Ask Aunt Karoline

Dear Aunt Kari,

        

        I have been assigned a food project in Social Studies class. I chose to do my food project on Italy since we are going there. I have to make a menu for a typical Italian meal with breakfast, lunch, dinner. Can you please give me some suggestions for each meal on a typical day. For extra credit we can make a small item to bring in and share with the class. Do you have any easy recipes for something I could make at home and bring to school? Thanks for your help and can't wait to see you soon. 

Nathan

Dear Nathan,

We asked 3 people other than ourselves to tell us what they eat on a typical day. Here is what they told us.
Italians eat what is called a Mediterranean diet. 

Breakfast: On the sweet side  Cookies (Store bought, Eva likes chocolate chip) or bread/toast and jelly (usually apricot) or bread and Nutella.  Coffee (cocoa) + warm milk (Eva likes cold better because she thinks skin is gross) 

Lunch: (Kids go home for lunch or have hot lunch at school. Adults eat at home or at the cafeteria or at a restaurant. No bag lunches). Veggie soup or broth or Pasta (or potato gnocchi) with any of the following: meat sauce, pesto, olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese (not that powder stuff but real cheese), tomato sauce,  4 cheeses (Gorgonzola, Asiago, etc).  Bread. Salad (salt, olive oil, vinegar in that order) or cooked vegetables like spinach (with butter and Parmesan cheese) or bell peppers or peas, etc. Fruit (What is in season. Right now there are cherries! Yum! Right off the tree!) 

Dinner: Usually meat (chicken, pork, beef, veal, fried or roasted, etc) and veggies or meat and polenta or a nice risotto. Salad. Fruit. Maybe dessert (gelato!).  We have Pizza about once a week (homemade or out during the weekend). 

For a snack: nuts, cookies, bread, crackers, Ice cream, focaccia bread, etc.  

If you are looking for an Easy recipe:  Google a recipe for Pesto or try this one  (The purists will tell you to use a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor. You do what works for you). It is a crowd pleaser! Tastes great cold too. You could serve your class a little taste in a Dixie cup or something similar.  

Potato gnocchi are also impressive and kind of fun but a little more work. Beware of recipes that tell you to "shower" your gnocchi with anything, especially Truffles. You can serve them with just butter and parmesan cheese or tomato sauce, etc.  

An interesting tidbit. The fanciest food here is seafood or fish. They serve them with the head and the tail (unless it's a big fish like salmon or tuna) so you can see how fresh it is.  Another thing: milk is for coffee here. Adults do not drink it at all and kids drink very little of it after age 3 or so (unless they like it).  

Hope this helps! Can’t wait to see you!!

Love,Auntie K