FEAST OF THE 7 FISHES COOKED BY GRANPA

My Christmas Eve seafood dishes actually occurred December 22 to accomodate my daughters. Both were committed to Christmas Eve meals elsewhere. Barb and I decided last year to have the Italian seafood meal whenever we all can be together. Despite the horrendous ice storm we had power and I cooked the meal. Homemade fettucine and meat sauce were prepared a day previously. Some of my guests do not love the clam sauce on their fettucine so I serve  meat sauce for them too. Two of my guests will only eat fish if it is breaded. So breaded haddock, fish sticks and breaded calamari were added to the other dishes of shrimps, large and small scallops and baccala. A variety of vegetables and fresh buns complement the meal.

No meal is ever complete in my family without a dessert table of goodies.

This Merry Christmas cake was just of the many goodies brought by my daughter Natasha to the feast of the 7 fishes. Tradition is great but just having all the family together whenever we can is more important.
#Christmasevefishdinner#sevenfishes#baccala#shrimps#ovenbakedshrimps#friedfish#Italiansloveseafood

A GRANDDAUGTER'S SIP AND SEE

From an non-alcoholic cranberry punch-

To

a delightful sweet table of goodies.

To

pink cupcakes, our new little addition to the family was the centre of a lively family and friends' day. The sip and see holiday party was a fun time. A table full of appetizers, veggies and dip, cheese and crackers and hot pizza gave the guests lots to eat! Granpa did not have to cook and enjoyed the day very much!

ITALIANS LOVE CHRISTMAS SAYS GRANPA

Italians love Christmas and there are so many goodies to have. I am preparing for the days ahead where I will make my Seafood dinner. It is a Christmas Eve feast with over 7 dishes of seafood. Last year I wrote about the dishes. My Christmas seafood appetizer continues to get lots of pageviews every week. Perhaps I should write about it again. You can read it on my blog under my December 2012 posts. So from red wine to panetone to chocolates there are lots of items to have around the house to indulge your cravings.
#italiansandChristmas#Italiantreats#Bacichocolates#Amaretto#redwine#panetone

GRANPA COOKS FOR A BIRTHDAY DINNER

As everyone knows that reads this blog, I love to cook. So given an opportunity like a birthday get together for my oldest daughter Natasha, I did most of the cooking. The family had a discussion about which of granpa's pasta dishes- lasagna, gnocchi or spaghetti- I was to prepare. The consensus was homemade spaghetti or as I have posted previously the egg noodle. It is easier to make and actually is my favourite pasta dish.

Lots of meat for the ragu sauce for the pasta. As it simmers, I remove as much of the oil and fat as possible. The thick meat sauce clings to the pasta better. It gives a hardy meat portion to a meal.  I made oven roasted chicken thighs and leg along with potato wedges. Again draining off excess fat! Salt, pepper and rosemary added the needed flavour. Peas made with onions simmered on the stove top added another dish to the meal. The pasta was cooked and prepared. I took along extra sauce in case someone wanted more on their portions Taken to Natasha's in travelling tin foil containers made the job easy.

A Greek salad prepared right before dinner rounded out the meal. The kitchen mess stayed home for Barb to clean up later. I do the cooking but my cook's assistant cleans the pots! Overall it was a good birthday meal enjoyed by all!
#granpalovestocook#chichenandpeas#chickenandpotatoes#salad#homemadeeggnoodle#lotsofgoodfoodforabirhdaydinner

ZUPPA DI BACCALA/SALTED COD SOUP

BACCALA SOUP/ZUPPA

As the weather turns cool outside, a pot of soup simmering on the stove warms the house and the stomach.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons/30 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil-EVOO

1 large onion-chopped

2 carrots-chopped

3 celery stalks-chopped

2 medium potatoes-diced

2 garlic cloves- finely diced

1/2 cup/125 ml fresh parsley -chopped

1 lb/454gm presoaked salted cod/baccala

4 plum tomatoes-crushed. Can use fresh, frozen or canned.

