Tag Archives: Pasta

Humor, Just a Little Different Here, Restaurants, Shopping

Things Are Just a Little Different… Part IV

March 26, 2014 Greg

If you’ve been a loyal reader of this blog or have spent a little time playing around on the pages, you’ll see that I’ve started a “series” that highlights some of the differences between Italy and our native America. Some of the differences are strange to us, many of them make perfect sense and others are just plain silly. If you’d like to see where the series began, take a look back here:

Part I
Part II
Part III

Just like the previous editions, I will group these differences by category. Without further adieu, Parte Quattro (Part Four)…

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CARS

The automotive industry in Italy is one of the major contributors to the country’s GDP. The industry provides nearly a quarter million jobs and produces some of the world’s best cars. But it’s not just Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s on the roads here. We have also learned a couple other things about the automobiles on the road.

Where are the trucks? A Texan might have a harder time adjusting here than we did. Finding a pickup truck is akin to finding the perfect blue-ribbon bull at the county fair (did I take the Texas thing too far?). There are virtually no trucks on the road and I can count the number of large pickups I’ve seen on one hand. If you do come across a pickup truck, there is a 90% chance that it is for work-purposes only. No major commentary here, just an observation.

This little guy is about all the truck you're going to get around here — This little guy is about all the truck you’re going to get around here

You’d better not buy the Big Gulp! At least not if you want to rest it in your car while you drive… most cars don’t have cup holders. This may seem strange to most Americans (certainly, there are times I miss my old car), but it’s not that crazy when you think about the culture here. Italians drink small espresso’s at the bar (not 20oz Starbucks coffees) and I’ve never seen anyone over 15 years-old drink a soda. McDonalds drive throughs are not a big thing and so there is really no major need for a cup holder. And, oh yeah – a Big Gulp was never really a viable option, they don’t have 7-11‘s either.

“No cup holders? Well, where am I supposed to put this?”

No space for this adorable Coke (note the spelling of Julia)

Keep your eyes on the road. I remember a couple years ago in America, I was driving with extreme caution because I was passing by a cop. It turned out that it didn’t matter because he was not looking at me, but rather at the text message he was composing while cruising by at about 70mph. If the police don’t pay much regard to “no texting while driving”, how can citizens take it seriously? It’s completely different here – I mean, completely! They don’t even HAVE a “Don’t Text While Driving” campaign. You know why? EVERYONE KNOWS IT’S RIDICULOUS TO TEXT AND DRIVE! Maybe it’s the narrow roads, maybe it’s the break-neck speed at which everyone drives, or maybe it’s just that people understand how dangerous it is. In any event, it’s a relief to see.

You don't see texting and driving here in Italy — You don’t see texting and driving here in Italy

Make way for the VIP… motorcycle parking is right over here. Now, this is something I could get into when I move back home! A lot of places have a designated area for motorcycle parking. This is great, because cars don’t lose full parking spaces to something 1/3 of their size. Obviously, it’s great for bikers who don’t have to spend time circling the lot. Additionally, these motorcycle parking spaces are put to good use year round – bikes are out on the road from January 1st through December 31st; not just in the spring and summer.

Motorcyclists use their bikes year round – she’s wearing a winter coat, gloves and pant warmer

That makes it easy to justify — Year-round motorcycle use makes it easy to justify “motorcycle parking”

A free pen? Pen-shmen. Give me something good! Little freebies are appreciated in Italy, just like in America. I tease my father in law, because if you open any of his drawers, you are likely to see dozens of TD Bank pens and Wells Fargo notepads (apparently, his banking loyalty goes only as far as their freebies). It’s no different here, except for the free swag. I recently got my car serviced and became the proud recipient of a bag of riso (rice). Leave it to Italians to find a way to incorporate food into anything!

SHOPPING

Consumers in Italy shop for many regional goods; they have a strong preference for products made in their native land. And who can blame them? Italy is arguably the best place to buy clothes, food and many other products. Certainly, we are taking advantage while we are here.

Are you happy with your product? Good, because you had better be satisfied. Don’t even think about returning it! I’ve noted in the past that Italian businesses don’t offer nearly the same level of customer service that we’re accustomed to. But if you want to see the worst they have to offer – just try to return a product. You’ll get looked at like you just committed murder. If by some miracle, their store policy actually allows for returns (the newer, big box stores will let you exchange merchandise for credit), a surly employee will demand a receipt before scrutinizing the merchandise as if your intention to swap out the original product for some inferior one as if you were Warner Bros exchanging Christian Bale for Ben Affleck.

