Mirella Savegnago was born and lived in Milano, Italy, for 40 years. Her first flight out was for her honeymoon. Then things changed! One year after marriage she moved to Oxford (UK) with her husband. They moved in a small 112 Autobianchi car, with two suitcases, a few boxes, and a small green plant.
Then they were in San Luis Obispo in 1996 with their 5 year-old son, and their daughter was born there — then back to Milan for 14 years and then Nanjing (China) in 2011 with their daughter.
China was an incredible experience Mirella had to put it into a book with the title: Chicchi di Riso (by now only in Italian)
In 2017, she moved to Aptos, flying directly from China, along with her husband Francesco Mazza, CEO of Spectra-Mat, a SAES Group company in Watsonville. He is now retired.
Their son Lorenzo, an osteopath, lives and works in Milano, and their daughter Arianna is a chemist and works in Watsonville.
Mirella is passionate about getting in touch with people from different countries and the value and fun that come from connecting with folk from diverse cultural backgrounds.
She has worked internationally in marketing and management for more than 25 years – with the top experience being general manager of the European Chamber of Commerce in Nanjing (China).
Since 2018, Mirella has been teaching Beginning to Advanced Italian language classes for the Santa Cruz Dante Society, which is dedicated to the promotion of the Italian culture and language. Since 2021 she has been on the board of the Society.
She feels very fortunate to have met so many enthusiasts about her country of origin and the Italian language.
She is also actively involved in teaching Italian cooking classes with her chef-partner Denise Ward, and in connecting with others interested in travel and exploring other cultures through the group LivetheWorld.
She also volunteers as a “Master Recycler” and for Soleterre Foundation a nonprofit organization that provides medical treatment, safe housing and counseling support to children affected by cancer worldwide.
•••
Spinach Spaetzle
For 2
I really like Spinach Spaetzle: colorful, healthy and with a very fresh end taste.
- 100 grams fresh raw spinach,
- 2 eggs
- 125 grams flour
- Nut meg
- Salt
In the food processor blend the spinach with the flour till the flour will be completely green. Add the eggs, salt and nutmeg and mix long enough that you’ll have an elastic, lump free dough.
Place a couple of spoonfuls of the dough onto your spaetzle maker and scrape the batter through the grater into a pot with hot water. Reduce the heat once it is bubbling so the water just simmers.
When the spinach noodles will float to the top they are done.
Remove the cooked spaetzle with a large straining spoon and place them in strainer on top of a bowl.
Repeat the scraping and cooking with the rest of the dough until you have used up all of it.
Sauce suggestion: olive oil, little pieces of Speak and Parmesan
•••
Passatelli
(Ricetta in italiano)
Per 2
Mi piacciono molto gli Spaetzle agli Spinaci: colorati, salutari e con un gusto finale molto fresco.
- 100 grammi di spinaci crudi freschi,
- 2 uova
- 125 grammi di farina
- Noce moscata
- Sale
Nel robot da cucina frullare gli spinaci con la farina fino a quando la farina sarà completamente verde.
Aggiungere le uova, il sale e la noce moscata e mescolare abbastanza a lungo da ottenere un impasto elastico e senza grumi.
Mettere un paio di cucchiai di impasto sulla macchina per spaetzle e raschiare l’impasto attraverso la grattugia in una pentola con acqua calda.
Riduci il fuoco quando inizia a bollire in modo che l’acqua inizi a sobbollire.
Quando i passatelli verranno a galla sono pronti.
Scolali con una schiumarola e mettili in un colino sopra una ciotola. Ripetere la raschiatura e la cottura con il resto dell’impasto fino ad esaurimento.
Suggerimento per la salsa: olio d’oliva, pezzetti di Parmigiano e parmigiano.
•••
Photos of Mirella Savegnago with her husband Francesco in Milan