Buon Apetito!

I found a recipe book I’d forgotten I had. Super Hubs’ grandmother had written a cookbook for her adult children of their favorite family recipes, and I received a copy, shortly after we’d married. It is simple in its form; handwritten on plain white paper, in the beautiful loopy cursive that girls born in the beginning of the 20th century were taught.

Admittedly, I’ve tried very few of the recipes in the 22 years we’ve been married. Grandma was a 1st generation Italian, and I would be reluctant to put some of the dishes in front of my picky children. Like Squash & Eggs. Or Squid in Tomato Sauce. And some of the ingredients I am not quite clear on. Like Ceci. (Chickpeas?) Or 1/2 lb. Perciatelli in 11/2 lengths. (Do I bring a ruler to the grocery store?) Cicoria. (Dandelions. Do I pluck them from a field?)

But I absolutely love the historical significance of this cookbook! Grandma wrote an interesting little blurb underneath many of the recipes. “...I must remind you that it is a tradition (underlined once) to eat lasagna on Easter (underlined thrice). The variety of meat in the sauce is always served as a second course.”

Grandma was an amazing cook, filling the stomachs of her six children several times a day. My mother-in-law cooks very similarly, and I’ve been the blessed beneficiary of many of her meals over the years. I’ve made several of Grandma’s dishes, such as her Cauliflower & Macaroni, and Chicken Cacciatore. Surprisingly, they were fairly simple, using a simple base of tomato paste and browned garlic.

I recently acquired a new (old) recipe of Grandma’s, not present in her cookbook, sent to me by Super Hub’s cousin. Steak Pizzaiola. I followed the recipe exactly, and it was to die for.

Thanks, Grandma! Buon Apetito to us!