L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 34 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES A while back, we were invited to Windsor, O ntario, to meet Nonna Gina and her family w ho w ere gracious enough to share a cou- ple of family favourite recipes with us here, at Nonna's Way. At first we were told the name, pasta con la broccola - pasta with broccoli. Ok, we've both heard of that, as I'm sure many of you have, but this - mark my words - is not the pasta with broccoli that we were thinking of. After discussing the origins of Gina's family and hearing about the changes to this recipe over the years, we noticed that Nonna Gina was washing cauli- flower not broccoli. When we asked for clarification, she said that that is what they call broc- cola. And so, staying true to Nonna Gina's family recipe, this is called pasta con la brocco- la but is actually pasta with cau- liflower. There are certain vari- eties of broccoli in Italy, such as broccolo Romanesco, which is also referred to as cauliflower so this explains how names can quite easily get interchanged. Sicilian cuisine owes much of its fame to the many cultures that have existed on this strate- gic Mediterranean island over time. Each era of rule over the island brought its own flavors, foods, and traditions that were enhanced further by the nutrient rich volcanic soil, and the way local people embraced and inten- sified all the cultural influences into a wonderful melting-pot cuisine. And Italian cuisine is, indeed, a melting-pot of flavors and ingredients: durum wheat and sea salt from the Phoeni- cians; cheese and fish from the Greeks; wine and bread from the Romans ; citrus , s pices , coffee,nuts, and dried pasta from the Arabs; livestock from the Normans; herbs from the Ger- mans and - last but not least - chocolate, vanilla, and the TOMATO from the Spanish. I mean, where would Italian food be without all these major injec- tions of flavors and know-how? Gina's family comes from a small town close to the southern shores of Sicily in the province of Agrigento, called Aragona. Her mother, Nonna Marianna, was born and raised here. Sicily was victim to immense bombing and devastation during the war, leaving resources and food sup- plies very low. Nonna Marianna had a large family to feed and started to experiment with her pasta dishes. Every pasta dish centred around homemade pasta noodles, fettuccine being her favourite, with the addition of a sauce or vegetables. Nonna Mar- ianna experimented with numer- ous locally grown and in-season vegetables. After many unique dishes, pasta con la broccola was a hit and became a family favourite. This family recipe has been passed down from genera- tion to generation. After moving to Canada, Nonna Marianna's daughter, the now Nonna Gina, experimented by adding moz- zarella cheese to the dish, which gave it a new flare and added richness. This new variation became her daughters ' and granddaughters' most requested pasta dish. Whether or not you think you like cauliflower, I am telling you - you've got to try this! We sat down to eat what I fully expected to be a vegetable pasta dish but if I didn't see it being made with my own eyes so chock full of cauliflower, I would have sworn it was a rich Alfredo sauce! Even knowing very well that we had to leave room for the schiacciata coming out of the oven we all had seconds. The biggest thing to remember is leaving enough water in the pot when draining the pasta. And, of course, fresh pasta works best! Take the time to try this, you won't be disap- pointed! Pasta con la broccola - Pasta with cauliflower Ingredients ● 1 large or 2 small cauli- flower, quartered ● 1 kg fettuccine noodles, fresh noodles work best ● Salt to season ● ½ cup grated P armes an cheese ● ½ cup extra virgin olive oil ● Cracked black pepper, to taste ● 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese Instructions 1. Wash and cut the cauli- flower into quarters. 2. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt well to taste. Make sure there is enough water to cover the cauliflower. 3. Cook until tender and soft enough to mash with a fork. 4. Remove the cauliflower from the water with a slotted s poon. D O N O T dis card the water. 5. Mash the cauliflower with a fork. Set aside. 6. Bring the pot of water back to a boil and add the pasta noo- dles. 7. Cook the pas ta only to "very" al dente as they are going to cook further with the mashed cauliflower and cheese. 8. Remove the pot from the heat and s tart to remove the water with a ladle. Set aside 2-3 cups of the water. You want enough water to remain with the noodles in the pot so that the water level is about ¼ of the way up the height of the al dente noo- dles. 9. A dd the mas hed cauli- flower to the noodles. 10. Add the parmesan cheese and return to the heat. 11. Add the olive oil to the pot. 12. Let this all simmer slowly in order to melt the cheese. 13. Add some cracked black pepper to your liking. 14. After about 5 minutes when the sauce has thickened a bit, add 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese a little at a time and stir continuously. 15. A dd in a bit of the reserved pasta water if you find it is getting a dry. It will be finished about 2 minutes after adding the moz- zarella. Serve immediately while hot. Add some hot peppers! Enjoy! Creamy and decadent, but with half the guilt, this is pasta con la broccola for you. Photo: Nonna's Way ANNA ROMANO & ANGELA DESALVO Pasta con la broccola, pasta with cauliflower

• Cover