I’m the first to admit that I have more than a passing interest in a meal. I love to cook, love to talk about cooking and I love to hear about what other folks eat.
My diet has changed over the years, and I have been greatly influenced by other cultures, TV shows and even your Aunt Millie. I will try most anything, and that means the recipes you read here have been made in my kitchen for my friends and family. While I may not have created each one, I am happy to share sure-fire hits with you here, just the way they were told to me.
It’s Sunday.
I can’t help but notice that the older you get, the more you start to reminisce about your youth and the way things used to be. I always loved hearing the stories of my elders, and would marvel over how they lived their lives. Somehow my memories don’t seem so long ago, and I hear myself telling stories of what weekends were like when I was a child.
I grew up in New York, and my neighborhood was a mix like most others. There were Irish and German and if you crossed the Avenue, which was only four houses away from me, you were in an Italian neighborhood.
Many of the kids I went to school with, were from that neighborhood and their parents were first or second generation here in America. The mysterious customs and delicious foods were international delights to me. They were holidays we never celebrated and Saints I had never heard of despite attending a Catholic school. The best day was Sunday, a day that was reserved for family. It was very rare that you saw any child of an Italian family playing with other kids that day. Sundays were serious business and while Grandma may have lived at your friend’s house, all the other siblings and their families came to visit on Sundays. I was lucky kid to be invited to join family day and be treated as one of their own.
Sunday meant getting dressed up, and going to church in the morning. The children were sent to the bakery after church, to pick up the freshest bread. Later when the cousins came over, you would see so many white bakery boxes tied with red and white twine, parcels of perfect little pastries and multi-colored cookies. The cooking had already begun hours, if not the day, before and the scent of a fresh sauce perfumed the air as you approached the house. If it was a holiday, the menu could be up to 16 courses, but for everyday Sundays it was always a ragout sometimes known as gravy.
There were savory meats to flavor the pot, which were served on a side platter later. There were roasted vegetables, crisp fennel served as a palate cleanser between courses, and a mystery called stuffed artichokes. Grandma made stuffed pasta and you swore this was a side of heaven you’d never seen before.
Mostly, I loved that everyone got together to share their week, play and even clean up together. I learned some of my best moves at cards at these Sunday visits! Sometimes the kids wanted to leave the house and do other things, but that was forbidden. You could play in the yard, but stay with your cousins. Their parents knew how important this one day a week was for strengthening family ties.
Our lives are lived differently these days. Even some of those same families have changed their customs since Grandma and Great Grandma passed. I do hold those days dear and create my own family day as often as I can. Thanks again, Aunt Millie…you taught me well.
Pull together your family and those friends you’d fly to the end of the earth for…a meal like this needs little aside from wine, maybe some almond cookies served with coffee later.
Relax with those loved ones, and if I may offer one more recommendation? Play some board, or card, games that involve all ages. Days like these could be the best memories of your life.
Menu
Antipasto and Vegetable Lasagna
Shopping List for Antipasto (how much you buy depends on your guest list)
Fresh mozzarella
Roasted peppers
Variety of olives
Genoa Salami
Prosciutto
Marinated artichokes
Bread sticks
Shopping List for Marinara
Fresh garlic (4 or 5 cloves to taste)
One small onion
Sun-dried tomato paste
One 28 oz. Can of Plum tomatoes
One 28 oz. Can of Crushed tomatoes
One 28 oz. Can of Puree
One cup of red wine (slightly sweet is fine, but dry is preferred)
One cup of water
Oregano and Basil (fresh is you can find it, but dried works well)
Salt and pepper to taste
Shopping List for Lasagna
One box of lasagna noodles (we use spinach noodles often)
One large container of ricotta cheese (part-skim varieties are available)
One egg
Two cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups of Mushrooms (we use a variety of wild and button mushrooms, use your favorites)
3 cups of Chopped frozen spinach
3 cups of Zucchini and yellow squash
2 large shallots
2 cloves of garlic
Pull it Together
This is the perfect dinner for a crowd and every single bit of it can be done the day before.
