My Italian Roots

I grew up in New Jersey where I had the privilege of eating around my Italian grandfather’s table quite frequently. He was a hard-working man who came to this country and loved it for everything it stood for. He was proud to be an Italian – but just as proud to be an American!

Perhaps one of the reasons I still love Italian food as much as I do is because of those times spent around that table. I can still remember the smell of homemade sauce simmering on the stove that would greet us as we walked in the back door. It’s more than just the taste of delicious red sauce over perfectly al dente pasta… it’s the memories that go along with it.

On my refrigerator I have a saying that I absolutely love. When I first found it, I felt as though someone else had reached into my head, pulled the words out and placed them on paper.

“When I walk into my kitchen today, I am not alone. Whether we know it or not, none of us is. We bring fathers and mothers and kitchen tables, and every meal we have ever eaten. Food is never just food. It’s also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been and who we want to be.” *

I read it often these days. I hope that one day my own kids will talk of the memories attached to the aromas in their mom’s kitchen… how warm chocolate chip cookies smelled of comfort and how, no matter where they go, the smell of garlic and tomato sauce always reminds them of home.

It would be a lovely legacy to pass on from my grandparents… through me… to my kids.

Gluten Free Baked Spaghetti

16oz gluten free spaghetti (I used Tinkyada)

1 lb ground beef

3 Tbsp dried minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar (24-26oz) meatless gluten free spaghetti sauce

½ tsp seasoned salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup parmesan cheese

5 Tbsp butter, melted

2 cups ricotta cheese

3-4 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Boil a large pot of water and cook gluten free spaghetti according to package.

While the spaghetti cooks, cook the ground beef in a large skillet. When the beef is almost completely browned, drain the fat and add the minced garlic and dried onion. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and warm through.

Rinse cooked spaghetti thoroughly with cold water. In the emptied pot used to cook the pasta, add the melted butter and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Add the pasta back into the pot and stir. Add the eggs and toss to coat pasta thoroughly.

Pour half of the pasta into the 9x13 baking pan and spread out into a thin layer. Top with half of the ricotta cheese (spread ricotta to cover), half of the meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Pour remaining pasta over the top and repeat the layers. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*Excerpt from “A Homemade Life” by Molly Wizenberg