When my family celebrates a special day , event or milestone, I quickly begin to plan an Italian Dinner that will unite us all together for that special day. My dinner generally or almost always reflects my Italian Mamma's Italian Sunday "Pranzo"that I had every single Sunday when I was a child. and even after I was married my husband and I would religiously go to my parent's house to have "Il Pranzo Domenicale" with the rest of my siblings (5 brothers) and their families) . For thirty years of my life I remember only one Sunday when my Mamma did not prepare Sunday dinner when she was ill. For the other ten years before she died at 78 years of age, Mamma would at times cry because she could not make her family the traditional Italian Sunday Dinner because she could not remember the recipes she had made hundreds of other times for us due to her degenerating disease of Altzeimer's and Parkinson's. Now, in honor and in memory of her, Vittoria Giannese, I lovingly try to continue to make meals as she did but certainly, not as naturally, as flawlessly, and as perfectly as she did but as lovingly as she did. I could never prepare meals on every Sunday as she did because I was a teacher and I could barely put a casual meal on the table on Sundays with all of the multitude of things to do on Sundays getting ready for another work week. As a French and Italian high school teacher, I would have six hours or more of paper correction alone. I want to parenthetically say that that does not diminish what my Mamma did but contrastively, augments.and distinguishes her selfless giving in this way to her large Famiglia. Infact, it must be noted that my Mamma made dinners from scratch , not with processed but real food always,with a "Primo"and "Secondo" every single day. We never went to a restaurant until I was married. When I think back to all of these memories growing up Italian by Italian immigrant parents, I feel so grateful and blessed to have had such a childhood especially when I see how many of my students and children today come from so many broken and dysfunctional homes. That is not to say that we did not have our problems but our faith, our family and our food kept us strong and well grounded. Before I begin to describe what a "Pranzo" would consist of, it must be stated that missing a Sunday "Pranzo" at Papa e Mamma 's was like missing Sunday Mass for me personally. I did not want to dishonor or disrespect my parents ever.!
Well, let's get started in describing how I plan "Un Pranzo Italiano". First, I decide on an Antipasto or food that comes before the meal such as Foccaccia with an array of cheeses and deli cuts such as Mortadella, Prosciutto Cotto or Salame all thinly cut and creatively folded on my Bellissimo Italian ceramic plate with "Sottoaceto" and "Sottolio" bowls surrounding the meats. Next, il "Primo Piatto" is served such as fresh Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce or a Tuscan Ribollita soup with the freshest greens and vegetables in it all drizzled with the best extra-virgin olive oil and the king of all cheeses as Mario Batalli would say....PARMIGIANO REGGIANO freshly grated on top! The next part of the "Pranzo" is the "Secondo Piatto" which might be Veal alle Scaloppine with mushrooms and a "Contorno" (side-dish) of roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary and sautéed broccoli rabe in garlic and EVOO. Certamente, select Italian wines complement each part of the meal such as a San Giovese from Emiglia Romagna or a Pinot Grigio from Friuli. To end "Il Bel Pranzo" I would perhaps begin with a dilectable "Macedonia" (fresh fruit in season cut in small bite-size pieces with a touch of lemony sweetness, followed by a semi-freddo gelato with biscotti and mini Italian pastries accompanied by an espresso and digestive or Italian liqueur such as Amaretto di Saronno to aid the digestion of the sumptuous but wholesome meal." Acqua" wih lemon slices would also be served throughout the meal as well as "Buonissimo" Italian rustic bread. Bread and Wine (Pane e Vino) must always be present to symbolize the Christian sacrificial meal of The Lord.
In essence, "Il Pranzo Domenicale" for me through my Catholic and Italian upbringing is a sacred tradition that was truly a gift to me by my dear parents all through my childhood which I remember so fondly that I want to continue replicating it to the best of my ability for my "Famiglia." I now know that it is just not an Italian tradition but one that stems from the Christian civilization. Daniel Rabourdin states in his "Theology of the Table" that " the family meal is a sacred custom with a real beginning and a real end." I agree with him that we have to treasure and maintain this social activity and bring it back to our families. I truly believe that if we begin serving our families at the table nightly or as regularly as we can, we will be able to heal little by little our brokenness in our families in this very secular, relativistic and materialistic world. As Father Peyton said, " A family that prays together stays together." But I would add also that a family that prays and eats together, stays together,
BUON APPETITO!
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