SALE! SALE! SALE! Well, you’d better break out the credit card… this stuff is at a steep 30%-70% discount! SALDI (sale) is the favorite sign of merchants all across the country. It seems that there are always sales going on. And you know what… they’ve got this guy hook…line…and sinker! We love buying our stuff when it’s on sale, be it at the grocery store or the clothing store.

PROMOZIONE! There is always a great sale going on in our grocery store

But the BEST sales are when the wine is deeply discounted!

What did I just hear?! Did you just hear what you think you heard? Well, if what you think you heard was vulgar lyrics while shopping for bread in the grocery store, then you would be right. Whether from a lack of understanding of English or a lack of censorship; it is not uncommon to hear Brittany Spears telling you to “turn this sh*t up!” when you’re walking through the Bennet (our grocery store).

PETS

The pets here are more or less the same as back at home. Most people prefer dogs and cats, but you have your occasional bird or even lizard depending on the personality of the owner. I would suggest that there are certainly more farm animals that are considered “part of the family” though – Claudia (our aunt) grew up loving her prized cow (and one of her best friends).

We welcome you with open arms, Paris Hilton. Back at home, only big celebrities can get away with bringing their pets anywhere they want. Here, it’s normal to see dogs outside of the park and inside your favorite restaurant. And I’m not just talking about “purse-dogs”. I mean, full on German Shepard’s in grocery stores, restaurants, subways (the subterranean transport – not the sandwich shop) and museums. Dogs really are that extra family member.

Jen and Fido checking out the sights from inside Jen's hair salon — Julia and someone’s dog checking out the sights from inside Jen’s hair salon

100 grams of pasta is the rule… no exceptions. Cento grammi di pasta (100 grams of pasta) is the acceptable amount of pasta to eat (unless you’re having a secondo, in which case 80 grams is the way to go). Italians can accurately grab that exact amount of pasta from the package without looking twice or using a scale. So, if we’ve already determined that pets are really that extra family member – why should they be deprived of their daily pasta? A lot of the dog food here is served in pasta form. Buster knows the difference between his fusilli and bocconcini cuts of pasta just as well as his owner, Giovanni.

Or perhaps her prefers pasta pre cotta with ortaggi — Or perhaps her prefers pasta pre cooked with ortaggi

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I’ve got even more to write, but then again… I’d like to stretch this series as long as the most perfect franchise ever, Police Academy (and I’m even talking about that seventh installment, the classic gem with a 3/10 rating Mission to Moscow). See you next time…

Agriturismo, Emilia-Romagna, Food and Drink, Restaurants, Sipping Espresso, Travel - Italy, Wine

An Unexpected Gem

November 16, 2013 Greg

Living in Italy grants us access to a lot of great restaurants. We fully take advantage of that and eat at… a lot of great restaurants. I recently read that 75% of the food in Italy is great and 25% of the food is exceptional. I would agree with that – most meals leave you feeling completely satisfied and pleased with the overall experience. But occasionally, you’ll find yourself “mmm’ing” and “aahhh’ing” with more delight than you intended to express aloud.

We can usually spot these exceptional places before we’ve walked in the door. We may have heard about the joint from a friend or relative. It’s possible I’ve read about it on the internet or a travel book. Or sometimes, we just walk into a place and the intense amount of “old-world charm” smacks us in the face. We’re greeted by a little nonna (grandma) who then scurries to the back to cook our meal – and we just know that we are in for a treat. Since it is usually one of those three paths that lead to our exceptional meals, I had all but dismissed, Osteria da Clo’ Filomena when we made our reservation. The reason for the swift dismissal, you ask? Well, the restaurant was in our B&B, in a remote part of Emilia-Romagna, surrounded by nothing by small villages and towns. I’m usually quick to dismiss restaurants in hotels anyway, with a few exceptions. Furthermore, the place was empty. I wasn’t surprised, because it would probably be a 20-30 minute drive for most patrons to arrive. I assumed that the restaurant was in place, merely to service the guests of the hotel and therefore had to serve mediocre food (which, if you remember still falls into the 80% “great” category).

The Osteria at night – the outdoor patio is used in the spring

The ristorante opened in 1954

I am happy to say that I have never been so wrong! And we weren’t the only ones in on the secret – by the time we left, the place was nearly full. People had been coming in from [presumably] all over – from towns and villages several miles away. The waiters, two young men (I regret not getting their names) were very helpful and pleasant. Our server spoke fluent English, but indulged me and kept the conversation in Italian until I really needed the help on a word or two.