1/2 cup/125 ml raisins

3 cups/750ml chicken or fish stock

DIRECTIONS

Cover bottom of medium sized pot with olive oil.

Over medium heat add onions, garlic, celery and sautee 3-5 minutes until soft.

Add carrots and potatoes-stir.

Cook for  a further 5 minutes.

Add parsley and tomatoes and mix well.

Add the stock and bring to boil.

Simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Add the cod/baccala and raisins.

Let simmer for a further 30 minutes.

It should be noted the raisins in the soup was my mother's touch. A little family secret for the baccala soup. People often asked why her cooking was so good. It was these little "touches " that made the difference.

With some crunchy Italian bread or your choice, it is a good meal all on its own. Baccala does mean cod. But it can also mean dummy! So if someone calls you a baccala, it is not a compliment.
#zuppadibaccala#granpalovestocook#usingraisinsinthesoupmama'ssecret#lotsofflavourinthesoup#agoodishforChristmasEvesevenfishesdishes

GRANPA MAKES HOMEMADE PASTA FOR THE FAMILY

I like to help my daughters with food items. So yesterday, I made a hardy ragu sauce and homemade egg noodle-homemade pasta to some. The pasta can be eaten fresh or frozen for a quick meal. I gave my daughter Sonya two containers of the sauce to help her with her current situation- expecting baby number 3!
Of course Barb and I had a nice plate of the pasta and sauce along with a big salad for Saturday night dinner.
The picture shows a good platter of pasta-fettucine and meat balls/ragu sauce. In the background is a bowl of fresh pasta with a hearty seafood sauce. This was part of a Christmas Eve meal 2011.
Homemade is best!
#homemadepasta#noodlesbyhand#helpingthedaughterscook#fettucineandmeatballs#pastaagoodpartofthemeal

A THANKSGIVING DESSERT TABLE 2013

After a Thanksgiving dinner that Barb made that included-are you ready- a large turkey stuffed with bread stuffing, Italian sausages, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, broccoli, carrots, 2 types of squash-butternut and acorn, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, anise and turkey gravy to put on your items of choice along with dinner rolls and butter as well as white or red wine or another bottle of beer or water or diet pepsi for drinks came the Dessert table!

My girls made some of the desserts-Natasha made these delightful squares.

Sonya and her boys made these carrot cupcakes decorated with candies. The table was rounded off with the traditional pumpkin pie and whipped cream, apple pie, candies and a platter of fruit which included pineapple, cantaloupe, pomegrante, red and green grapes.
The kitchen table had fresh whole macintosh apples for anyone who was interested. Coffee and tea were offered along with a dessert wine from Caroline Cellars in Niagara saved from one of our summer trips for this occasion.
Like many Canadians celebrating Thanksgiving weekend there will be lots of leftovers for the next week! Back to my diet!

GRANPA PREPARES FOR A CANADIAN THANKSGIVING

Barb has been preparing for our Thanksgiving feast next weekend. Fresh apples and squash from a little farm on Bathurst Street called Front Steps Farm yielded her bounty. The cranberries are from Sobeys. This cook was a little lazy and stayed home. The turkey and the bread for the stuffing are in the freezer. I will buy the other fresh veggies like rapini, brocoli, ainse and little mini carotts for the grandchildren later this week. The girls usually bring some baked goods-usually one item will be apple pie-my favourite. Barb does the majority of the cooking for Thanksgiving-this cook gets a break!

BRUSCHETTA USES UP SOME GARDEN TOMATOES

Still picking lots of tomatoes from the garden. Without a frost, they are still going strong. Since we are celebrating our son-in-law's birthday today, I will be  making a large dish of Bruschetta from some of these delicious ones.
Quite simple to make.

