We of Italian and Syracuse Heritage CNY

Don't miss this event on the shore of Onondaga Lake!

Nuclear energy is too toxic, too dangerous, too expensive, and too slow to build to be a real solution to the climate or affordability crisis facing New York families. It is also an environmental justice disaster, with Indigenous communities carrying a disproportionate share of the harm. Despite all of this, Governor Hochul has put nuclear power at the center of the state’s energy future, while more affordable and truly renewable solutions keep getting pushed aside.

We won't accept this. We are coming together to reject this false solution and demand that the state invest in an energy future that works for everyone.

Join us in Syracuse as a part of Communities Against Nuclear: A Week of Action to Protest Hochul’s Dangerous Nuclear Buildout. This week of statewide distributed actions consist of rallies, press conferences, and more, including in NYC, Westchester, Albany, the Finger Lakes, Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Long Island, Binghamton, and the North Country. Together we will show statewide and local opposition to Hochul’s expensive and dangerous nuclear plan.

These events are being led by NY Renews, Frack Action, AGREE, NIRS, Food & Water Watch, and partners from several Haudenosaunee Nations.
https://act.nyrenews.org/communities-against-nuclear-syracuse

Communities Against Nuclear Reactors: Syracuse Teach-In - NY Renews Nuclear energy is too toxic, too dangerous, too expensive, and too slow to build to be a real solution to the climate or affordability crisis facing New York families. It is also an environmental justice disaster, with Indigenous communities carrying a disproportionate share of the harm. Despite all...

Join us for the WISH Annual Family and Friends Picnic, Sunday, June 28 from noon to three. Please bring a dish to pass i
and your own beverage. Don’t forget your bathing suits and towels and bring the kids. Rain or shine.

Today's A Mighty Girl Community Pick: "A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism" by Caroline Moorehead. In the shadow of the Italian Alps, four extraordinary women took up arms against fascism, becoming part of a resistance movement that would help topple Mussolini's brutal regime. Drawing from previously untranslated sources, this powerful historical account follows Ada, Frida, Silvia, and Bianca -- young partisans in the Piedmont mountains surrounding Turin who joined thousands of other women in the fight for liberation after Italy's break with N**i Germany in 1943. Against the backdrop of a devastating civil war that exposed both heroism and treachery within Italian society, these women risked their lives daily to undermine the German occupation and dismantle the remaining structures of Italian fascism.

A spellbinding tale of courage and resistance, this meticulously researched book sheds new light on a lesser-known chapter of World War II history while examining the complex dynamics of civil war as neighbor turned against neighbor. Through intimate portraits of these four remarkable women, Moorehead reveals how the partisan movement helped accelerate the death of Mussolini's two-decade-long, far-right Fascist rule, even as Europe crumbled around them. Highly recommended for adult readers.

"A House in the Mountains" is available at https://www.amightygirl.com/a-house-in-the-mountains

Caroline Moorehead is also the author of "A Train in Winter" is available at https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780061650710 (Bookshop), "Village of Secrets" (https://amzn.to/3QoGUmP), and "Mussolini's Daughter: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe" (https://amzn.to/3CN5rPs), "A Bold and Dangerous Family: The Remarkable Story of an Italian Mother, Her Two Sons, and Their Fight Against Fascism" (https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780062308313)

For more books for adult readers about heroic women who stood up to fight fascism, visit our blog post "Telling Her Story: 40 Books for Adult Readers About Women Heroes of WWII" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=24501

For powerful books for tweens and teens about girls living in real-life oppressive societies throughout history, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426

Reappraising Columbus: Syracuse must finish what it started (Guest Opinion by WISH CNY) We of Italian and Syracuse Heritage urges Syracuse to move forward with replacing the Columbus statue, advocating for a more inclusive public space.

Too good to pass up…

Italian Braised Escarole and Beans

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Bean soaking time: 8 hours or overnight
Total time: about 8 hours 25 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the beans

12 oz dried cannellini or Great Northern beans, about 2 cups
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half
1 medium yellow onion, studded with 10 cloves
2 dried bay leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Water, enough to cover the beans by a few inches

For the escarole and beans

1 large head escarole, about 10 oz, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 oz mild Italian sausage, about 3 large links, or bulk sausage
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For serving

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Toasted Italian bread or sourdough

Equipment

10-inch wide sauté pan with high sides or Dutch oven
Wooden spoon
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
2-quart mixing bowl for soaking beans
3–4 quart saucepan for cooking beans
Colander
Clean kitchen towel or salad spinner
Tongs

Instructions

Start with the beans the night before. Place the dried beans in a bowl and cover them with twice their volume of water. Let them soak for 8 hours or overnight. This helps them cook more evenly and gives you that creamy bean texture.

Drain the soaked beans and place them in a saucepan with the carrots, bay leaves, kosher salt, and the clove-studded onion. Add enough water to cover the beans by a few inches.

Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and cook until the beans are tender. Don’t boil them hard, because that can split the skins and make them rough. Once tender, remove the vegetables and bay leaves. The beans can be made a few days ahead, which makes this dish much easier on cooking day.

Trim the stem from the escarole and separate the leaves. Stack 2 or 3 leaves at a time and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Wash the escarole very well in cold water, because greens can hide dirt between the leaves (nothing ruins a good bowl faster than grit). Spin dry or lay it out on a towel.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a small amount of olive oil in your sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage on one side, flip it, then transfer the pan to the oven and bake until just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the sausage and let it cool slightly. Slice it in half lengthwise, then cut it into ½-inch half-moons. This shape gives you sausage in every spoonful without making the dish too heavy.

Place the same pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and remaining olive oil. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic smells fragrant and no longer raw. Do not brown it too much, because bitter garlic can take over the whole pot.

Add the escarole right away and stir. This stops the garlic from overcooking and helps the greens start wilting. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the escarole softens and loses some volume.

Add the cooked beans, sliced sausage, chicken stock, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir gently, then cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the greens are tender and the broth tastes rich.

Taste before serving. Add more black pepper, red pepper flakes, or salt only if needed. Remember, sausage, stock, and Parmesan can already bring plenty of salt.

Serve warm in bowls with grated Parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and toasted Italian bread or sourdough. The bread is not optional in spirit, because the broth is half the pleasure here.

Tips

You can make the beans ahead and refrigerate them for a few days.

If you want a soupier version, add more chicken stock.

For a vegetable-heavy version, add diced carrot, celery, and onion before the garlic.

Escarole can be swapped with other bitter greens, but escarole gives the classic Italian-American flavor.

Use mild Italian sausage for a balanced dish, or hot sausage if your audience likes more heat.

Nutrition, approx. per serving

Calories: about 371
Protein: hearty from beans and sausage
Carbs: mostly from white beans
Fat: moderate, depending on sausage and olive oil

Storage

This keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and tastes even better after resting. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of stock or water if it thickens too much.

Take a watch. Lisa Moore’s interview. Very important.

NewsChannel 9 WSYR Syracuse 3 likes, 2 comments. "Interview: CNY historian Lisa Moore talks contest to redesign Columbus statue site"

I say we email Lisa and tell her we absolutely support this initiative!