Stones Wisdom

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need
                                                      - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones

Prison

The worst prison would be a closed heart.
                                                                           - Pope John Paul II

Authentic life

An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer. 

                                                                    - Sarah Ban Breathnach

Chris's Pomodoro

Chris lives semi-permanently at Potentino as kind of the wwoof Captain. He was a very prominent sommelier in New York City, and one day decided that he needed to get the heck out of NYC and that life. He literally quit his job on Friday and was in Italy by Monday! When in Tuscany he met Charlotte, and is currently doing a sort of internship on the vineyard, which is common for sommelier to do. He is just wonderful, and is so kind to give me a crash course in wine, from grape to table, as we go about our work! He is also very gifted in the kitchen, and this pomodoro was absolutely incredible!

Chris’s Pomodoro Sauce

Begin by heating olive oil in large skillet. 

Add canned tomatoes, preferably Italian-style, meaning the tomatoes are simply stuffed whole into jars and then pressure cooked to seal, heat through.

Roughly chop garlic, add some at beginning, middle and end of process for 3 different flavor profiles.

Add a few chopped anchovies, for richness and flavor. (You won't taste them as anchovies)

Add chopped red onion and broccoli rabe, or another leafy green, cook til tender.

If your tomatoes aren't very good, add them at the same time as the onions and greens; if they are fresh, add them more towards the end. 

Add the fresh herbs, basil or oregano, at very end to finish. 

Serve over al dente pasta, we had fabulous large shells!

Buon Appetito!

Grace

Grace means more than gifts. In grace something is transcended, once and for all overcome. Grace happens in spite of something; it happens in spite of separateness and alienation. Grace means that life is once again united with life, self is reconciled with self. Grace means accepting the abandoned one. Grace transforms fate into a meaningful vocation. It transforms guilt to trust and courage. The word grace has something triumphant in it.
                                                                                                                      - Yrjo Kallinen

Sunday Adventures

Last Sunday, I got up early and walked to Seggiano, the small village nearby, to see the town and go to Mass. I hadn’t been able to find out beforehand when or where there would be a Mass, but I decided to just go and investigate!

 About halfway there, a kind old Italian man in a Fiat stopped and offered to take me the rest of the way to Seggiano, even though it was only about ten more minutes away. He did not speak English and I do not speak Italian, but we were able to communicate well enough and laugh with each other. He took me all the way to the top of the mountain, and insisted upon buying me un caffe, or an espresso. He told me that Mass was not for another two hours, at 11am. So I spent the time exploring the village on a quiet Sunday.

                                            

The church, Chiesa di San Bartolomeo, was open and just beautiful. Very simple, but old and sturdy and quite profound. Last week I was at the Basilica in Rome, this Sunday a small town church in Tuscany; and each is perfect, so beautiful in its very own way.

 The priest was fun and jovial, and quietly reverent; he had a head of salt and pepper hair, and played with and teased the kids in the choir. The acolytes came in first, laughing and joking with each other and the Padre, and they lit the candles. The children’s choir, complete with piano, guitar and bongo practiced as the ever present little elderly ladies dressed in their fur coats shuffled in. Bells tolled, the people stood, and Mass began.

A simple and lovely morning

Appreciate

"Wake up in the morning we turn all the lights on turn em' out at night so that we can hide, sometimes i sleep with all the lights on, it helps me to appreciate the night."
                                                                                                                  Pat Green, Crazy

Mornings

Mornings at Potentino

 

 

Mornings have become my favorite moment at Potentino. Just coffee, fruit with cereal, sometimes juice, me, gorgeous creation and the morning. Waking up to glory.

His world

""Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is so fancy-fine, so full of wonderment if He doesn't want everything to be good and perfect and right and healthy? But we can spoil His good work. When we mess things up, then we shouldn't blame Him and try to make ourselves feel better by contending that it's what He wanted."
                                                                                                          — Catherine Marshall, Christy

Clearing the Vines

This week we've been clearing old vines. 

 After the harvest, the vines are pruned and the prunings are raked into rows and left during the winter months. Now that it’s spring, it’s time to clear them away. It is a process very similar to hauling hay bales; one person drives the truck along the row while one person pitches the old vines to another person standing in the truck bed, who then receives the vines and stacks them. The fourth person follows behind and grabs the stray vines and any large rocks and adds them to the truck bed pile, because every third year the vines are tilled under instead of cleared. 

 I'm the one with my foot in the air, wrestling with vines!

 It’s hard work, and at the end of the day, we are all tired and so ready for a glass of wine!!

Instinct

There is no instinct like that of the heart.
- Lord Byron

Risotto

Risotto Cimette di rape

Roughly chop onion, garlic and broccoli rabe, or any leafy green

Saute onion in plenty of olive oil until slightly transparent

Add a handful of risotto per person, plus one extra handful

Coat thoroughly in olive oil, then begin adding white wine, a little at a time, probably half a bottle

Wait until the moisture has been absorbed before adding more

After enough wine has been added, switch to water or vegetable stock

Repeat for about twenty minutes, or until risotto is tender, stirring constantly

About halfway through moisture process, add the chopped garlic and greens

Before serving, remove from flame and add a few tablespoons butter, stir well and let set for a few minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

Chris and Catie making our risotto...absolutely delicious.

The Moon

Last night was a full moon, so after dinner we took a midnight walk to the olive grove. The moon was brilliantly bright, lighting the field up so that you could see everything. The leaves of the olive trees turn silver in the moonlight, and it was just magical. I love nights like this, and I couldn’t help but think about home, and how that same moon would soon shine on everyone I love. We are connected, fused together across distance and time and oceans, consciously or unconsciously, by that shared moment of sheer luminosity.  

I see the moon and the moon sees me...

Our Flat

Our cozy little wwoofer flat!

Coco

Things present

Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee.  
~ Montaigne

Castello

 

Truly

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.
 - Mother Teresa

Pesto

Pesto Variation

Blend together fresh mint, uncooked fava beans, parmesan or other similar cheese, olive oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and lemon juice. If desired, blanch peas and blend half into pesto mixture and mix the other half in whole. Mix with al dente pasta and serve