Scottsdale
Family recipes have one feeling a bit saucy
I'm wearing my Italian heart on my gravy-stained sleeve again. But in my opinion, if you're going to be Italian (or a wannabe), you've got to have a recipe for "good sauce."
By that I mean that rich, red, ragù Italian mommas and nonnas (grandmothers) have been simmering on the family stove for decades.
When my Venetian mom and I finally committed to writing our heritage cookbook, her simple and savory meat sauce was where we began. It takes only about an hour, and you'll talk about it for years.
Another recipe - especially for those great family Sunday suppers - is grandmother Leonora Albertelli Lagori's slow-cooked pork shoulder sauce.
We got an e-mail from her grandson Michael John Lagori this week, reminiscing about and longing for his grandma's gravy.
"When I was a little boy, she always had the sauce cooking on the stove, and made ravioli to go with it once a year at Christmas. Oh, that was a good day!"
That pretty much paints the picture, Michael. Make a good sauce, and you're going to have a good day. Thanks to my Momma and Michael's Grandma Leonora for helping us to fill our heavy-duty stockpot full of the heart-and-soul of Italian cooking.
Jan D'Atri/Special for The Republic
Rich, red, ragù Italian mommas and nonnas (grandmothers) have been simmering on the family stove for decades.
