog posts, please visit www.RosannaChiofalo.com.
Please turn the page for a very special
Q&A with the author!
How do you pronounce your name?
KEY-OH-FAH-LO.
What inspired you to write a novel in which one of the protagonists was a silver-screen star?
My brilliant editor, John Scognamiglio, and I brainstormed on the storyline for Carissima. He thought it would be cool to have a sort of Italian The Devil Wears Prada subject in which a young ingénue clashes with a diva actress. I loved the idea! I wanted to continue the story of Signora Tesca, who was a secondary character in Bella Fortuna. I felt she was intriguing and had secrets and I wanted to explore her story more deeply in the second novel. So I thought, what if she were related to a famous Italian silver-screen star who suddenly comes to the working-class neighborhood of Astoria, New York, much to the surprise and pleasure of the residents.
You show us the relationship between Pia and her sister, Erica, when she was alive and between Francesca and Giuliana. Why did you choose to focus on sisters? Do you have a sister and are you close?
Yes, I have a sister. Her name is Angela. She is older than me, and we are five years apart. When I was very young, we were close and were always by each other’s side. But as I got older, we started to fight more, as many siblings do. However, once we became adults, we became close again. I’ve always been fascinated with relationships between siblings, and I knew I wanted to focus on sisters in my second novel. Ironically, a few months before I started writing Carissima, a childhood friend of mine died quite unexpectedly. She was my sister’s age and had been very good friends with her when they were teenagers and into their twenties. And when I was a child, I looked up to her as another older sister. I’m also very good friends with the younger sister of my friend who passed away. This only convinced me even more that I wanted to focus on sisters in my second novel. I also wanted to show two different relationships with sisters. Pia was always close to her sister, but then she loses her. Francesca was once close to her sister, but then they have a huge falling out and don’t talk for decades, only to be reunited later in life. I wanted to illustrate how different some sibling relationships can be from others and how they can influence the people we become.
In Carissima, the residents of Astoria go crazy when they hear Francesca Donata is in town and when they see her. Do you have a similar obsession with celebrities? And who is your favorite movie star or celebrity?
I’ve never been particularly starstruck by celebrities, not to the point where I must read the gossip mags or follow their every move. Also, as a New Yorker, I do see celebrities walking the streets of Manhattan quite frequently. New Yorkers, for some reason, don’t get fazed by famous people as much as other Americans. However, there are a few luminaries whom I do find quite intriguing. I don’t really have a favorite movie star, but the ones who have fascinated me are Princess Grace, Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale, Raquel Welch, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Meryl Streep, James Dean, Robert De Niro, and Daniel Day-Lew
is. I do have a favorite celebrity who’s not an actor—Bono, the singer of the Irish rock band U2. I’ve always been moved by his lyrics and his unwavering passion and commitment to human rights.
There have been many movies made about Rome. Do you have a favorite one?
I love Three Coins in the Fountain, and you’re probably going to laugh, but ever since I saw Gidget Goes to Rome as a child, that’s been a favorite of mine as well. I also enjoyed very much Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love. The city looked absolutely stunning in it!
I take it you made a wish when you were in Rome and visited the Trevi Fountain. If so, do you remember what your wish was, and did it come true yet?
Yes, of course, I visited the Trevi Fountain and made the famous coin toss and a wish. That’s a must, if you go to Rome! But sadly, I don’t remember what my wish was. I guess I’ll have to go back and make a wish that I’ll never forget! One custom I didn’t know about when I visited Rome is that there is a certain way you are supposed to toss the coins into the Trevi Fountain, as Pia learns when she is in Rome. Perhaps that is why I don’t remember my wish, since I didn’t throw the coins the proper way!
In both Bella Fortuna and Carissima, you chose Astoria, Queens, New York as one of the settings. Is this because you are a native of Queens and have a special affinity for it? Or do you have another motive for choosing Queens as the setting in your novels?
Naturally I do have a special affinity for Queens, especially Astoria, where I was born and grew up; however, I also wanted to set my novels in Queens because whenever New York City is featured in books or movies, Manhattan is usually the borough that is chosen. While I love Manhattan, I wanted readers, particularly non–New Yorkers, to get a flavor of what the rest of New York City is like.
Now that you are a published author, has it changed you in any way? Has it helped you understand how some people can either change for the better or, in some cases, like Francesca’s and Gregory’s, for the worse when they reach their dreams? And what is the best part about becoming a published author?
I think becoming a published author has given me a thicker skin. As writers, we tend to isolate ourselves and are very protective of our writing. Once we decide to try and get our work published, we must expose ourselves and our writing. Having grown up as the child of Italian immigrants, my mother strove to always make a good impression and avoid at all costs making a bad impression, or fare la brutta figura, as it’s known in Italian and which Francesca talks about in Carissima. La brutta figura is very much an integral fiber of Italian culture, and it’s definitely worn off on me. But after deciding to seek publication for my first novel, I knew that sharing my writing with the world was important to me, especially if I wanted to grow as a writer. In terms of helping me understand how some people can change for the better or worse when they reach their goals in life, I guess I can see how you can get consumed by all the attention you receive when people share their enthusiasm for you and your work. However, I’ve always been a very down-to-earth person, and even at a young age, I knew who I was. I know that will never change, especially since for me, writing is as much about making a personal connection with my readers as it is about fulfilling my childhood dream of becoming a novelist. The best part about becoming a published author is without a doubt hearing from my readers and having them tell me that they were able to relate to my characters or certain aspects of my book. I have been very moved by readers who have also told me that reading about Italian American characters and their culture has helped them to reconnect with their heritage as well as helped them to relive some of their own special family memories.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
CARISSIMA
Rosanna Chiofalo
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance
your group’s reading of Rosanna Chiofalo’s
Carissima!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think Francesca is obsessed with being adored by her public? Why do you think the neighbors in Astoria are so fascinated by Francesca, besides the obvious reason of her being a star?
2. Do you think Signora Tesca was justified in holding a grudge against Francesca for all those years? How much do you think jealousy played a part in her refusal to talk to Francesca for so long?
3. How was Pia’s relationship with her late sister Erica different than Francesca’s relationship with her sister? How have both of these women been influenced by their sisters?
4. Compare and contrast Pia and Francesca. How are their dreams and goals similar? How are they different?
5. We first meet Signora Tesca in Bella Fortuna. What were your first impressions of her in Bella Fortuna? Did your impressions change when you encountered her again in Carissima? If so, how? The same question for Antoniella. How have your initial impressions about her changed from the first book to this one?
6. Francesca is infatuated with jewelry almost as much as she is with being loved by her fans. Why do you think she loves jewelry so much? Of the gifts that Rocco gives her, which was your favorite?
7. Do you feel that Gregory’s sudden discovery as an artist goes to his head? Why do you think many people become more self-absorbed when they find fame and/or success in their lives?
8. Do you feel sorry for Francesca in the beginning of the novel when you learn that her five engagements never resulted in marriage? How has her decision to remain single shaped the person she’s become? Do you feel sorry for her toward the end of the novel? Do you think she’s grown?
9. Francesca chooses to wear il lutto, the dress for mourning, after her sister dies. This custom has been losing popularity in Italy over the years. What do you think of it? Were you surprised that a glamorous star like Francesca chose to honor this decades-old Italian custom?
10. How has Pia’s trip to Rome changed her? Do you think she would have had the same insights if she had not gone to Rome?
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2013 by Rosanna Chiofalo
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-7504-2
eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-9159-2
eISBN-10: 0-7582-9159-0
First Kensington Electronic Edition: September 2013
Carissima Page 49