52 Ancestors Week 19: Food and Drink

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 19's theme is "Food and Drink." Few things bring back memories like food does. This week, write about an event that prompted a special meal, an ancestor who was a really good (or really bad!) cook, or a food that always makes you think of someone in your family. (Or whatever else you want to write about 😊)

It's that time of year. Let's make people hungry!

    When you grow up in an Italian-American household, you learn a few things. Here are the top three rules which could help you out the next time you're at an Italian-American house. These three facts could even save your life!

1. No one is yelling! They're just talking really loudly! Yes, I know the person they're trying to talk to is clear across the house. It doesn't matter! They're just loud and passionate! That and they really want the other person involved in the story that they're telling!

2. Always take the wine when it's given to you. It doesn't matter if you don't like drinking or have other issues with wine. You take the wine because you don't know where it came from. It could be from Nonna's family vineyard in the old country for all you know. They could have even made it themselves! Either way you take it and you enjoy. It's very offensive if you don't take the wine.

3. Nonna's awesome cooking is probably due to her mother teaching her everything she knows! When you have someone else's cooking, you end up comparing it to hers through no fault of your own. Sometimes those awesome recipes are even taught to other people in the family like in-laws. There are no secrets to certain recipes. If they want to learn, nonna will be happy to teach you everything you need to know! And she'll tell you great stories while doing so!

Grandma Ollie, master chef.

    As I've mentioned many times in this blog, my grandma Ollie and her sisters were amazing cooks. They made everything from pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) to cookies. You name an Italian dish and chances are they made it with style and it was so good!

    Naturally, I've had many Italian dishes. Ancestry even once posed a question in a poll. "How often do you have the food of your ancestors?" I plead the fifth on that one. Just last week I had prosciutto and fig pizza from Tuscan Market. They uhh....know my family by name there. Seriously. The wine guy is one of mine dad's patients.

.    Whenever I have an Italian dish, I often think of my grandmother's cooking because she took such care and time into making the most delectable goodies you have ever had in your life. There really is nothing like homemade cooking! Both she and her sisters were just that good. She was always more than willing to cook for her two grandsons whenever she looked after us or  we visited her.

    It goes without saying that I loved my grandmother's cooking. Things change a bit if I have someone else's lasagna, though, because my mother is the undisputed "Queen of Lasagna".  And I haven't found any lasagna that quite matches her style. Wow. I sound like Garfield....

Don't look directly at it!

    Yes, my very French-Canadian mother makes very good lasagna. Is that possible? Of course it is! You don't have to be of a certain nationality to make food from a certain culture. Some people make a living doing that on Food Network or Youtube! Results of course will vary. And no. Cooking pasta on a island counter does not make you a chef. It makes you messy and gross. 

    So, how did my mother get started making lasagna? Well, my mother married an Italian. I think you can see where this is going. She wanted to learn how to make certain dishes for everyone and helping her along the way were my father, grandmother, Ollie's sisters and basically everyone else related to us within a ten mile radius.

    My father, of course, was a food tester and critic. He would explain to my mother how certain food was prepared thanks to his grandmother teaching him everything there was to know about how certain food is prepared. She could have gone directly to the source and ask my grandmother about how to make the dish perfectly. However, there was a slight problem with that plan. Grandma Ollie never made lasagna. Her specialty was baked ziti. So, what could she do? Well, I can tell you there was a lot of trial and error and eventually she made her own recipe! And we LOVED it!

Cousin Carol and Clementina!

    Most lasagna recipes calls for a variety of meat to be put in between the layers of pasta. My mother traditionally put in mozzarella cheese, parmesan and ricotta in between the layers. The sauce was always homemade and it's so good. There really is nothing like it! It's hard to explain why it's so good. It just is!

    Because of the filling nature of the dish, we had lasagna on holidays like Thanksgiving. It's a traditional dish, right? Miles Standish asked his friend Giuseppe Pavorati to make it and everyone loved it!! ;) They were totally paisans!

    For as long as I can remember, we've had the dish every Thanksgiving without fail. It was requested and required. 'Nuff said! Sure we'd have the traditional turkey and all the fixings. Along for the ride was a big pan of lasagna.  I'd have a little bit of turkey first and the lasagna as the main course. My brother took the crispy corners and I had a side or middle/side piece. Sufficed it to say everyone was in a food coma afterward!

        You would think that my grandmother would have also critiqued my mother's cooking. That was never the case. She loved the dishes my mother prepared and when it came to lasagna on Thanksgiving she loved it. She always went for the crispy side pieces. I was never a fan! Anyway, Ollie loved the lasagna and never had a bad word to say about the meal. She did, however, go for the lasagna first before getting to the turkey. I honestly can't blame her!

Yes, my nephew dabbed. What?

   These days my mother still makes lasagna and my brother's in-laws, the Grammaticos, love the dish as well. Of course they would. Who wouldn't? I remember one Thanksgiving my father and my sister-in-law's father would compare notes about the types of dishes they would have at Thanksgiving. It was always interesting to hear Mr. Grammatico talk about his experiences since his family was from Sicily whereas my dad's was from Campania and Calabria. There are subtle differences of course. But, you have to understand Italy is a large country and many different regions have different ways of preparing certain food. I still need to try Calabrese lasagna. Look at this pic and tell me it doesn't make you hungry! Mr. Grammatico also loves my mom's cooking because it reminds him of his mother and her cooking.

    In order to preserve the recipe and/or help my sister-in-law, my brother has went so far as to record my mother prepare the dish. Whatever works, right? I'm thinking that video was enshrined on a zip drive somewhere. I should get a copy or better yet film it myself!

    Italian food always makes me think of my Italian heritage and I think you can probably tell I am pretty proud of my ethnic background.  I wish I could say I had some French-Canadian cuisine growing up. But, I never really had any French-Canadian dishes and my other grandmother did not cook nearly as much as Grandma Ollie did. I mean no disrespect of course. It is what it is. My mom learning how to cook a variety of dishes proves that anyone can be a great cook. You don't have to be Italian to make great Italian dishes. It just takes time, effort and love. 

See ya next time! Ciao!