Dice the tomatoes.
Add some olive oil and diced garlic cloves- 2-3.
Add some oregano to taste.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together well.
It can be eaten right away or put in the fridge to rest for an hour or two.
On melba toast, fresh Italian bread or a cracker of choice, bruschetta always makes an easy appetizer.

Now what to do with the rest of the tomatoes!
#tomatoes#bruschettamadewithfreshtomatoes#pickingfreshtomatoes#oliveoil#dicedgarliccloves

GRANPA'S HEALTHY BEANS!

My sweet grandson, Damiano loves granpa's healthy beans. This year my garden has been full of these pole beans so there have been lots of meals with this delight. Last week Barb and I babysat him and his big sister. They had some penne with meat sauce and were eating it. When Barb brought the dish of beans-a little olive oil, some garlic, salt, pepper to taste-, Damiano's eyes lit up! Granpa's healthy beans saved the day!

GRANPA USES STORE BOUGHT PASSATA

After reading an article in The Toronto Sun today where a Canadian of Italian descent glorified the making of pomodoro di passata or as he called it- tomato sauce, I thought about why I do not care to make it anymore. Up until the fall of 1997, I would help my mother make it. After she passed away, it was just too much to expect to continue the tradition. For those Italian-Canadians that make pasta with red sauce every day, it might be necessary. Since our meals include not only Italian dishes but Canadian and others, 500 bottles of pomodoro di passata are not necessary. I remember well the years my mother would complain about the bottles- the sauce was too runny; the tomatoes had too much acid; the tomato crop was not a good one; the tomatoes were too small- well you get the picture. There are many good brands that have the right texture and flavour without the work. One of the guys from the club said his stall on Weston Road sold over 10,000 bushels of tomatoes so many people are still cleaning, chopping, cooking and straining the tomatoes for their own homemade passata! For this Italian cook, I smile and achieve very good homemade sauce with the store bottles!
#storeboughtspassata#granpalovestocook#pomodorodipassata#passataforthesauce#usingagoodbrandforthesauce#theWoodbridgecrowd

SUNDAY A BUSY DAY FOR THE COOK!

A busy Sunday making a chicken broth for Barb who has a cold and can do with the soup. A hearty meat sauce/sugo for the week is simmering on the stove. I will share with my two busy working daughters. Of course more healthy beans from the garden are ready to be cooked. One of my little grandsons loves granpa's healthy beans as he calls them. So far the garden continues to produce. An eggplant or two has been added to one of my weekend veggie mixes. The smell of the soup and sauce has made our home smell good!

GARLIC-A MUST FOR ITALIAN COOKING

 I tried growing garlic in my summer garden this year. Actually turned out okay.

A friend from my Italian Social Club gave me a huge bunch of garlic bulbs. So along with "my crop" and his donation, Barb and I have lots of garlic to use for the next few months. Garlic has been around for 7000 years. It was always popular in Italian cooking. When the influx of Italians came to Canada after World War Two, there was a stigma to eating garlic. How times have changed as everyone uses it now. It is used not only for cooking but some claim medicinal purposes. I use it a lot in my cooking. Many Canadians love the garlic bread at home and restaurants.

We found a quiet, dry corner in the kitchen to hang our garlic bunches.

Our  kitchen looks a little old worldly but some cultures use garlic to fend off vampires so the bunches are a good defense. Must be working-no vampires seen lately!

WOODBRIDGE ITALIAN FESTIVAL 2013

The summer has lots of local events to attend. In August, Barb and I went to the Italian festival in Woodbridge. We had a sausage on a bun. Of course, I found the Gelato tent.

Nothing better than to cap off a meal with an ice cream and an espresso coffee. With both in hand, a seat was found to enjoy the show.

A popular local group and band played many Traditional folk songs from various regions in Italy. Fun to listen and sometimes sing along. It was a simple but enjoyable evening not far from home. The best part was the Gelato!

