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FROM OSIA NATIONAL

Bulletins from OSIA's National Office will be posted here as they come in. Check back often.

OSIA logo
July 2009
Welcome to OSIA's Italian Summer Getaway!
 
Dear OSIA Supporter:
 
  

Celebrate summer Italian Style with OSIA -- Your One Stop Italian America!  *Today through August 31st the first 25 to join, renew or give the gift of National At Large Membership (NALM,) you will receive the Italian Summer Getaway Gift Bag: 
  • Alitalia Canvas Green Tote Bag
  • Alitalia Sunglasses
  • Alitalia Magnet
  • Italian America Magazine
  • Taste Italia Magazine
  • Calcio Magazine
  • La Dolce Vita CD
Plus, one lucky winner will receive two (2) round-trip tickets to Italy; and an Italian Classics Colavita Gift Basket.  Courtesy of Alitalia & Colavita.
 
 
Already a member?  Enjoy OSIA's hot new marketplace deals.  See coupon below for details.
 
*Please allow 4-6 weeks to process membership, receive gift bags and member packets
Buon Viaggio! 
Win (2) Two Tickets to Italy
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When you join, renew or give the gift of National At Large Membership between July 1st and August 31st, you will be entered to win (2) two round trip tickets to Italy courtesy of Alitalia
A Taste of Summer Mary Ann Esposito
A traditonal Sicilian family recipe by celebrated chef/TV host/author, Mary Ann Esposito.
 
The word caponata has no English translation, but it is usually described as an eggplant appetizer salad wtih an agrodolce, or sweet-sour taste, one of the underlying characteristics of Sicilian Cuisine.  This traditional family recipe is my favorite.  Cocoa, the surprise ingredient, gives the dish its clean finish.  Other versions of caponata include bits of fried sweet peppers, pear slices, raw almonds, cinnamon and cloves. 
 
Caponata
Makes about 9 1/2 cups 
 
8 young eggplant (4 to 5 inches long), washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch cubes.
1 cup tomato paste
Coarse sea salt
1/2 cup capers in wine vinegar, drained
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced celery (about 2 ribs)
1 cup chopped Sicilian olives in brine, drained
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut oli
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons baking cocoa
4 onions, thinly sliced (3 1/2 cups)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
 
Place eggplant cubes in a colander, salt them, and let them sweat in the sink for 1 hour, then rinse and dry them.
 
In a small saucepan, add the celery to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain the celery, saving the water and set aside. 
 
In a large skillet or electric frying pan, heat half the peanut oil.  Add half the eggplant peices and fry until softened and lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes.  Drain the pieces on brown paper and continue with the remaining eggplant and peanut oil.
 
In the same skillet, heat the olive oil, add the onions and saute until soft and glazed-looking, about 10 minutes.  Lower the heat and mix in tomato paste, reserved celery water, olives, capers, sugar, vinegar, and cocoa.  Mix well  and let the mixture simmer about 5 minutes.
 
Add the eggplant and the celery pieces to the skillet, and mix well to coat the peices with the sauce.  Simmer the mixture uncovered for about 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
 
Because this recipe makes a lot, I spoon the mixture into jars, cover, and store them in the refrigerator and use as needed.  You may want to cut this recipe in half, although this caponata never lasts long in my house.
 
Variation: Serve the caponata in an eggplant that has been cut in half lengthwise and scooped out.  Surround the eggplant with slices of semolina bread, lightly fried in a fruity olive oil. 
 
Click here to view a special message about National At Large Membership from celebrated chef, TV host of Ciao Italia and author, Mary Ann Esposito.
 
