Prepare a Meal

The meal I prepared for my family was typical Italian pasta and sausage. The steps are as follows...

1) Planning, it is very hard to find authentic Italian food that has not been "modernized". Meaning that it has become a major brand (I.e. Ragu, Chef Boyardee)and lost its authenticity. So I went to Frabonis Italian Deli on the corner of Regent St. and Park St. There I was able to buy some 'home made' spicy Italian sausage, Italian meatballs, local mozzarella cheese, fresh tomato's and hand made pasta noodles.

2) Preparation, I then went home and put some water in a pot and waited for it to come to a boil. once the water was boiling I put the pasta in the pot and let it sit for about 5 min. during that time I washed the tomato's and made tomato paste/sauce to go into the pasta. once the past was cooked I drained most of the water and added the tomato paste/sauce into the pot. once the sauce came to a simmer I added in the sausage and meatballs (Pre-cooked in the oven), sugar, and wine. I let everything cook in the pot for about 10 min (***important note: keep stirring the sauce so it does not stick to the side of the pot) Then it is ready to serve to the entire family.

3) Consumption, There is no better feeling than sitting around a large table with your family and eating a nice home cooked meal. we popped out some wine and fresh bread to make to meal much more pleasant. I will say the pasta was Molto Buono!



After reading Chapter 1, section 7 of Michael Pollen's book " In Defense of Food" it makes me feel heartbroken that we have shifted to a point where food is only seen as nutrition and not as a social event. Growing up as an Italian, Family dinner was the highlight of the day. My grandmothers motto was " You work hard all day and come home to the best tasting food, thats how you live a good life". The "modernized" Italian food has completely changed the cultural background involving food preparation. No there is canned pasta and microwavable dishes that take the fun out of preparation. What came as a savior to my eyes was the blog Italian food forever which helps people learn about the history of some Italian dishes, and most importantly, how to make them.