#italianfestivalinwoodbridge#italianfestival#gelatoitalianstyle#olditalianfolksongs#granpaloveshisgelato#granpalovestocook#adolphdimambro

GRANPA'S TRIP TO NIAGARA AREA WITH FRUIT STANDS

Niagara has more than the Falls. With the wineries to visit on many country roads, along the way there are fruit and vegetable stands. This one is located on the Niagara Parkway.

Barb bought us a basket of peaches and apricots. They were good to have to eat in our hotel later that night.

Barb had a friendly chat with the seller who liked Barb's coral top and skirt with matching shoes. The next day when we drove by the stall, the lady was wearing her own coral top! 
#niagaramarkets#winneriesingNiagara#buyingpeachesinNiagara#apricotsandpeaches#freshfruitinniagara

GRANPA'S TRIP TO THE FARMER'S MARKET AT HILLCREST MALL RICHMOND HILL ONTARIO

Our local mall has a decent farmer's market. A quick trip one Sunday yielded some good finds.

Nothing like farm fresh eggs for homemade pasta. I bought 2 dozen.

Fresh Ontario cherries are so tasty this time of year!

Home from the market with our cherries, eggs, some homemade cheese bread and buttertarts! Hillcrest Mall's little market was worth the trip.
#HillcrestMall#freshfarmeggs#fresheggsaregoodfornoodles#buttertarts#homemadecheesebread#farmersmarketsarebest#freshontariocherries#localproduce#supportOntariofarms

GRANPA'S TRIP TO NIAGARA ON THE LAKE

On a recent trip to Niagara on the Lake, while Barb was taking pictures of everything, I was finding stores of interest. Too bad it was only 10:00 a.m., I really would have loved some Italian Gelato-ice cream. A town with Gelato is a town worth visiting!
#gelato#granpalovesicecream#NiagaraontheLake#tripsinOntario

HOME FROM THE YORK FARMER'S MARKET

Another market trip with some goodies to enjoy!

Honey garlic sausage, italian sausage, rye bread, butter tarts and pickles were our purchases of the day.

Barb enjoyed a breakfast of 2 eggs over lightly, one honey garlic sausage and two pieces of rye bread toasted.

GRANPA'S TRIP TO THE YORK FARMER'S MARKET

Not far from home is the York Farmer's market in Thornhill.

A quick trip on a Saturday morning.

The usual items- fresh fruit, veggies, meat, baked goods.

We bought some sausage and pickles from this booth.

Butter tarts and rye bread were purchases from this bakery. It starts to seem that one farmer's market starts to look like another!

GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATO

My summer garden has been rich with a variety of green beans. Cooked and eaten with some oil and red vinegar is one way to enjoy them.
The big flat beans are good for this recipe. One of my simple dishes is with some cooked tomatoes.
Take a can of plum tomatoes or frozen whole tomatoes or even fresh ones. Cook them with some garlic buds diced, salt, pepper to taste in a pot, mashing them into a simple tomato mix. Once ready take the cooked beans and add to the mix.

A fast simple dish that is very good in the summer time. However it can be made all year if you want! If you want add your favourite fresh bread or bun to dunk in the tomato mix!

CORSO ITALIA FESTIVAL 2013 PART 2

I was a little disappointed I had to go to a sit down restaurant to eat. I thought there would be more street vendors and maybe have a porchetta sandwich or two.

There was a set menu for the festival. I had the Margherita pizza while Barb had Chicken parmigiano with rice and fries. It was the Rio restaurant with authentic Brazilian food cuisine but not during the festival.

CORSO ITALIA STREET FESTIVAL 2013

St. Clair Ave West in Toronto was the hub for Italian immigrants in the 1950s and 1960s. Shopping, food and coffee bars were the norm. We lived in Willowdale but people would venture to St. Clair for wedding outfits and Italian goods. Last Saturday July 5 there was the 15th annual Corso Italia street festival. Ten blocks are closed off to allow people to enjoy. Barb convinced me to go.