Our group decided that we would order several dishes and that we would be generous with each other when it came time to share. There were too many things to taste to keep each dish all to ourselves. Our group? Four weary travelers (and a baby past her bedtime), comprised of myself and Jen as well as my aunt Deborah and uncle S, visiting from the States (read about their trip HERE and HERE).

Antipasti

For the antipasti (appetizer), each couple elected to order the:

Creme Brulè ai Quattro Formaggi con Porcini e Balsamico

Four Cheese Creme Brulè with Porcini Mushrooms and Balsamic Vinegar
This dish was so tasty, we asked what the four cheeses were so that we could attempt to recreate it at home

Primi Piatti

For our primo (first course), each couple shared a pasta:

Tagliatelle ai Fungi Porcini (S and Deborah)

Tagliatelle Pasta with Porcini Mushrooms
Dishes with porcini mushrooms were among the restaurant’s specialties

Tagliatelle al Ragù alla Bolognese (Greg and Jen)

Tagliatelle Pasta with a Meat Ragù
Jen and I like to try classic examples of Bolognese – it is a dish that has subtle changes across various regions of Italy

Secondi Piatti Tipici

For our secondo (main course), each couple shared once again:

Spezzatino Rosso di Cinghiale con Tigelle (S and Deborah)

Red Stew of Boar with Tigelle
Tigelle is a bread that looks like a small pancake, local to the region

Grigliata Mista di Maiale (Greg and Jen)

Mixed Grill of Pork
This is a fairly common dish throughout Italy, but this was superior to most – perfectly seasoned and tender

Contorni

For our side dishes we selected:

Funghi Porcini Grigliata (a seasonal dish)

Grilled Porcini Mushrooms
This dish is only served during “mushroom season” (September, October, November)

Verdure alla Griglia

Grilled Vegetables
A simple and healthy selection from the grill

Dolce

For me, dessert is usually the weakest part of the meal – I was proved wrong once again. I had to tell myself over and over that it was impolite to pick my plate and lick the remaining chocolate residue. We all shared:

Creme Brulè

Creme Brulè
As delicious as it looks

Torta al Cioccolato di Lave

Chocolate “Lava” Cake
Jen had to restrain me from licking the plate

Torta di Pistacchio

Pistachio Cake
I’m not a huge pistachio fan, so it came as no surprise that this was my least favorite of the trio

We were fortunate to have found, Osteria da Clo’ Filomena as a byproduct of first discovering the hotel in which we were staying, La Locanda Gli Ulivi. From what I could gather, the restaurant was established first, in 1954 – and is still the main draw on the property. The hotel is a charming B&B, set just far enough away from Modena and Bologna that you can’t help but become immersed in the nature and hills of vineyards.

The rolling vineyards behind Osteria da Clo’ Filomena

In the summer, a small waterfall cascades on the patio as diners eat under a setting sun and in the winter the fireplace is always glowing – warming the patrons next to the chestnut wood tables. If you stay at the hotel, you can expect a breakfast as delicious as the one pictured below.

Eggs, made to order

Perfectly cooked with delicious pancetta

Cappuccino con doppio espresso (cappuccino with double espresso)

Next time you’re in Emilia-Romanga, stop by and have a meal. Be sure to tell everyone that we said, “ciao!”

Locanda Gli Ulivi

Via Montebudello 33
40050 Monteveglio (BO) Italy
www.locandagliulivi.it

Abruzzo, Beaches, Family Stories, Friends, Landscape, Photography, Restaurants, Travel - Italy, Wine

Beaches, Wine and Pasta Making – What a Vacation

August 29, 2013 Greg

Recently, Jen’s family came to visit (HERE) and since we’re not the type of family that does well sitting still, we planned a couple trips within their trip. One of these week-long sojourns was an impromptu visit to Civitella in the Abruzzo region- Jen’s nonna’s (grandma’s) hometown. The official name of this gem of a village is actually, Civitella Messer Raimondo which is home to less than 900 residents. Jennifer and Jessica grew up going to visit their nonna and family friends in Civatella during many of their summers abroad. Since I had never been to see such an important part of my wife’s family history – I was excited to go.

Civitella Messer Raimondo – the place where it all started!

