Meeting Enzo

Somewhere along the way Enzo came into our lives. This happens on the Camino, random characters popping up with large personalities. Too big for the confines of their own home or village, they either answer the call to meet others on the international trail or there strongly encouraged to go by their village to give the village a rest for a few months.

Enzo is from a town not far from Venice in Italy, not the beach in California. In his broken English he asks where we are from. We reply, Australia and he bounces up and down saying ‘kangaroooooo’. He is just so excited it’s like he knows who is the right recipient for his happiness.

Enzo likes to cook and share what’s in the pot. No small servings here. He has made a seafood dish (bit of a worry as I can’t see the ocean) in a rich tomato sauce. It was really good.

Throughout the night we have conversations in broken English and Italian with some help from google translate.

The next morning we wave goodbye on about 6 occasions as he stops to take more photographs of us with him, Enzo on a bike, Enzo filming our departure. We know we will see him again, that’s the Camino.

That again is Monesterio. We have chosen a municipal albergue as it had good reviews and a good kitchen.  We go out to get the ingredients for a cook up. There will be no more options after 2pm to get things so we buy big.

On our return there is Enzo, as talkative as we left him 2 days ago. I want to cook for you he announces. Well I’m not going to argue if an Italian want to cook me dinner. He checks out our ingredients which includes, mince, canned tomatoes, purée and maybe an onion.  Now Enzo scratches his head, shrugs his shoulders and ponders the situation. Unbeknown to Enzo the shops are shut and he is going to have to safely land this dish on the table with only the ingredients he has on board. I’ve seen this movie and I think it ended well.

Ragout he announces, yes ragout …… hmmmmm ragout. This isn’t a rash decision, no there will be 5 phone calls back to the elders, including his wife on the possibility of safely overcoming the fact that bacon is not on the list.

Not to be put off Enzo does undertake a mission into town to see if the public holiday edict is being ignored. He soon returns with some white wine, somehow that equates to bacon and two round cakes….. oh and some lovely olive oil in a fancy tin that is a gift.

A couple of hours later the smell of onions being cooked off with olive oil and wine is wafting through the kitchen. Next is the mince then the tomato sauce and then I’m hunted out of the kitchen as this is truly secret Italian business.  The two big cans of tomatoes are left for some other hungry pilgrims sometime in the days to come.

About an hour later, after many calls home Enzo is satisfied that he has done his village proud. Seven of us sitting around the table to big plates of pasta and ragout. The  laughs, stories and shared photos keep the night going thru broken translation where most of what we are saying to each other is understood….. I think.

In the morning we say goodbye again…. Many times, as Enzo wants more photos.