Italian Mood Foods For Loners

Italian Mood Foods for Loners

If you find yourself suddenly alone, perhaps following a difficult life crisis, you may have a need for comfort food that is healthy even when you aren't in the mood to be bothered with cooking. Herein are some ideas that will simplify your time in the kitchen (no measuring!!) with flexible recipes that can be changed easily to accommodate your taste and the amount you feel like eating. The bonus is that it is primarily fresh food and so you have less salt and preservatives. Another bonus is the unique flavor of Italian food.

These ideas come from 35 years of living in Northern Italy, with an Italian mother-in-law and, for a time, her mother as well. The Northern Italian cuisine differs from that of the south in that it uses less tomato sauce and more cream sauces. Where I lived in the dolomites, the home cooking was simple and used very plain and humble ingredients. I learned that when it comes to Italian home cooking there really is no fuss. Here is how it works:

What you need in the pantry:

A few #2 cans of peeled tomatoes

Bouillon cubes: chicken and beef* or canned broth

Olive oil (preferably pure virgin)

Balsamic vinegar

Arborio rice

Dried bread crumbs

Pasta: spaghetti, penne, ditalini for example

Garlic-the real stuff

On the spice shelf:

Dried bay leaf

Sage

Rosemary

Dried red peppers (peperoncino)

Saffron

(Parsley and basil can be kept fresh for a time in water or in the fridge-or grown on the windowsill. It can be frozen for a time and keep its flavor)

In the refrigerator:

Lemons and your preferred fruits and vegetables

Parmesan cheese

In the freezer:

In small separate zip lock sacks: chopped onion, celery, carrots, red bell peppers, parsley, and basil

Ground beef or other meat

Chicken and your preferred cuts of meat and fish

*It's easy to make your own broth and thereby control the salt and fat content-see recipe

**I often use some crumbles of a bouillon cube in place of salt and pepper-this can be too salty if not used with discretion.

I will start with the quickest and easiest recipe. This one takes very little effort but is very tasty:

Spaghetti with Aglio, Olio and Peperoncino