Italian Life

Ah…as I sit at the kitchen table listening to some quiet old-school Italian music; watching my mom cut my nonna’s hair and taking in the smell of dinner (slow sauce and béchamel for cannelloni, and fried eggplant) I am taken back to those vivid memories of growing up Italian, and of course the memory I have of my family’s, Sicily.

I know that my blog has been pretty heavy handed with the Italian recipes and inspirations, but I just can’t help it. It’s in my blood, and is what makes me oh so happy. Don’t get me wrong I love all types of cuisine and consistently cook from various kinds all week long. Whether it is my Coconut and Red Curry Thai Chicken, Polynesian Pork Curry, Asian Style BBQ chicken, or Homemade Sirloin Burritos; I find ways to sneak them into my repertoire to keep food easy, interesting and nutritious.

However my weakness is for Italy, and its food. I mean I have not met one person who does not like Italian food; have you? It’s not just the million types of pasta, but it’s being able to have cuisine that matches the season, and particularly from Sicily, lots of heart healthy options. My nonna and nonno (grandma and grandpa) are in their late eighties. Although they have some mild ailments, they are impressively healthy! Knock on wood lol! I believe they have kept their hearts healthy by indulging in a Mediterranean diet including tonnes of tomatoes, fish, olive oil, and beautiful fruits and vegetables. Although for non Italian company I may make the more well known stuff like pasta alfredo, tortollini with pesto, or just baked ziti; but I prefer the hidden gems. Zupa di pesci with a huge chunk of crusty bread, tomato and onion salad with anchovy, braised pork served with pasta followed by delicious spears of fennel to assist in digestion and cleanse the palate. This is the Italian life I feel incredibly privileged to know and enjoyed many times over. Sitting at my nonna’s huge wood table where so many family members and friends would join us to devour the culinary masterpieces my nonna would create, drink my nonno’s homemade wine, talk and laugh until you couldn’t eat another bite. Only to remember that once us kids did the dishes, we would all be rewarded with a spectacular nightcap of espresso and some sort of sweets or fruit; and on those hot summer nights GRANITA! Just typing this all brings a tear to my eye, revelling in my past enjoyment, and desiring to create these memories for my future children, friends and family.

Peasant food; it is the best! It includes hearty soups and pastas, braised meat dishes, vegetables and breads. Although chefs now try to play it off like haute cuisine, it was not thought of that way throughout history in Italy. Kings, Queens and the wealthy would always eat the best cuts of meat, the finest cheeses and fruits, and the peasants, such as farmers had to feed their families just as satisfying food, without breaking the bank. Thus came the term peasant food; in short the food the peasants would eat. In my opinion, it is the best food to eat; harbouring the most flavour, feeding a crowd and doing so for an affordable price. A little funny story my mom just told me to exemplify how those who make the peasant food don’t refer to it like that; to them it’s just food! My grandparents were hosting relatives from Monterey California, and after the glorious meal, my 2nd cousin Isadoro happily says to my nonno “Joe this was a wonderful meal, so satisfying with the peasant style food.” Well at that point my nonno was highly offended, but graciously accepted this “apparent” backward compliment. My mom said he was so offended, that once the relatives left, nonno went on and on that Isadoro meant he was cheap and the food was fit for the poor! This was absolutely not the case. He was simply implying that this non-pretentious food was fabulous, filling and tasty. This is when my nonno discovered the term peasant food, and promptly, privately forgave Isadoro. Now the modern culinary world tries to pass up this style of food as fancy. Yes it is delicious and incredible, but not fancy; and the prices should reflect that….but I’ll save that rant for another blog. I hope that you embrace this “modern phenomena” too, and cook dishes that sooth you from the soul, without leaving you penniless. Spend the extra savings on wine and wonderful bread. Sit at your table with your most favourite people, and lazily and happily enjoy the slow food movement.

Coming next…..Food-tastic memories from Sicily. You will be dying to go there……..