October 31, 2017
Rossella,
My mother passed away in August of 2009, she was from Capurso (Bari). She was only 69 and as we were growing up, myself and my two brothers and two sisters and I were taught to cook as we were growing up. My mother always said that especially for the boys they needed to learn to cook as they should not expect to find a woman in America to wait on us as much as she had waited on my father (he passed at 53 about 20 years ago). Anyway, my wife kept asking me to make the cartellate for Christmas as my mother always had done. I told her that I really wasn't up to making them... at least not this year, plus I had never made them all on my own... I just always helped my mom as we were growing up. We called them "the pinchy, pinchy cookies" because of having to pinch the dough together every inch or so.
About half an hour after my wife was asking me to make the cartellate and I told her I didn't want to, I got the email from you with the cartellate recipe. I looked it over and looked at my moms and they were identical. I told my wife that I HAD to make the cartellate. When she asked why, I told her about getting your email and that it was a sign from my mother who's name was Rosalia. Too much of a sign that I had to make them that very night.
I took them to my brothers and sisters for Christmas and they couldn’t believe that I actually took the time to make them. Even better, they told me that they thought that they were just as good as my mom made. They all took some home and my brother called me up a few days later and asked if I was going to make more. I told him I would for next Christmas... he wanted another batch made for the New Year. I told him that I would help him make them but not make them alone. Of course he said he would just wait until next Christmas.
I just wanted to thank you for your emails. This one for the cartelatte gave me the little nudge I needed to keep the tradition going for my family. It couldn't have come at a better time. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that your New Year is filled with much happiness and success.
Tony Lamorgese
Strongsville, Ohio
