Most people should work out from my name that I am not exactly of Anglo lineage and I am in fact Italian born. Like most ethnic groups, Italians take their traditions with them wherever they go and even though I grew up in Australia, I still experienced the festive foods of Italy.  We come from the region around Rome called La Ciociaria but since our family originated from the North-West of the country we also had the benefit of their traditions as well.  Everyone knows that Italy is famous the world round for its spaghetti sauces and it is the latitudes in Italy generally determine the types of ingredients used with the meals.  I will not go into preparing the Tomato Sauces in this article, so for that information see my other article “Spaghetti With Chicken” also with Triond.

 In Northern Italy it is colder of course and therefore the food that is cooked has a higher meat content. This has the effect of helping to warm the insides and keep them warm for a longer period, plus providing much needed protein. The basic tomato sauce is loaded with diced solid meats, and the meat is slowly cooked along with the sauce so that the meat flavour is imbued right through the spaghetti sauce. The hot sauce then warms up the cold insides of Northern Italians and the meat fills and keeps them warm.

 As we move further south of course the temperature warms up a little and the type of spaghetti sauce changes slightly as well. Most people have heard of Spaghetti Bolognese as this is one of the most famous Italian meals. The adjective, ‘Bolognese’  describes someone or something from the province and city of Bologna in Central Italy.  In this case the spaghetti sauce is characterized by basic tomato imbued with ground beef because of the warmer climate the people of the region didn’t need such heavy food.

 Naples is synonymous with Italy and Italian foods. Most people who like to eat Italian foods will be familiar with the Napolitano  style of Pizza, which consists of plain tomato salsa and not much else.  This is the basic Napolitano.  Of course the Napolitani being in a much warmer climate developed their own type of spaghetti sauce and it was called what else Spaghetti Napolitano or also called Margherita, with simple tomato sauces imbued with olives and spices to taste.

Coastal communities have worked out their own variant of the sauce and it is one that incorporates all types of seafoods.  This one is of course Spaghetti Marinara which once again is your basic sauce but instead of meat pieces or ground beef it is cooked with seafoods such as shrimp scallops and other seafoods.

Medical researchers have suggested that there is something about the Mediterranean diet which enhances health citing the longevity and agility of some Greek and Italian fishermen.  I would tend to agree as I have seen first hand the benefits of the Mediterranean foods and diets. I cannot speak with authority about Greek foods but Italian food with it’s use of olive oil and garlic is also very healthy.  In fact the Roman army of antiquity used to issue their legionaires with garlic and olive oil with the monthly pay, as this ensured the continued health of their soldiers, enemy swords notwithstanding.

     

• 6 pork cutlets
• Salt
• Grounded pepper
• 6 spoons of oil
• 2 cubes of cheese
• 2 spoons of acid cream
• 6 shucks of garlic

Method

1. Crimp the meat a bit

2. Mix oil with salt and pepper

3. Spread the mix on cutlets and leave them alone for at least 2 hours

4. Heat the dry pan and roast cutlets on it from both sides

5. Add water and stew them until they are soft

6. Mix cheese with cream, add mashed garlic, salt and pepper

7. Mix the cream until it is fluent and slush it onto prepared cutlets

8. Enjoy this tasty meal

• 1kg of pork meat from the neck
• 5 shucks of garlic
• Butter
• 1kg of potatoes
• Salt
• Grounded pepper
• Red pepper
• 250ml of milk
• Caraway-seeds
• 100g of hard cheese

Method:

1. Butter the roaster

2. Put mashed garlic on the roaster and roast it a bit

3. Cut the meat to smaller slices and crimp them

4. Salt and spice (pepper and red pepper) them and put them into the roaster

5. Skin the potatoes and cut them to eights

6. Salt them, add caraway-seeds and mix them

7. Put them into the meat and slush with milk

8. Put the roaster into heated oven for about 45-50 minutes

9. Add grated cheese to every portion

10. Enjoy this tasty meal

It is recommended to eat this meal together with vegetable salad.

Pastry

• 1 ½ Cups of all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil
• ¾ Teaspoon of salt
• ½ Cup of warm water

Filling

• 1 Tablespoon ghee
• 1 Clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 Teaspoon chopped ginger root
• 1 Medium onion, chopped
•  1 ½ Cups mashed potatoes
• ½ Cup cooked peas
• 1 Teaspoon garam masala
• 1 Teaspoon fresh coriander or mint vegetable oil for frying.

