Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Making Sunday Gravy On Wednesday?

Yes I am. I have a giant pot of gravy boiling away on the stove. Not gravy for biscuits or roast beef, spaghetti sauce. And now, on Sirius Dean Martin's "That's Amore" is playing. Joy. I spoke with a friend in Cleveland this morning (she's drowning in snow) and she said "You're making Sunday gravy on Wednesday?" She didn't grow up in Boston - anyone remember the old Prince Spaghetti ads "Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day" as Mama hung out the window calling "Anthonyyyyyyyyyy!" and he sprinted home for dinner. Or supper as my Mom called it.

I went through a phase where I didn't like being Italian American. I went to a preppy preppy prep school and always felt sort of excluded. No one made me felt that way - it was an adolescent wanting to fit it thing. My friends were Cabots and Putnams and Pratts and Episcopalians and white bread. My my folks picked me up at my dorm in a '76 black Cadillac Coupe DeVille we had named TONY. I knew what Bracciole was. The shame.

Now, as a full fledged grown up I adore my Italian heritage. And my Irish. And my bit of Venezuelan. I cook. I drink. AND I have a temper. What a gal!

So yes, I'm cooking away on this snow day. Listening to Dean and Frank, remembering my grandmother, my father in law (whose recipe for gravy I use) and my old great aunts who plied me with food as a kid. I always think of Auntie Angie when I eat a non-pareil. Weird what you remember.

And my childhood and memories help my writing. Add flavor I guess.

It's good to be comfortable in your own skin. Olive or not.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

SHAKIRA! SHAKIRA!

Michelle O'Neil said...

Though not Italian myself I come from a very Italian community. My husband is Italian/Irish.

I can smell the sauce from here!


P.S. I tried to find you on the website you mentioned but could not figure it out. Now I can't remember why I wanted to e-mail you in the first place!

Anonymous said...

COMO SE LLAMA
BONITA
MI CASA
SU CASA

Anissa said...

Oh yum! Gravy! My husband has his special meat sauce recipe. I try, but it's never quite the same. Still good though. He's from an Italian family. I LOVE when his gram comes to visit. She's getting older now, but still gives me tips. We talk food all day.

Glad you're comfortable in your skin and didn't try to bleach it a la Michael Jackson!

Living in AZ, I'm glad my boys have some pigment. I'd like a little more myself. :)

Anonymous said...

MIRA EN BARRANQUILLA
SE BAILA ASI
SAY IT!

Laura said...

I remember those Prince's ads! Hmm. I haven't made rice-noodle spaghetti in a while. Guess what we're having for dinner?

I just read the book "Prep" and thought of you in white-bread boarding school with your pink cords. My Freshman year roommate in college went to Groton. I figured out pretty quickly that I wasn't invited to hang with her and the other prep school kids. I'm white-bread, but was obviously missing that "oodles of money" vibe. That's OK, I found out I'm a liberal and hung out with the dorks/hippies instead!

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie Kim, who better to listen to while cookin' Italian then the Italian Stallion himself, our Dino. Never was, never will be anyone as cool as the King of Cool. Oh, to return to the days when Dino walked the earth!!!!

Kim Rossi Stagliano said...

Hey Pallie Dino! (LOL!) Yeah, I love all things Dean too. Do you have the CD Mob Hits? Classics. Like Sunday dinner with family. Louis Prima? Perry Como? Tony Bennett (Anthony DiBennedetto)? Of course, The Chairman of the Board. I really do love that music. It sounds like home.

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie Kim, So glad for your Dinothoughts. Have to confess that I am like totally Dino-only focused, lol! You might like to check out my Dinoblog. If you are ever interested in a Dinodiscussion group, just let me know and I'd be delighted to introduce you to ilovedinomartin Dinogroup over at yahoo.

Kim Rossi Stagliano said...

Dino, I couldn't live without Frank and Tony. I guess I'm more of a generalist, while you're a specialist. That's amore!

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie Kim, like I guess some Dino is better then no Dino. Specialist? More like totally Dinoaddicted!!! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Kim,

How do you make your gravy?

Is it a secret or do you share your recipes?

Andrea