Cucuzza (gaguzza) |
Garden with Cucuzzi |
As the weather begins to chill and autumn arrives, I start
to think about cooking squash and making
pumpkin pie but what about a CUCUZZA! This crazy looking thing was brought to
me by my cousin who even has a Youtube video on growing this alien gourd. Ask a Sicilian and they will smile when they
talk about the “serpent quash” that can grow up to 3 or 4 feet with the vine growing 7 inches a day. There
is even a song about it (Click here to listen). This challenge was to eat a
cucuzza and have a flash back “old country” Sicilian experience.
Cucuzzi stew |
Reflection
We had it in a stew with hot sausage and it was delicious(click here for recipe).
It tasted like a mild zucchini but like tofu, it seemed to absorb the flavors
around it. Therefore, I vote for cooking
a cucuzza in some kind of red sauce. As I enjoyed this stew, I remembered the good times eating
in my grandmothers kitchen and how proud my grandfather was of his garden. You can
buy seeds on line or order cucuzza from the site below.
I say give it a try and go Sicilian!
Spiritual Refection
"A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit and a bad tree a can't produce good fruit. So ever tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced. " (Mathew 7:17-20)
Other Sources
Cucuzza song http://www.cucuzzasquash.com/
Cucuzzi Stew Recipe http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/747461-Cucuzza-Zucchini-Stew
Seeds http://www.growitalian.com/cucuzzi-zuchetta-serpent-of-sicily/
Cucuzzi video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3itN2DDqZUQ