Start of Pastry

1. In medium mixer bowl, blend flour, oil, salt, and water until soft dough forms
2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
3. Cover and set aside while preparing filling

Start preparing filling

1. In large skillet, heat ghee over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger root, and onion. Sauté until vegetables are tender.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in mashed potatoes and peas. Season with garam masala and coriander or mint.
3. Using fingers, shape tablespoons of pastry dough into small balls. Roll each ball into a flat circle about 6" in diameter.
4. Cut each circle in half. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on one side of each half circle.
5. Moisten the edge of the pastry with water. Fold dough over to form a triangle and press edges together to seal.
6. In a deep saucepan, heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees F.
7. Fry Samosas a few at a time until golden brown.
8. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve immediately.

• 250g of fish (cod)
• 3 potatoes
• 3-4 shucks of garlic
• 1-2 spoons of grits
• 1 spoon of screenings
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Marjoram
• Roasted bread cubes
• Grated cheese

Method:

1. Put pieces of fish into 1.5l of water
2. Add washed potatoes which you have cut to little cubes and washed grits
3. Add salt, mashed garlic
4. Boil it until potatoes are soft
5. Slowly add screenings into a boiling soup
6. Add beaten egg
7. Spice it with marjoram when it's done
8. Add roasted bear and grated cheese into every portion
9. Enjoy this tasty soup

• 1.5l of tomato sauce
• 1 tin of meat mix
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 paprika
• Pepper (whole pieces)
• Salt
• Sugar
• Pasta
• Hard cheese

Method:

1. Put the tomato sauce into a bowl
2. Add meat mix and mix it with tomato sauce
3. Cut tomatoes and paprika to little pieces and add them to bowl
4. Add salt, pepper and a bit of sugar
5. Prepare the pasta in salt water and strain them
6. Add them into every portion before eating
7. Grate the cheese and add it into every portion too
8. Enjoy this delicious soup

• 1kg of tomatoes
• 3-4 pieces of green paprika
• 2 bigger onions
• Celery
• 2 spoons of peas
• 2-3 potatoes
• 1 spoon of sugar
• ½ of tea spoon of marjoram
• 60g of butter
• 1 shuck of garlic
• Cheese for grating

Method:

1. Cut tomatoes and paprika to little pieces
2. Cut onions to little cubes
3. Skin and grate celery
4. Put everything into a bowl
5. Ass peas and potatoes which you have cut into little cubes
6. Add sugar into 1l of water, add butter, shuck of garlic and mix it
7. Seal the vegetable with prepared water
8. Cook it until the vegetable is soft
9. Before it is finished, add marjoram and salt
10. Add spoon of grated cheese to each portion
11. Enjoy this tasty soup

• 1 bigger meat bone
• 2 spoons of grits
• 2-3 potatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 shucks of garlic
• Salt
• Grounded pepper
• Caraway-seeds
• 2 spoons of butter
• 1 spoon of flour

Method

1. Cook the bone, take it out of water and flay the meat
2. Strain the stock
3. Put the meat back into it
4. Add grits and let them boil
5. Skin potatoes and cut them to pieces
6. Skin the onion and add it to soup together with potatoes
7. Melt the butter and roast the flour
8. Seal roasted flour with a cup of cold water
9. Add it into a soup
10. Add salt, grounded pepper and garlic
11. Enjoy this tasty soup

• 200g of small white beans
• 50g of onion
• Butter
• 50g of sausages
• 1 spoon of soup pepper
• 1 spoon of marjoram
• 3 shucks of garlic
• 100ml of acid cream
• Salt
• Red pepper
• 100g of pasta

Method:

1. Wash beans seal them with water and let them stay there for few hours
2. Clean the onion, cut it to little pieces and roast it
3. Add tight circles of sausages, mashed garlic and red pepper and roast it for a while
4. Seal it with the water containing beans
5. Boil it until beans are soft
6. Add salt and marjoram
7. Cook the pasta in salt water
8. Add pasta and acid cream to every portion
9. Enjoy this delicious soup

• 300g of beef bones
• 1 bloated fillet
• Juice from acid cabbage
• 1 onion
• 3 shucks of garlic
• 5 pieces of pepper
• Salt
• Sugar
• 3 potatoes
• 100g of long wire noodles

Method

1. Cook the bones and fillet in the water
2. Add the juice from acid cabbage - amount depends on your taste
3. Add a bit of sugar, salt, pepper, skinned onion and garlic
4. Boil the soup for 10 minutes and add potatoes which you have cut to quarters
5. Boil the soup for 20 more minutes and then pour it
6. Cook the noodles in salt water
7. Put the noodles in the plate and seal them with soup
8. Enjoy this tasty soup