Italian Recipes For Dummies. Amy Riolo

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СКАЧАТЬ people would save the best cuts of meat, prepare more time-consuming recipes, and share the bounty of their garden with their loved ones. Sundays are like a little holiday during each week where the old adage “a Sunday well spent brings a week of content” gets represented well in the kitchen.

      Larger holidays offer a much larger culinary stage where we can showcase traditional recipes that are often prepared only once or twice a year, and awaited with much anticipation. Sundays and holidays are indeed a time when our schedule, budgets, and calorie counting are set aside to enjoy la dolce vita (the sweet life), and that, of course, starts in the kitchen!

      Sunday suppers

      According to a recent Italian news report, 70 percent of modern Italians still observe the traditional pranzo domenicale or Sunday lunch tradition. Customarily, Italians both in the United States and abroad congregate with their families on Sundays. Traditionally, this included not only the nuclear family, but also grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Being invited to a pranzo domenicale of a family other than your own denotes a deep level of friendship and a familial closeness.

      Sunday lunches are usually held a bit later than the typical 1 p.m. and last for hours. Common times for the pranzo della domenica are 2-6 p.m. or 3-7 p.m. For that reason, the foods served on this occasion overlap lunch and dinner. Many of the customs surrounding this meal were based on Roman Catholicism. Families did not eat meat from Friday until after having taken communion on Sunday at mass. Slowly simmered ragú was the perfect after-church treat and has become ubiquitous on Sundays in Italy, as have meatballs (served as a second course), roasts, and stews.

      Homemade pasta dishes, elaborate sauces, and homey, regional cuisine is often commonplace on Sundays in Italy. Even though the religious significance is no longer the main reason that many people eat this way on Sunday, it is still the culturally preferred way of eating, and many families continue to cook these types of meals on a weekly basis. Modern families also enjoy the pranzo domenicale in restaurants on occasion. Even though they are eaten outside the home, the spirit, conviviality, and family nature of the meals, as well as their length, are still the same.

People who cook Sunday and holiday meals, mind you, don’t do it all in one day. They plan ahead. Preparing sauces and doughs in advance and having a game plan along with a menu can make the task much more fun and less complicated. Plus, thinking about the Sunday meal can be a fun diversion in the early parts of the week. To make your own Sunday meal, look at the suggested seasonal menus above and do some of these:

       Add another appetizer or two.

       Add a proper (sweet) dessert after the fruit course or purchase pastries from a local pastry shop.

       Serve homemade or artisan bread with the meal.

       In place of all first and second courses (with the exception of the heat of summer), serve Tagliatelle Bolognese/Tagliatelle with Meat Ragú with a seasonal appetizer, salad, and dessert.

Tables 4-5 through 4-8 provide example menus by season.

TABLE 4-5: Spring Sunday Menu

Course	Recipe	Location
Antipasto	Crostini con purea di cannellini/ Crostini with Cannellini Bean Purée	Chapter 6
Primo	Tagliatelle con salsa di ricotta e basilico/Tagliatelle with Basil Ricotta Cream Sauce	Chapter 8
Secondo	Pollo al forno con patate e carrote/Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots	Chapter 12
Contorno	Verdure in aglio, olio, e pepperoncino/Greens Sautéed in Garlic, Olive Oil, and Pepperoncino	Chapter 14
Insalata	Insalata di cetrioli, fagiolini, ed olive/Cucumber, Green Bean, and Olive Salad	Chapter 15
Frutta	Fragole in aceto balsamico/Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar	Chapter 17
Dolce	Torta Caprese/Capri-Style Chocolate and Almond Cake	Chapter 18
Caffé	Caffé/Classic Espresso	Chapter 16

TABLE 4-6: Summer Sunday Menu

Course	Recipe	Location
Antipasto	Caponata/Sicilian Sweet and Sour Eggplant Medley	Chapter 6
Primo	Sugu alla norma/Tomato Eggplant Sauce OR Fresh Tomato Sauce with FRESH pasta of your choice from Chapter 9	Chapter 7
Secondo	Spiedini di pesce/Grilled Fish Skewers OR Pesce spada alla griglia/ Calabrian-Style Grilled Swordfish	Chapter 11
Contorno	Peperonata/Roasted Mixed Pepper Medley	Chapter 14
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