Five cooking ‘no-nos’ from real Italian Nonnas
[You don’t really know how to make pasta until you’ve made it with Nonna -- and it doesn’t even have to be *your* Nonna. Here, Nonnas Clara (centre) and Rita (right) explain how it’s done. / Tori Floyd]
You’re never far from a delectable meal when there’s an Italian Nonna around.
I had the recent pleasure of making pasta with four lovely real-life Nonnas, and they agreed to share their secrets for making fabulous Italian food at home.
Here’s what not to do when you want to cook like a real Nonna.
1. DON’T use only raw egg in your lasagna’s ricotta mixture.
In most traditional lasagna recipes, the cheese layer is made of a blend of Italian cheeses (typically ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella) and a lightly beaten egg. But Nonna Clara says you might be missing out on some rich flavour if you leave it at that.
“When I put the eggs, it’s hard [boiled] eggs, and I cut them up,” says Clara Tersigni. “Sometimes I grate it, sometimes I cut it. Put in Parmesan cheese, and lots of sauce.”
And of course, homemade noodles are always best.
“The kids, when I make it myself, they really like it,” says Tersigni. “You can really taste the difference between the ones I make and the ones at the store.”
2. DON’T be scared by ‘complicated’ dishes
Nonna Rita, who hails from the northern part of Italy, doesn’t always make her own pasta -- instead, she focuses on some of her region’s specialties, like gnocchi.
“It depends how the sauce comes out, but otherwise it’s quite easy,” says Rita Venier of her homemade gnocchi, a dish favoured by her children and grandchildren.
For Venier’s gnocchi, all you need is potatoes that have been mashed, egg, flour and salt. Make the dough into a ball, then cut it into the individual gnocchi pieces. To shape, you don’t even need a fancy gnocchi board: Venier says she just uses a fork.
“My little guy who’s 13, he’d like to be a chef, so he’s just learning how to do it,” says Venier proudly.
[Nonna Rita and I team up to make the pasta-making go faster. Unfortunately, her chef-in-training grandson was not here to help. / Tori Floyd]
3. DON’T leave your veggies completely raw when stuffing them
Whether it’s stuffed eggplant, stuffed zucchini or stuffed peppers, your final product will be that much more delectable if you cook it slightly beforehand, according to Nonna Lisa.
“Not too much!” cautions Lisa Bruch.
By just barely baking, steaming or boiling your empty vegetable before stuffing it, you’ll soften it slightly, to help let the flavours of your stuffing seep in -- which you should keep simple.
“Bread crumbs, meat, parsley, Parmesan... salt, of course,” lists Bruch. “You mix, stuff the zucchini, stuff the eggplant, put it in the oven. Or if you want, put it on top of the stove with tomato sauce.”
[Nonna Giuseppina Pansonato rushes by to make sure no one goes hungry. / Tori Floyd]
4. DON’T add your pasta directly into the sauce
If you’re preparing the classic spaghetti and meatballs, it can seem like a straightforward endeavour, but there are plenty of different ways you can change up the recipe.
To do it classic Nonna style (at least, Nonna Lisa style), cook your meatballs directly in the tomato sauce, but don’t add your pasta into the sauce once you’ve cooked it.
”Cook [the pasta] separately, not too soft,” says Bruch. “More al dente. Then you put the pasta on the plate, and then the sauce with meatballs.”
5. DON’T forget the sugar
When thinking of savoury dishes like pasta with sauce, it’s easy to overlook the sweetness that is sometimes needed. Venier recommends adding a pinch of sugar to help balance the tomatoes.
“You add a little bit of sugar so it won’t be so acidic,” explains Vernier.
Vernier’s sauce recipe is simple, start with a little bit of olive oil, and saute your garlic and onions in it for a couple minutes. Add your tomatoes and that all-important sugar, a bit of basil, and then let it simmer for two hours to get all of the flavours to meld.
“It’s very good!” Vernier assures.
[Nonna Rita serves up some hand-cut pasta. / Tori Floyd]