ROOTS
The invitation said “please come and join us in our annual celebration of Luzarica”. This is the event which Steve’s relatives refer to as Gospalazoria. Whatever the correct name, what I found out is the rough translation is Rosary or Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is typically observed on October 7th or the first Sunday in October.

That was two years ago and it would be our fifth year to attend this event put on by former residents of the Croatian village of Preko. It was to be the last time the event was held, which we didn’t know at the time. Our reason for being there was because of Steve’s family connection.

His grandparents emigrated from the the island of Preko Dalmatia, then part of Austria Hungary, today part of Croatia to the US in the early 20th century along with, seemingly, hundreds of others. Many ended up in Chicago, which is Steve’s birthplace and others ended up in San Pedro, California, the event location. The city is water close and many of the immigrants to San Pedro not surprisingly were from areas in their respective countries that were fishing communities. In that town, in addition to Croatia, the residents include transplants from Portugal, Italy and Mexico. San Pedro also is the location of Los Angeles Harbor and is primarily a blue collar enclave. Any other location in Southern California so close to the water and with such spectacular views would be totally unaffordable to most but perhaps the grittiness of the Harbor atmosphere has kept that from happening here. Every so often the city leaders try to revitalize the community but for the most part not too much changes. New buildings appear and then are somehow engulfed in the prevailing atmosphere. Driving there what is most apparent are the large cranes in the harbor, for all the world like giant tinker toys, which are used for unloading cargo ships from all over the world.

The party was held in a restaurant named Ante’s, owned by a man named Ante Perko and is hosted by Tony Mihatov both of whom are first generation Americans of Croatian descent. Ante's has been located in San Pedro since 1945 and is located, happily, on a street named Ante Perkov Way, not too far from the harbor but surrounded by industrial buildings and lots, for the most part. They bill themselves as presenting authentic Croatian cuisine prepared according to recipes carried by Ante from the sunny Dalmatian coast. The food and space are contributed so what the attendees pay for their luncheons become donations, along with any additional money they choose to give.

So this was the location for the gathering. It’s been an opportunity for the older folks to connect with each other since many of the attendees are of a generation that has fond memories of the old country. They remember that in the old country, the feast includes a procession through the village carrying a statue of Mary, for which everyone gathers.

Although Steve’s mom is typical of most of the attendees in age, she is one generation removed from the old country so the memories she has have handed down from her parents.

There is a food aspect to this of course, it being a luncheon. But it’s all about the family and nostalgia; it’s not about the food, which is the totally undistinguished standard banquet fare with the usual choices of beef, chicken or fish. It’s helpful for me to keep remembering that it’s for a good cause.

If there is a highlight to the food portion of the luncheon, at least for Steve and some others, it is the side dishes of pasta. This usually includes what I have come to know as Croatian dishes although they seem to have some other, Mediterranean influences. One is mostacolli, prepared with a tomato sauce which will sometimes include a touch of meat. It differs from an Italian version in that it feels more like a casserole dish than pasta. Steve’s greatest complaint about the mostacolli dish is that it always seems to be overcooked, made as it is as a casserole instead of what he would prefer, pasta tossed with light sauce. Then again there is the sauerkraut, which I personally have come to love. This is usually made with a prepared sauerkraut mixed with a tomato-ey sauce and sometimes includes sausage which flavors it only slightly. Then there is usually some sort of simple penne pasta with olive oil as a bone to the non-meat eaters, of which there are few, perhaps only one, me.

Normally I would be all for any event that is centered around food, but this is one I might have written off as a culinary disaster except for the grand finale - dessert. Or should I say desserts plural. At the appropriate time platters with a variety of the tantalizing bits are distributed to each table, something we all anticipate with delight. These aren’t your everyday regular desserts and they’re not fancy French style stuff either. This is down home stuff, not available anywhere else except the bakers’ kitchens and what can I say except they’re delightful. Like so many of these types of things for the most part they’re from a small circle of regulars, most of whom have strong accents as they are not that far removed from their roots. And, they do know their desserts. It’s a large selection, perhaps a dozen, and can include apple strudel which is brought in long rolls then sliced there just before serving. There’s a version of cheese strudel which is more like little individual pockets, small round fritters containing pine nuts and raisins and a baguette-sized ground-walnut-filled bread called oregnaca which is cut into slices and which would, in my opinion make an excellent breakfast bread. We all have our favorites it seems, although given how fast they disappear maybe they’re all everyone’s favorite or maybe it’s just that dessert always is. The most favored always seems to be the crustula, which is a light and airy cookie-like crunchy thing lightly dusted with powdered sugar. It’s hard to believe they’ve been fried to get to that lightness and airiness because they don’t taste fried. A tribute to the makers since it’s obvious that most of the desserts were made just that morning.

At some point before we disperse, some of the older folks, usually men will stand up and expound way too long about the old country and the beauty of Preko, the smell of the hills, etc. and our host will let us know how appreciated this event, and our money of course, is in the old country.

We don’t care at this point. We’ve had dessert, and some lucky ones even get to take some in a go-pack. Then it’s all done until next year.


As a sad footnote to this, unfortunately the planners of this event got to a point where they could no longer do it, and so it has been discontinued. I did want to honor the Festival by describing the celebration, and noting the date.


Mostaccioli
Mostaccioli is not something we usually make at our house. Steve has an aversion to it, probably because it’s not like the pasta he has come to love as an adult. That is to say, pasta that is cooked al dente and lightly sauced. That is not this dish. But to me this dish is the essence of a family staple, especially with kids. It is easy and quick to prepare, is filling, inexpensive and has a sort of mushy texture that many kids like, in my mom opinion.
There are a lot of recipes out there for mostaccioli, many of them baked which would also be worthwhile. The type that is served at Luzarica is more basic in that it might take something like a 16 oz size container of marinara or ragu style sauce, add ground meat or sausage and then is tossed with a pound of the cooked pasta. The sauce can be homemade or bought and more or less cheese can be added to the mix, as desired, then it can be put into the oven and heated or kept warm. That’s pretty much it.

Steve found a recipe for Crustula on line and here it is. I haven't tried it and maybe never will as I tend to stay away from making desserts. But who knows? Never say never, right?

For those who might be interested, here is the recipe.


CRUSTULA
• 3 eggs beaten
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• a pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons whiskey
• approximately 2 cups of flour
• ---
• what you do for crustula:
• combine eggs, sugar, oil, salt, and whiskey.
• mix in enough flour to make a mixture thick enough to roll out like thin pie crust.
• slice into strips about 1/2 inch wide by 6 inches long.
• fry in skillet in medium hot oil until puffy and golden brown.
• turn over once and brown the other side.
• drain throughly in a colander, or your preferred method.
• sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
• ---
• please note: the cookies will brown quickly, so watch them closely.