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Reflections: What Grows in Silence - I Sepolcri di Grano

Today, as I prepare i sepolcri di grano - those tender shoots of wheat grown in darkness for Holy Week, I’m struck by how much of our heritage is cultivated in shadow. These small grains of wheat will in time sprout into humble and symbolic tender shoots; grown quietly in cupboards and cellars, much like the family stories carried in silence. They belong to rituals that travelled across oceans with our families, reappearing each year in kitchens and parish halls far from Basilicata. I remember my maternal grandmother, nonna Carmela preparing them for Good Friday. I watched her soak the grains, spread them into shallow dishes, and hide them away in darkness. She had carried this tradition from her village to Australia, recreating it in a suburban kitchen that bore little resemblance to the world she left behind. For her, it wasn’t nostalgia; it was devotion and continuity; a quiet way of keeping the rhythm of faith and the old world alive in a new one. I didn’t fully understand the sy...
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Crostata di Cotogna (Quince Tart)


Quince Tart - made with LOVE

I held onto the last few quinces that weren't quite ripe for a rainy day, and such is it today.  The sweet aroma of the quinces in my kitchen told me that they were ripe and ready for my next recipe - Quince Tart.

What makes a good tart is nailing the pastry as well as having a filling that compliments the richness of the base. I encouraged my youngest daughter to assist me in making the tart. She was given  full reigns in making the base following the Artusi recipe I wrote about in my previous post -Crostata di Prugna (Plum Tart) while I set off stewing some quinces for the filling and slicing and roasting the rest for the topping.

My only instructions for her were.... put love into it and you will be guaranteed a great base!  With much tribulation and may I add lots of LOVE, she managed to pull off a great base for her first ever attempt.

The filling once stewed was cooked down to a jam consistency as per recipe found in Quince-Mela Cotogna.  The jam is poured into the baked base and decorated with slices of roasted quince.  Baked in a moderate oven, allowed to cool and dusted with icing sugar. The tart can also be eaten warm with a dollop of marscarpone cream cheese.

May I add that half the warm tart disappeared before it saw any cream cheese!




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