There were only four of us that made the decision to go to Civitella because Jen’s sister, Jessica had gone off for the weekend to visit a friend in London. When we made the decision to go, we realized it would be easiest to pick Jessica up at the airport in Milan and continue the remaining four hours south (already having a one hour head start). We played out a few scenario’s in our head’s where we told Jessica we were going to whisk her immediately from a fabulous weekend of high-end parties with twenty-somethings in one of the world’s most fabulous cities to a small village in a rural part of Italy with her immediate family and a baby. Putting ourselves in her single, Sex In The City mindset… I think we all realized this would be a hard adjustment of vacation speeds for her. She’d most likely want to fly in from London and come home to Como for a day or two to decompress before re-packing. At a minimum, she would want to drive home and pack for herself before turning around and heading back out (all very understandable). Of course, this would add anywhere from 3 hours driving to shortening our trip by a couple days. We were not sympathetic to her anticipated needs and so we formulated a plan. We would pick her up from the airport with the car packed and ready to go. We would simply drive south and when she eventually realized we weren’t approaching Como, we would already be two-three hours in the wrong direction. We were all on pins and needles as we picked her up. I whisked her bag out of her hands and into the fully packed trunk. We peppered her with questions about her weekend so she wouldn’t notice signs heading South as opposed to North. Jen almost blew the whole operation when she burst out laughing so hard that she cried. Luckily, she covered with some lame excuse and Jessica’s usually razor-sharp intuition was dulled from a long weekend of fun. When we were about 20 minutes away from the airport a calm washed over us all… we pulled it off! Of course, the eventual earthquake of truth wouldn’t be far off from rocking the car and crushing Jessica’s plans of a relaxing afternoon at home. After being in the car for well over an hour, her suspicions could no longer be redirected and I delivered the news to her through choked back laughter. She was less than entertained…

“Five hours in the freaking car after flying all day!”

Jessica's Not So Happy — “NO paparazzi!”

Even though my father-in-law, Dominic grew up in Africa; nearly all his Italian roots are traced back to this small village. So, it’s no surprise that so many years later he still has friends all over the region. Even though his mamma’s house was big enough to accommodate us, it was easiest and most comfortable to stay at a B&B owned by some family friends in the larger town “next door”, Fara San Martino. La Piazetta is owned and run by Pietro and his wife Antonietta – a beautiful B&B, perfect for our family. Once we got settled in, we visited a nearby town, Casoli before heading to Civitella and Jen’s nonna’s house – a home that has been in their family for at least five generations. We ran into the neighbors, Antonino (Tonino) and Maria across the “street” (really, more of a cobblestone alley) and they invited us in for a coffee. This somehow turned into a full meal with homemade salumi (various types of cured meats), fresh fruit, fried cheese and homemade wine. We were a bit full from a big lunch, but I’d like to see you try telling an Italian woman you’re not in the mood to eat! We were glad we did – it was all wonderful.

The view from Dominic and Diane’s balcony in La Piazetta

Jess and Jules at the hotel

A view in Fara San Martino – you’re quite literally next to the mountain

The fountain in the center of Fara San Martino, you can fill up your bottles with mountain water

Dom giving it a go – perhaps the best water we’ve ever had

Casoli from afar – where we went after breakfast the first day

Another view of Casoli

This dog came to say “hello” as we each snapped the above image – I think we can all read Dom’s mind here…

A street scene in Casoli

Me and Julia in front of the Castello Masciantonio

We asked these ladies for directions and they also gave Julia candy and biscotti in addition to the directions

Julia crosses the street, content after a lunch of pasta and lamb (her real shirt was covered in sauce)

Jen’s Nonna’s house

Three generations out front of mamma, nonna and bisnonna’s home

A wonderful makeshift lunch – well done when you have six surprise houseguests

Pietro’s cousin (also named Pietro) brought Dominic into the pasta business years go (nearly two decades ago). This Pietro (the pasta Pietro, not the hotel Pietro) ran Delverde (a large high-quality pasta company) for years before branching off and starting his own gluten free pasta company, Farabella. Their family owned company now makes wonderful pasta that fits perfectly within a quickly growing segment of the market. Their factory is nestled amongst the other three companies all sharing the precious mountain water that is a critical ingredient to their pasta. Along with Farabella, DeCecco (you’ve definitely seen it in your grocery store), Delverde (you may have seen it) and Giuseppe Cocco (you probably haven’t seen it unless you go to high-end Italian specially stores) make up the four corners of this pasta-prodcuing town. I would suspect that these four companies within close proximately to each other produce a large percentage of the world’s intake of pasta – to be eclipsed only by one company, the Wal-Mart of the pasta world, Barilla located all over Italy and the world.

