Tag Archives: Italian Food

Sunday Dinner

3 Sep

Missing everything about Italy, especially friends and food, I decided to try to replicate one of my favorites dishes. In Italy, pasta con ragu is pasta with meat sauce. The dish varies based on the region and the person in the kitchen, but it is usually a combination of meats stewed in tomatoes for hours.

At AD in Cortona, they call this paccheri with braceria sauce. Annalisa the chef says it is what her grandmother served every Sunday in Napoli when she was growing up, as it was an inexpensive means to serve many people. This is my attempt at her recipe.

I assembled my ingredients:

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©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

Browned the meat:

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©Blogginginitaly.com

Sautéed the onions, then added tomato paste, herbs, and some figs for a slight sweetness:

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

United the meat and the onions:

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

Added the tomatoes, then turned the burner to low and started the slow, slow cooking:

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©Blogginginitaly.com

Like Annalisa’s grandmother, I decided to share my Sunday dinner, so I made a few calls, then whipped up some appertivo:

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

And after about eight hours, we were rewarded with this!

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©Blogginginitaly.com

Great food (if I say so myself!), great conversation, great gathering! Felt just like Sunday dinner in Italy…

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

Oh, and yes, we did have dessert… sautéed peaches with a dab of gelato and a ginger biscuit.

©Blogginginitaly.com

©Blogginginitaly.com

Ciao,

Judy

 

15,000+ Views!

31 Aug

I am delighted to report that this week, Blogginginitaly.com surpassed 15,000 views! Pretty amazing, especially as it began as a fun way for me to share our travels with family members and a few friends.

IMG_1809Over the last two years, my blog has been my journal, giving me a place to record my thoughts, experiences and pictures as we travel around Italy.

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To my surprise and delight, its reach has broadened and now includes viewers from over 80 countries.

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Many thanks for all your thoughtful comments and encouragement. Writing my blog is an endless learning curriculum for me – one that is filled with never-ending yet truly satisfying homework.

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It’s a joy to share my reflections about Italy with others who love it so, and a privilege to share it with those who can only dream of going.

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I can think of no better way to say thanks than by sharing some of my very favorite views.

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And of course, let’s not forget the food!

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Finally, to Len, with whom I have seen all of these views,

a little something we saw on a hillside…

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Ciao, Judy

Judy in window

Pizza and More

2 Aug

Missing our Italian friends and food, and knowing that imitation is the best form of flattery, Len and I headed to the market (as in “specialty” supermarket) last Saturday morning. What started out as a pizza dinner for seven slowly transformed into a bit more, but who was counting courses.  All present had been to Italy with us sometime in the past several years, so it was a good reason to share a meal and wonderful memories.

It was too cold (in July?) to enjoy the  beautiful geraniums on our deck,

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so we moved inside to eat:

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And eat we did!

From my garden,  I made homemade pesto:

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and tomato bruschette: (homemade but not from my garden!)

All served with toasted garlic-rubbed Italian bread rounds.

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Then some freshly sliced Italian salumi and cheeses:

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Plus eggplant alla Judy:

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All accompanied by Prosecco, our new primo tradition.

For the next course, it was time for Len to take over in the kitchen and perform his pizza magic. He made the dough the night before…only slow rise, of course!

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After reaching room temperature, he gently rolled each pizza:IMG_0018

Topped each per request:

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And cooked quickly!

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The pizzas were served with grilled veggies:

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Italian sausage:

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Feeling like we’re back in Italy…priceless!

Ciao,

Judy

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