Antipasto is the appetizer course that is a snap to put together since all the food items can be bought prepared. You can arrange it all on a platter shortly before your guests arrive. Slice whole mozzarella, or buy boccacini, which are the small balls of this cheese. Most of the items can be arranged on one single platter with the bread sticks on the side but you can wrap a single slice of prosciutto around some of the bread sticks and set those on a separate platter. Be sure to have a small dish to place any olive pits. Open some wine and relax.
Making your own marinara is simple and should be done so you can keep the integrity of the meal. Sauce from a jar can have more sugar than anyone needs and other additives. Sauté the small onion and garlic together in a heavy bottom pot, in two tablespoons of olive oil. When they have softened, add each of the items listed in order; Sun-dried tomato paste, One 28 oz. Can of Plum tomatoes, One 28 oz. Can of Crushed tomatoes, One 28 oz. Can of Puree, One cup of red wine and the One cup of water. The Oregano and Basil is to taste, but I would use a minimum of four full oregano leaves, which can be chopped, or two tablespoons dried. I would add a minimum of ten basil leaves in the last hour of cooking so the flavor is fresh. I think adding some Salt to taste is all you need.
Cook on a low heat for an hour, stirring from time to time, and adjust seasoning if needed. If you are not using the sauce the same day, let the sauce cool before storing in your refrigerator.
Lasagna! I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love it. If you have meat eaters at your party, remember that you can serve meatballs or sausage on the side. If everyone eats meat, you can sauté six sausages with the meat removed from their casings with a pound of lean ground beef together until fully browned. You can use this mixture as a single layer in your lasagna, but it is optional here.
One standard box of lasagna noodles will do the job here, and you can choose whether you prefer flat style or curly. There are wonderful organic choices and we love the spinach noodles. Boil them according to package instructions and set aside.
Sauté each of the vegetables separately. Chop the garlic and sauté until soft before adding the defrosted, drained spinach. Combine and stir till warmed through adding salt and pepper to taste. It’s really important to season each layer of the cooking. No one wants dull lasagna.
NOTE: To use fresh spinach you will need to increase the volume to at least 3 pounds as it reduces so much after cooking.
We use mixed mushrooms and sauté with chopped shallots and a bit of salt and pepper until they are softened. I use a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan for flavor. Be sure that the mushrooms are completely cooked and that the water has evaporated from the vegetable.
Sauté the zucchini and yellow squash together in a tablespoon of olive oil until browned and the water from the vegetables has evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste.
To prepare the cheese, simply place in a bowl and add one egg. I used half a teaspoon of pepper and one teaspoon of dried basil before whisking together.
Now you are ready to create your lasagna. Take a ladle of sauce and add to your lasagna pan, coating the bottom. Place a layer your lasagna noodles over the sauce. Take three tablespoons of the flavored ricotta and spread it over the noodles evenly. Then, spoon the cooked spinach over the cheese spreading evenly. Add another ladle of sauce over the spinach before adding another layer of noodles. You will repeat this layering adding sauce, cheese, mushrooms, noodle and then sauce, cheese and the zucchini/squash before topping the vegetables with a final layer of noodle.
Place sauce over the top to keep the noodle moist. At this point you can cover and refrigerate the lasagna until you would like to bake and serve. I was always told that it is always better the next day, so we make it the day before serving. When you are ready to bake, set the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 45 minutes covered with foil. After 45 minutes, remove the foil and add an additional ladle of sauce before adding the shredded mozzarella. Place the lasagna back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the sauce and cheese is bubbling and melted.
It is a good idea to let your lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving. I always have enough sauce left over to serve on the side for those that prefer it.
Something simple for dessert like fruit and cookies is the perfect ending to this meal. Especially if you are playing games and need your hands free for fun!
Buon appetito and peace from,
Elizabeth
Comments