NEW ROUTINE-GRANPA GETS A BREAK FRIDAY NIGHTS

Barb has taken pity on me. She suggested a couple of Fridays recently to let the cook have a break. Friday night is good. The restaurants are not as busy as Saturday. A nice end to the week.
Started with a trip to Swiss Chalet with the regular chicken- two leg dinner for me.
So one week, Abruzzo Pizza- a local Italian cuisine- take out veal parmigiana dinner with salad, spaghetti and tomato sauce and a panzarotte.
Another week, Chinese Food ordered and delivered from our favourite place- Choice of the Orient. We have eaten their food for over 25 years. We love their Cantonese Chow Mien as  well as the Peppered Seafood Combination.
To start the September Labour Day Weekend Barb suggested we go out. Decided on Lodestar- a local Texan style restaurant. We both ordered the steak with a loaded bake potato, steamed vegetable, potato wedges and onion rings.I had a coffee while Barb tried the iced tea margarita. Close to home and easy, fast service. I hate staying too long dining out.
So we must decide what to do next week. I'll keep you posted. I like eating at home better!
#granpa#SwissChalet#ChoiceOfTheOrient#Lodestar#AbruzzoPiazza#chinesefood#vealparmigiana#steak#bakedpotato#cantonesechowmein#givethecookabreak

GRANPA'S TRIP TO VINNIE ZUCCHINI'S FOR A BIRTHDAY BASH

One of my sweet grandsons celebrated a birthday-#7 so the kids took us all to Vinnie Zucchini's for a family/birthday dinner. Italian buffet style so there is something for everyone. I am the fussy eater but was able to enjoy many of the dishes. A salad bar that I missed on the first visit to the food stations when I went straight to the seafood area. Loved the calamari. A pizza bar. A grilled food bar with lots of fresh veggies grilled but not mushy. Variety of meat and chicken. Well you know how buffets go! A inviting dessert area too. With birthday cake, no need to eat too much of the sweets. The restaurant relocated from the Dufferin/Steeles area to the edge of Vaughan Mills- a huge mall in Vaughan just off the 400 highway. Easy parking! With the seniors discount, I just may take Barb another time for a quick dinner out!

Oh the service was good too! As soon as I left the table to get another plate of food, the dirty one was removed. The most important aspect was celebrating with family and to see my little grandson so happy!! My oldest granddaughter sat beside me too so it was a wonderful time.

GRANPA LOVES TO MAKE RAGU SAUCE FOR PASTAD-ADOLPH'S RAGU OR MEAT SAUCE

Adolph's Ragu or Meat Sauce

Most Italian regional cooking has their own version of the Ragu- Meat Sauce. Ciociaria cooking is no different.

A flavourful sauce is the base of any pasta dish that calls for tomato sauce.

INGREDIENTS

Bottled Passata di Pomodoro
Store bought or homemade- I usually use 2 bottles to make a good batch. A can of peeled plum tomatoes or a couple of frozen tomatoes can be added depending on what taste or texture you want the sauce.

1 onion- chopped

1 carrot-shredded or diced( optional)

Meat for flavour-
pork side ribs- 6-8
or veal- 1 lb ( 450 gms) shoulder blade cut
or pork sausages- 4

Ground beef- 1/4 lb ( 200 gms)- you can add more if you want a meatier sauce. Or make 6-8 medium size meatballs.

Garlic- 2-3 buds- chopped.

Olive Oil-EVOO- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Pepper 1/2 teaspoon ( 25 ml )

Parsley- 2 tablespoons ( 30 ml ) chopped

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot add some olive oil to  cover the bottom thinly.

Add the chopped onion, diced carrot, garlic and parsley.

Saute 4-5 minutes.

Add the ground beef in small pieces so it cooks thoroughly.

Add your other meat for flavour, making sure to sear or brown thoroughly.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Add one 1 can of crushed plum tomatoes.

Add the bottled passata.

Bring the sauce to a boil stirring to make sure all the ingredients are mixed.

Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for a minimum of two hours, stirring occasionally to allow the ingredients to be in the body of the sauce.

Be careful not to let the meat stay at the bottom or you risk a chance of burning it.

Some cooks like to add tomato paste now to thicken the sauce, but I rarely use it so did not include it in the ingredients.

A good sauce can be made for more than one meal. Use the sauce with penne, rigatoni or any variety of long pasta- like my homemade spaghetti or fettucine. Top with parmesean or parmiagiano cheese. Barb likes to add some hot peppers for flavour on her pasta.

ADDED NOTES

Modern busy cooks may like to make a batch on Sundays to use during the week for more than one meal. If you have a crock pot or slow cooker, it also can be made before going to work. Start the sauce as above. transfer the sauteed meat and vegetables to a lightly greased crock pot or slow cooker then add the passata and tomatoes. Slow cooking will allow the sauce to simmer slowly all day. There is nothing better than to come home from a busy day and smell homemade sauce in the the house.

As a teenager I would monitor my mother's sauce. My Nonna Maria- my Dad's Mom- lived with us. I remember one time tasting the sauce finding it a bit runny. I asked- Nonna- what did you do to the sauce? Did you add some water? Nonna replied- no! I asked again-Then what did you did? She replied - oh, I added some water- un poco d'acqua!!

Christmas Eve is usually seafood. But the last one-2011, I made two types of sauce along with the homemade pasta to satisfy all the guests at my daughter, Sonya and son-in-law- Andrew's home.

The fettucine with ragu sauce and meatballs for the grandchildren is in the foreground and the clam sauce in the background. Yes, don't worry I will provide that clam sauce recipe at some future time.

The aroma of sauce simmering in the home always brings childhood memories for me. It is such a traditional food item for any Italian home.

#ragumeatsauce#meatsaucebygranpa#groundbeef#goodonhomemadepasta#granpalovestocook#adolphdimambro#ciociariacooking#foodfromcassinolazioitaly#adolphlearnttocookfromhismother

ITALIAN FOOD IS SIMPLE

The Italian dishes I make come from the Lazio region, province of Frosinone. The area is known as Ciociaria. The slang for the people who live there- ciociari. If from Rome- romani. Naples- napolitano. So I was ciociaro originally but really Canadian now.
Italian food is very simple- basic really. It varies from region to region. Whatever is abundant or in season is used in the cooking!  
My home town was Cassino. It is between Rome and Naples in Central Italy. Famous during World War Two for the battles for the Monastery on MonteCassino.  I wish I could say there is a Cassino dish. Ma non e vero! But there is not one.
So I am going to explore and present some of the dishes from this region as well as food I have adapted in my new home in Canada.

Just to let you my wife Barbara is always taking pictures when I cook. Annoying but will be helpful with this blog.

At age 9, just before our family left for Canada. July 1959
#italiancooking#lazio#cassinolazio#ciociaria#Ialianfoodissimple#lovetoeat#granplovestoeat#whatisgreataboutitaliancooking