Issue: 1
Pisa
In This Issue
Join & Win Tickets to Italy
Recipe: Caponata
Summer Auction Sale
Travel to Sicily
Auction Winners
Summer Auction Closeout Sale! 
Statue
 
Bidding ends Aug. 1st! 
Join Our Mailing List
Travel to Sicily! 
 Tours under $1,900

New Sons of Italy Travel Bureau Launches Trips to Ancient Italy.
  Taormina Greek Ruins
Passport to Italy 2008 Auction Winners! 
Winner of VIP Pass to Nation's Capitol
Winner of the VIP Pass to the Nation's Capitol, Matthew Waas and date pose with actor Joe Mantegna.
 
Package included VIP tickets to the Sons of Italy's 20th Anniversary Gala; Meet and Greet with Master of ceremonies, Joe Mantegna; VIP Passes to the National Memorial Day Concert; and Dinner at Il Mulino.  
 
National At Large Members Win European Cruise! 
Cruise Ship
Congratulations to National At Large Members Susan and Matthew Pemberton for being the highest bidders of the European Excurision.  They'll be cruising this August!   
 
Buon Viaggio! 
Order Sons of Italy in America
OSIA
202/547-2900
Join & Save
National At Large Members have exclusive access to discounts, special offers and unique opportunities via OSIA's marketplace partners.  
 
Just added this summer:
Receive 20% off Villa rentals in Italy; seasonal promotions from Alitalia, 10% discount on Colavita, Ciao Italia and more! 
 
Already a member?  Click here to start shopping!  
 
Sponsors
 
Offer Expires: 
August 2009
 
 

OSIA logo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sons of Italy News Bureau
............

Press Release .....

Italian American Anti-Defamation Group Demands Suspension of NBC Sportscaster Johnny Miller

Washington, DC-- June 19, 2008 The Commission for Social Justice (CSJ), the anti- defamation arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America, the nation's biggest Italian American organization, is demanding an on-air apology and the suspension of NBC's lead golf analyst Johnny Miller after discriminatory statements about Rocco Mediate he broadcast during the U.S. Open on Sunday, June 15.

Referring to Mediate, who was a finalist in the competition, Miller said, "Mediate looks like the guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool," and "Guys with the name of Rocco don't get on the trophy, do they?" They were aired nationally and then spread worldwide via the Internet.

"If Johnny Miller had made a similar remark about Tiger Woods, he would have been fired," says Anthony Baratta, national president of the Sons of Italy CSJ. "In 1998, Fuzzy Zoeller lost millions of dollars in endorsements after he jokingly asked Woods, who had just won the Master's, to request "fried chicken and collard greens" on the next year's tournament menu.

"And I would remind Mr. Miller that a considerable number of Italian Americans have distinguished themselves in golf, including Gene Sarazen (Eugenio Saraceni), Johnny Revolta, Vic Ghezzi, Donna Caponi, Fred Couples (Coppola) and Ken Venturi," he says.

Baratta also cites an incident involving broadcaster Kelly Tilghman, reported in the New York Times January 11 article, When an Apology Is Not Enough, which states, "that when Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman said that one way for young golfers to stop Woods is to 'lynch him in a back alley' . . . her words earned her a two-week, unpaid suspension."

The article also mentions, "Tilghman now belongs to a group of experienced broadcasters who have paid for their missteps about race, religion or gender, including Don Imus, Michael Irvin, Jimmy (The Greek) Snyder, Steve Lyons, Rush Limbaugh and Ben Wright."

Baratta and the CSJ have written NBC asking for the same justice, "NBC should suspend Johnny Miller immediately and demand a retraction of his statements as well as an on-air apology to this nation's estimated 20 million Italian Americans," he said.

Baratta is urging all concerned citizens to contact NBC at the following addresses:

Email:
nbcsports@nbcuni.com

Address:
Mr. Richard Ebersole
Chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

Order Sons of Italy in America

The Sons of Italy CSJ is the anti-defamation arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the largest and oldest national organization for people of Italian descent in the U.S. Email the CSJ at csj@osia.org

OSIA works at the community, national and international levels to promote the heritage and culture of an estimated 16-26 million Italian Americans, the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Contact:
Kylie Cafiero
Director of Communications
phone: 202/547-2900

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