Fr. Z's Blog

Former Cardinal Becciu – whom I suspect will soon be indicted and perhaps extradited – was sacked on Thursday.   I was so glad that it was Thursday, and not Wednesday or Friday… which are Ember Days.  Instead, it was the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom, which is also Our Lady of Walsingham.   Since it was a feast, I thought it proper to observe the feast, and the development, with a meal, something special.

Gnocchi sardi!

Hmmm… If I want gnocchi sardi I’ll have to make them from scratch.

Happily, I had some semolina flour on hand as well as various bits and pieces of sausage and pork and beef in the archive.

The addition of saffron infused water.

Knead the dough.

Wrap and rest.

Meanwhile, time to prepare the ragù.   Rosemary from my garden.  Saffron in the little mortar which I brought back from the Holy Land.

I browned chopped onion, ground pork, a few ground up “eyetalian” meatballs, with fennel seeds and black pepper.  In went tomato sauce.  Here goes more saffron.

Time to make the gnocchi.  I don’t have a gnocchi sardi board.   So I experimented.

I thought, “Becciu, a Sardo, is twisty and turny… how about this?”

And the fork method.

Not the very best malloreddus, but not bad in a pinch.  Next time, better.

I bagged and put into the archive to freeze most of them and divided up the ragù in small containers.

With ragù, pecorino, and a splash of first press olive oil.

With some Cannonau.

Good?  You Becciu!

They were gnice.

I had to resist the temptation to take a bag out of the freezer and a container of sauce and make another portion.   This was really good.

All inspired, tonight, by the resignation of Becciu.

And now a Sardinian song… dedicated tonight to a friend of mine in Italy, Venetian Sardinian, cancer survivor. I first heard this in the Roman apartment of her late husband and hers, filled with old masters… Bernini, Reni, Caravaggio, Velasquez, Artemesia, El Greco, Poussin… over great meals and brilliant conversation.

Over a great supper, I remember being captivated by this tune.  Those were great evenings.  She has a new husband and great career track going and I pray for complete victory over the disease.  I have no doubt she’ll win. As it was said of Maureen O’Hara in one of the greatest films ever, The Quiet Man, that red hair is no lie!

And on the Sardinian theme, the last set of vestments the TMSM bought, were made by a Sardinian, who has the wonderful Sacra Domus Aurea.

As a matter of fact, Fr. Z’s liturgical kitchen has a new set coming… VIOLET.

Back to the song… the band is called Tazenda.  They do a sort of “throat singing” thing which has quite the effect.  Cantu a tenore.  It is ancient and cthonic and disturbingly wonderful.

This song has a bit of a cult following, as does the singer… who died of cancer.

The song goes back to a poem of 1915 by Badore Sini.  “A diosa” set to music by Giuseppe Rachel.

No potho reposare amore ‘e coro,
Pensende a tie sò onzi momentu.
No istes in tristura prenda ‘e oro,
Ne in dispraghere o pessamentu.
T’asseguro chi a tie solu bramo,
Ca t’amo forte t’amo, t’amo e t’amo.
Si m’esseret possibile d’anghelu
S’ispiritu invisibile piccabo
T’asseguro chi a tie solu bramo,
Ca t’amo forte t’amo, t’amo e t’amo.
Sas formas ka furabo dae chelu
Su sole e sos isteddos e formabo
Unu mundu bellissimu pro tene,
Pro poder dispensare cada bene.
Unu mundu bellissimu pro tene,
Pro poder dispensare cada bene.
No potho reposare amore ‘e coro,
Pensende a tie sò onzi momentu.
T’asseguro chi a tie solu bramo,
Ca t’amo forte t’amo, t’amo e t’amo.
T’asseguro chi a tie solu bramo,
Ca t’amo forte t’amo, t’amo e t’amo

His last concert.   HERE

I dare you to try not to choke up.

I triple dog dare you.