Nonno John

This weeks blog I’m sharing all about my Nonno John. At 92 he is still going strong with his 93rd Birthday just around the corner. Nonno has worked incredibly hard since he was a young boy. He moved to Australia when he was 25, having absolutely no idea where it was but knew there was work here for him. When he travelled to Australia, he came on the same boat as my Nonno Gerry and his cousin Silvano. Both my Nonno’s lived in towns in Italy that where very close together and met on the journey here. Nonno worked in a few places (Bundaberg cutting sugar cane, Bonegilla, Lake Boga, Fitzroy) before meeting Nonna in Swan Hill where they were married and then moved to Melbourne. Nonno worked as a Concreter but was more of ‘Jack of all trades’. He built his house that he still lives in today that he worked on while also working full time. This house is where my Mum and her sisters grew up in and was also a place where my sisters and I grew up in as we spent a lot of time there when we were younger. Late in life he had his own business- Johnny’s handyman services. He has continually worked incredibly hard throughout his whole life but continues to tell me ‘That I’m too young to work too hard’. Nonno has worked tirelessly every year on his Vegetable Garden. Not one day goes passed where he doesn’t spend some time in the garden. During the summertime is when the garden is at its best. With many things growing for him and Nonna to eat as well as to give to everyone in the family. Everything he grows he uses in his kitchen. And still at his age he cooks lunch every day. Same days are simpler than others but usually there is a pasta, risotto or soup to start, followed by meat, salad and cheese and finished with a coffee. On the days where he doesn’t feel like cooking too much he makes toasted sandwiches or a frittata. He makes his sugo himself and is very smart with the way he works so that he doesn’t do too much on one day. The day before he will cut all the ingredients by hand (usually using vegetables from his garden) and leaves everything ready in the fridge to be cooked the next day. The next day all he has to do is cook and leave it bubbling away on the stove. He puts so much love and care into it, it tastes amazing every time. He will use the sugo to go with pasta, but his way of cooking the pasta is in a small pot of boiling water until it is very soft (which breaks every rule in the pasta cooking books!). Somehow even know it is overcooked the pasta is still great. You can’t exactly tell him how things should be done at his age! The smell and taste of the sugo is incredible and is always finished off with a small amount of butter. It is something I need to learn off him or at least have it written down so we don’t forget! He will always make a big pot, then portion it up into smaller containers, to be placed in the freezer ready for the next few lunches. Every week he makes a big pot of polenta, which is set in a baking dish and will be cut and used for lunches during the week. It’s reheated in the oven so it becomes slightly crispy on the outside and is served with the main course and any leftovers will be eaten with some cheese at the end of the meal.

In the centre of his garden, he has very large lemon tree. Which grows many many lemons every single year. Growing up we only ever had Nonno’s lemons in the house, all a bit oddly shaped. So when I first started culinary school, you can understand my suprise when I released that lemons came in boxes, all completely perfectly shaped. I still find it very strange buying lemons from the store (and using them in kitchens) because growing up we never bought them/didn’t need to buy them. We still don’t need too, as the lemon tree is still going strong!

He also grows raddichi, is green instead of purple and is so soft, delicate with a slight peppery flavour. It’s usually over the warmer months he has this, and it is the perfect way to end the meal dressed with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar. During summer there is an abundance of cucumbers growing too, he slices these very thinly and are also dressed with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar. Growing up I used to go into the garden, pull out a fresh carrot, give it a quick wash and eat it fresh. Every now and again I still do this, and the flavour is just nothing like a store-bought carrot.

A yearly ritual of his is to make the sauce or the conserva. He gets a couple of boxes of tomatoes, as well as using his home grown ones, sets up the garage to work and spends the day slowly preparing the tomatoes and making the sauce. Once all the work is done and all the jars are cooled, he places them in the ‘cantina’ (cellar). The cantina under the house (built by him) has his ‘workshop’ where all his tools, equipment and building supplies are, another room for vino and canned goods, a special section where he keeps the sauce and another spare room where he plays his cards when it is too hot to play outside.

My Nonno loves his food, his vino and his garden. You can see the twinkle in his eyes and the passion in his words when he talks about them. He used to be a very grumpy old man but in the last few years he has really changed and is the biggest softy, with the warmest heart and the best hugs. We even spend a lot of the time joking around with him now, and we all have a good laugh together.

Nonno and Ruby (our pooch) are the best of friends. When we take her over for a visit you’ll usually find the two of them in the garden having a chat or sitting on the couch together watching TV.

He never cooked much for us growing up but it has become his thing especially now as Nonna needs a bit more help with the cooking these days. As I watch him cook and listen to him talk, I believe I got a lot of my passion and love for food from him. Which is super special. I love going over for lunch now to have a meal with my Nonni, chat and spend time with them. I also love leaving with a bag of fresh veggies from his garden. They taste like nothing you’d get at the supermarket or shops. So full of flavour and so fresh. Whenever I see him now or spend time with him I cherish every moment so much more. His love for food (and wine) I admire so much as it definitely was passed on to me, but what I admire most is his absolute strength. He is one of the strongest people in my life and I love him more because of it. Without his strength, things would be very different for all of us. I am beyond excited to be celebrating is 93rd birthday with him next week, as I missed his last one as I was living in QLD. A beautiful lunch together, some wine, good coffee and a ‘not to sweet’ cake (his request) to celebrate the King of the family. Ever since he turned 90, he had said he has had like a reset. So at 90 he turned 20, the year after 21 and so on. So this year Nonno is (actually) turning 23!