Foodtopia Moments

Today’s pranzo (lunch) was what I would call peasant food, and it was damn good. It wasn’t any less intricate to prepare, in fact I had more dishes to wash today than normal, but it was worth it. For the main dish, I took some of a jar of passed tomatoes that I had left over, and I mixed it with a little water, salt, olive oil and capers. Then I added chicken. It was very saucy. Instead of serving over pasta, I ripped chunks of 2-day-old bread and threw them inside the pan, then I turned the heat on medium and cooked it all until the sauce had saturated the bread. It was filling and delicious, as the bread added a whole new dimension of texture and flavor. As a side dish, Mom made some string beans with garlic, oil and vinegar, and she baked finocchio (fennel, and an Italian slur toward gay men, so context is important when using the word). The fennel was baked with a little chopped onion, salt, grana padano cheese and olive oil. It comes out tender and with an aroma that makes the whole block jealous.