With Cassandra Marsillo
This workshop will centre on making two different types of pasta shapes and accompanying recipes typical to Molise, a small region in Southern Italy with a big, historic presence in Montreal. Cavatelli and taccozze are integral parts of Molisan winter remedies. The recipes used for this workshop were collected through oral history interviews with community members for the cookbook Dalla valigia alla tavola: A journey through Molisan culinary heritage.
Cavatelli are the perfect pasta for hearty sauces to get you through the winter. Their shape allows them to hold a lot of sauce in their ridges and grooves. Taccozze are the typical pasta used to make scattone, a very particular dish that is said to cure all ailments. Participants will make enough for 2 portions of cavatelli and taccozze each. As we shape the pasta, participants will listen to the stories of these dishes from the original oral history interviews (in Italian). Additional historical information, final recipes, and translation will be provided.
Finally, as winter is the perfect time for storytelling over a steaming hot bowl of something delicious, participants will be invited to share stories of their own winter remedies of all kinds!
Cassandra Marsillo is public historian, artist, and educator, based in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), telling and listening to stories about immigration, identity, collective memory, food, and folklore, particularly in relation to the Italian-Canadian experience and traditions from her family’s region, Molise.
Currently a doctoral student at Concordia University, Cassandra graduated twice from Concordia University with a BFA in Studio Arts and an Italian minor, and a BA in Honours Public History. In 2019, she completed her Master in Public History at Carleton University, Her research project, The Yellow Line: Italo-Canadian Oral Histories from Montreal’s Backyards and Schoolyards, was an archival photo, installation, and oral history pop-up exhibit, presented at the Casa d’Italia in March 2019.
Her latest project is an oral history cookbook on the stories and recipes of Montreal’s molisani, Dalla valigia alla tavola: A journey through Molisan culinary heritage, which she completed in collaboration with the Federazione delle associazioni molisane del Quebec, photographer and artist Vee Di Gregorio, chef Joseph D’Alleva, and pastry chef Erica Marsillo.
REGISTRATION
Register now with this link
As part of our exploration of Molisan foodways and oral histories, we will be preparing and eating a small meal together. Given space constraints, we need to limit the number of participants to sixteen. We will purchase food items based on the number of registered attendees. Should you be unable to attend, may we ask that you let us know at least one week in advance? We’d then be able to calibrate our food purchases accordingly and/or offer your spot to a participant on the waiting list.
Please note that all our events are free and open to all, but registration is mandatory. For any questions, please contact cohds.chorn@concordia.ca
LOCATION
In-person at “The SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation,” LB-145, Concordia University, 1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, J.W. McConnell Building (Library Building).
COHDS/ALLAB is located on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territory, in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal.
