Over the weekend I got a chance to watch some of the TV cooking shows that seem to be rampant on TV these days. I watched Chef Bobby Flay, Chef Andrés from Spain and Washington, DC, Chef Ming Tsai, and of course Chef Emeril Lagasse. They are all great and successful in their careers. I love to watch them and marvel at what they seem to create out of nothing. The TV cooking genre has exploded in recent years and I think this is good for the food and cooking industry in general. People who never had an interest in cooking at home can now check out an Emeril or Bobby Flay and try to emulate what they do at home. This is a good thing, really!
Television heads are wonderful to watch and present wonderful entertainment. This article highlights a home cook who never saw bright lights, but sure as hell could cook up a storm in the kitchen. Mama Teresita was the grandmother of my childhood friend while I was growing up in Chicago, Illinois. Mama T. came from Sicily, Italy when she was a child in the past, probably in the 1920’s-1930’s. All the kids in the neighborhood loved to hang out on the porch and play while she hung the laundry or swept the driveway. There always seemed to be abundant, delicious smells coming from the kitchen. She always accepted immediately when I was invited to dinner. He may have spent more time at her house than mine. Mom T. never used a cookbook or recipe card that I know of. Italian pasta, veal and sausage, soup and bread seemed to appear effortlessly on the table. I once asked Momma T. what cookbook she used and she looked at me like she was a ghost. No cookbook. The recipes were passed down from family to family for hundreds of generations.
If Mama T. ever had the urge to use a recipe or look at a cookbook, this wonderful old-world-style Italian pasta dish would probably come close to what she used to make. It’s simple, hearty and light on the budget.
Pasta with fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pasta of choice
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and cheese and mix well.
3. Cook pasta until al dente, about 1-2 minutes. Drain immediately and mix with tomato mixture; serve immediately.