So I know I said the first night would be Friday October 1st, but I guess I just couldn't wait. Italian cuisine is all about sharing time with friends and loved ones and enjoying the simple joys of life. Since my first stop was Sicily, Italy I invited a few close friends over to enjoy my first meal. They were good sports about my cheesiness and I think everyone had a good time.
Okay, so....onto the good stuff- the food! In Italy, as anyone who has ever been to an Italian restaurant knows, bread is ALWAY on the table. I set out some warm Italian bread with a dipping sauce of crushed garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar while everyone was arriving. Once everyone was seated I served a traditional Sicilian antipasto, which literally means "before the meal." This is not to be confused with hors d' oeuvres, which are kind of a starter. I served a platter of cured meats like pepperoni, salami, and capicola along with provolone cheese, tomatoes, and olives. After that was the first, or primo, course, which is traditionally some kind of hot dish like pasta, polenta, or soup. I served pasta alla norma (similar to spaghetti) with eggplant. Eggplant is extremely popular in Sicily. Many times while scouring over recipes for my meal it was listed as an "essential ingredient." After the primo course comes the secundo course, go figure. Fish or meat is traditionally served. I decided on a chicken cacciatore, and I'll be honest, I don't think I quite delivered on this step, but it was good enough, and with everything else that was served I don't think anyone minded. Other courses that are usually served include contorno (side dish), formaggio e frutta (cheese and fruits), dolce (sweets), and caffe (coffee). My favorite part of the meal, as usual, was the wine of course! We had moscato, which is a sweet white wine that is popular in Sicily. You can't have a traditional Italian meal without good wine, in my opinion anyway.
Overall I am extremely happy with the whole night. Prior to the meal someone asked me "why are you doing all that?" The tone implied that the courses and abundance of food was unnecessary. THAT is exactly the reason I'm doing this whole experiment. Western culture has a focus on getting stuff, especially meals, over with as quickly and efficiently as possible. Well, let me tell you, my Sicilian meal was definitely not efficiently prepared nor quickly over with, but it was some of the best times I've had over a meal! My husband was a huge help in preparation. It was fun spending time with him and seeing him transform from his usual laid back self to someone scrambling around the kitchen cleaning up after me, stirring sauce, and chopping vegetables. Once we sat down to eat the conversation was fun and worry-free. It was nice to have people together over a meal relaxing rather than setting up in front of the TV. not even focusing on what was being eaten! It's not about perfection of timeliness, it's about living. I am excited to see how the rest of my little experiment plays out.
Next week we are staying in Italy but traveling to the east to the region of La Marche. It's partly located on the coast and partly in the country, so seafood as well as chicken and pork or popular. I'll do some research and hopefully come up with another good meal for next week!
