It seems that everybody loves Italian Cooking. But what most people in the United States think of as Italian cooking is mostly Southern Italian cooking because most of the immigrants that came to America were from Southern Italy. So mostly foods prepared with red sauces, rather than white sauces. Of course, things like pizza, which was invented in Naples, Italy, spaghetti and meat balls, sausage, ravioli and lasagna are most common. And, it might be that the reason for so much use of tomato sauce is because the Spanish, who controlled much of Southern Italy for decades brought the tomato back from the new world and introduced it to Europe probably through the bottom of the Italian boot. But Italian food is so much more.
As someone who grew with my Italian mother always in the kitchen, I came to realize the value of the kitchen in every home no matter what your ethnic origin. Since I started cooking about 10 years ago, I know how important it is to have all the mixing bowls, platters, big pots, great knives, all sorts of utensils and of course olive oil, the food of the Gods, for good home cooking. That is certainly true related to Italian Cooking.
Veal is cooked by Southern and Northern Italians differently. Northern Italians invented Veal Marsala with a brown gravy, Veal Piccata with a lemon sauce and Veal Milanese, which is breaded Veal cutlets. And then there is Oso Bucco, cooked for hours which is a Veal Shank often served with polenta, a kind of the Italian version of grits. Southern Italians created Veal Parmesan covered in cheese with a red tomato sauce usually served with Spaghetti.
And then there all the fish dishes. The stuffed calamari, which is incredible with or without red sauce. Obviously, Italy is surrounding by the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, so every kind of fish is on every menu again often cooked differently from North to South. Bacalao, which is served in all Mediterranean countries is dry salted cod. Most of the Italian cold cuts that are very expensive like Prosciutto, Capicola and various hams come from Northern Italian. Some of the salamis and peperoni's come from Southern Italy.
But I get back to the importance of the kitchen in every home. Foods cooked from scratch take a lot of time and effort. The reward is mouth watering meals that will keep family and friends coming back for years. Kitchen renovations provide the best return on investment. So, if you are thinking of remodeling for sure put some of your money in creating a gourmet kitchen. Then buy a good Italian cook book and start having some fun.