Delverde pasta company

DeCecco takes up the most real estate, by far

When Dominic was working for Pietro and Delverde in the 90’s, their families grew very close. In fact, Pietro sent his son, Antonio and his daughter, Marilina to live with Jen and her family at separate times. They learned perfect English and a perhaps even a few of our American habits. Antonio was so excited to see us in his hometown, he happily adopted the role as our tour guide. He started showing us all over Abruzzo, starting with a tour of their amazing factory.

Is Julia in love with Antonio or his hat?

Oh, DEFINITELY Antonio!

Antonio starts the tour

I embarrassed him, taking pictures of his tour. I assure you, he was excellent under pressure

Some of the unbelievably clean and technologically advanced machinery

Antonio shows us some of their flower and explains it’s properties

They were making gnocchi that day. The mix goes through a long road on it’s way to become…

Gnocchi!

We could eat the gnocchi uncooked, right off the line. It was still warm from the dough mixing

Some spaghetti set aside to dry and properly form

Antonio, didn’t you learn not to play with your food?!

What a great tour for the girls

After the pasta tour we went to a nearby town, Guardiagrele for some sightseeing and shopping. Later that evening, we met Antonio’s parents for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants in that area, Villa Maiella. We had no idea what we were in for! I think there something like 10 courses (I missed photographing a couple) and each one was better than the last! The restaurant is mentioned in the Michelin Guide for Italy and Mario Batali praises it as one of his favorites in Abruzzo (HERE). It was nearly midnight before the bountiful cornucopia of food and wine stopped flowing.

Dusk sets in Guardiagrele

Street scene

We went to a park

Julia loved this particular bridge

Julia reaching for something she shouldn’t… we’ve never seen that before!

View from Guardiagrele

Dominic, Diane, Rosanna & Pietro

“Cin cin!”

Bistecca alla tartara (steak tartare)

Bianco di tacchino con finocchi, noci e arancia (White turkey with fennel, orange and nuts)

Riso, patate e baccala (rice, potatoes and salt cod)

Millefoglie ai porcini (puff pastry with mushrooms)

Manzo leggermente scottato (lightly seared beef)

Raviolo di burrata allo zafferano (homemade burrata ravioli with saffron)

Tagliatelle di semola grezza con porcini (homemade tagliatelle pasta with raw porcini mushrooms)

L’agnello: al ginepro e alla brace (lamb prepared two ways, with juniper and grilled)

Semifreddo al parrozzo (homemade parfait)

Various biscotti and other desserts served with the espresso

Of course we needed our cafe…

…then our grappa!

The next day, Antonio took us to his home in the beautiful beach town of Pescara (about 45 minutes away).

Group shot in Pescara

Spending time on the beach with dad

Sisters in the sun

After seeing Antonio’s home and spending a little time on the beach, he took us to a friend’s winery, Cantine Spinelli. Anotnio’s friend and owner, Carlo toured us through the existing facilities as well as through the impressive expanded facilities, currently under construction. I was awe-struck by the scale of it all – they produce wine that is shipped all over the world and they are continuing to grow. At the end of the tour, he presented us a gift of many different bottles of his wine, including several bottles of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – my favorite wine produced in this region of Italy.

Spinelli wines

View from the winery

Impressive new facility under construction

Julia on the roof of the new building

Wine ready to ship

They ship all over the world – these labels were in Chinese for their distribution over there

Inside the private cantina of some of the finer vintages

Everyone with Carlo

After being such a good tour guide, Antonio did have to get some actual work done – so we temporarily relieved him of his duties and made our own way to the beach for a day. We had lunch at the same beach-pizza place Antonio showed us the day before and spent some fun in the sun.

“I’m heeeere… let’s get this party started!”

“This sand needs to be moved from here to there, stat!”

“I’ve gotta take a break… have you seen my milky colored skin?”

“Our” new pizza place that Antonio had showed us the day before

At the end of the day, we went to Pietro and Rosanna’s home (Antonio’s parents) and had an exceptional dinner cooked by Rosanna. Pietro took Dominic and me into his private cantina (wine cellar), where he makes his own wine. He let us try all the various vintages and allowed both Dominic and I to each pick a wine to accompany dinner. Like so many other things with us, this became a small competition – each of us willing the group to drink the wine we selected (if memory serves, my decanter was emptied first). Pietro presented Dominic with a 1974 Barolo, a generous and exceptional gift.

The gang’s all here (at Pietro and Rosanna’s)

They had some fun playground equipment that Julia could’t get enough of

“Guarda me!”

