le patate/Sicilian Salad with Potatoes
Savoring Extended Sunday and Holiday Meals
Sundays and holidays provide an opportunity for families to rest, relax, congregate and eat well. Historically speaking, the day of rest was one in which people would save the best cuts of meat, prepare more time-consuming recipes, and share the bounty of their garden with their loved ones. Sundays are like a little holiday during each week where the old adage “a Sunday well spent brings a week of content” gets represented well in the kitchen.
Larger holidays offer a much larger culinary stage where we can showcase traditional recipes that are often prepared only once or twice a year, and awaited with much anticipation. Sundays and holidays are indeed a time when our schedule, budgets, and calorie counting are set aside to enjoy la dolce vita (the sweet life), and that, of course, starts in the kitchen!
Sunday suppers
According to a recent Italian news report, 70 percent of modern Italians still observe the traditional pranzo domenicale or Sunday lunch tradition. Customarily, Italians both in the United States and abroad congregate with their families on Sundays. Traditionally, this included not only the nuclear family, but also grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Being invited to a pranzo domenicale of a family other than your own denotes a deep level of friendship and a familial closeness.
Sunday lunches are usually held a bit later than the typical 1 p.m. and last for hours. Common times for the pranzo della domenica are 2-6 p.m. or 3-7 p.m. For that reason, the foods served on this occasion overlap lunch and dinner. Many of the customs surrounding this meal were based on Roman Catholicism. Families did not eat meat from Friday until after having taken communion on Sunday at mass. Slowly simmered ragú was the perfect after-church treat and has become ubiquitous on Sundays in Italy, as have meatballs (served as a second course), roasts, and stews.
Homemade pasta dishes, elaborate sauces, and homey, regional cuisine is often commonplace on Sundays in Italy. Even though the religious significance is no longer the main reason that many people eat this way on Sunday, it is still the culturally preferred way of eating, and many families continue to cook these types of meals on a weekly basis. Modern families also enjoy the pranzo domenicale in restaurants on occasion. Even though they are eaten outside the home, the spirit, conviviality, and family nature of the meals, as well as their length, are still the same.
Add another appetizer or two.
Add a proper (sweet) dessert after the fruit course or purchase pastries from a local pastry shop.
Serve homemade or artisan bread with the meal.
In place of all first and second courses (with the exception of the heat of summer), serve Tagliatelle Bolognese/Tagliatelle with Meat Ragú with a seasonal appetizer, salad, and dessert.
Tables 4-5 through 4-8 provide example menus by season.
TABLE 4-5: Spring Sunday Menu
| Course | Recipe | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Antipasto | Crostini con purea di cannellini/ Crostini with Cannellini Bean Purée | Chapter 6 |
| Primo | Tagliatelle con salsa di ricotta e basilico/Tagliatelle with Basil Ricotta Cream Sauce | Chapter 8 |
| Secondo | Pollo al forno con patate e carrote/Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots | Chapter 12 |
| Contorno | Verdure in aglio, olio, e pepperoncino/Greens Sautéed in Garlic, Olive Oil, and Pepperoncino | Chapter 14 |
| Insalata | Insalata di cetrioli, fagiolini, ed olive/Cucumber, Green Bean, and Olive Salad | Chapter 15 |
| Frutta | Fragole in aceto balsamico/Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar | Chapter 17 |
| Dolce | Torta Caprese/Capri-Style Chocolate and Almond Cake | Chapter 18 |
| Caffé | Caffé/Classic Espresso | Chapter 16 |
TABLE 4-6: Summer Sunday Menu
| Course | Recipe | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Antipasto | Caponata/Sicilian Sweet and Sour Eggplant Medley | Chapter 6 |
| Primo |
Sugu alla norma/Tomato Eggplant Sauce OR Fresh Tomato Sauce
with FRESH pasta of your choice from Chapter
|