Jen caught us taking in the incredible view from their balcony

They had a traditional copper pot that was used hundreds of years ago to transport water

It wasn’t so easy to balance without hands

“It’s not so hard, see I can do it!”

Pietro shows me one of his prized cane… with a sharp surprise inside (a long blade)

Antonio’s grandmother, fresh from working in the yard and telling Dominic that she remembered him as a boy

Inside Pietro’s private cantina

Dominic enjoyed his free samples

Dom’s wonderful new gift

A beautiful table set by Rosanna

Pietro had an amazing old Leica SLR camera Antonio brought out to show us

A long a fun-filled week had past. We needed to get back to Como because we had an important birthday party to plan… Julia’s second birthday party!

Cooking, Family Stories, Food, Jen's Kitchen, Recipes

Easy and Delicious Marinara Pasta Sauce

February 6, 2013 Greg

Well, we have heard a lot from Greg so I thought it was time for me (Jen) to give this blogging a go. I have had a lot of people ask me how to make sauce. Growing up in an Italian family this was a staple in our house. I didn’t even know until college that most people buy pasta sauce from a jar! Sorry, but… yuck.

I am by no means an expert cook but I have had many very talented woman in my life that have taught me a lot. Until recently everything I know has been taught to me by my nonna (grandma), my mother and my mother-in-law, who are all incredibly talented in the kitchen.

Even though my Mom isn’t Italian she learned from the best Italian cook (my nonna) how to prepare all of my Dad’s favorite Italian meals. In the beginning of their marriage she made all the foods she grew up eating – good Ohio cuisine. This consisted of meat and potato cooking such as meat loaf and casseroles. Don’t get me wrong, all these foods are delicious… just not to my Dad. It wasn’t until maybe a year or so of eating this food that my Dad admitted he missed his mother’s cooking and my Mom’s path to creating mouth watering Italian dishes began. One of the best things she learned from my Nonna was how to prepare Sugo (sauce). My Nonna’s recipe requires a lot of chopping and it is time consuming to make. Since I have been living in Como I have had the opportunity to learn from another very talented woman, my Zia (Aunt) Claudia. She recently taught me a quick and easy way to make delicious sugo with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and refrigerator. I hope you enjoy the sauce as much as everyone here enjoys eating it.

Marinara Sauce

This should be enough sauce for one pound of pasta (4 to 5 servings). I would suggest doubling the recipe and putting half in the freezer. It will save beautifully for about six months.

Simple ingredients you can find anywhere

INGREDIENTS

>Canned tomatoes – can be whole or chopped (must be San Marzano from Italy)

>Four (4) raw cherry tomatoes

>Two (2) Garlic cloves

>Half (1/2) bouillon cube (a quick shortcut to avoid lots of vegetable chopping)

>Extra virgin olive oil

>One (1) pound of pasta (I recommend Delverde or DeCecco)

>Sea Salt

“Put me to work, Mom!”

DIRECTIONS

>Peel two cloves of garlic

>Cover the base of your pot with extra virgin olive oil. Heat on a low setting and do not adjust temperature.

>Leave the garlic cloves whole to put in sauce (Italians prefer just a hint of garlic flavor). If you prefer a stronger garlic flavor you can chop or mince the garlic.

>Put the garlic in the pot with the heated olive oil and cook long enough to extract flavors. Be mindful not to burn.

Garlic should be lightly browned

>Add can of tomatoes (must be San Marzano, which is the region in Italy – there are various brands)

Canned tomatoes

>Dice raw tomatoes and add to sauce

Diced, raw tomatoes

Tomatoes added to pot

>Add half of a vegetable bouillon cube and stir

>Add sea salt (approximately a teaspoon… or Italian style, this much)

About this much salt… adjust based on hand size

>Remove the garlic and set aside (it gets added again)

>Blend the sauce with a hand mixer

Blend with hand mixture to get the correct consistency

>Place garlic back in pot

>Let sauce simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 30 minutes

>Finish with a dab of butter

>Remove from heat and serve

Pasta

>Add cold water to the pasta pot with coarse sea salt (my mother always taught me to pour the salt until you finish saying “Father, Son and the Holy Spirit”)

>Boil water as your sauce nears an end

>Place pasta in water

>Cook to a nice al dente – the appropriate time will be listed on the spaghetti package

>Drain pasta water and cover pasta with sauce until it is covered but not drenched

To Serve

>Cover individual pasta serving with sauce

>Drizzle with olive oil

>Add freshly grated parmesan cheese

Buon Appetito