Monday, April 20, 2009

Aren't we Lucky to be Italian?

That statement was announced by my Uncle Rocky every Sunday. Sunday's were for visiting. Italian pastries mixed with crumb cakes. The NY Times and the Long Island Press were in pieces all over the home. The coffee was on - both black and brown. We were gathered at "some" home and when it was time to take our leave, a booming voice would call out: "Aren't we lucky to be Italian! Some people are going home to a roast. We are going home to pasta!" That would be Rocky Gresio - one of my mother's older brothers.
`

Yesterday was Sunday. A low-key day. Sundays are not just for visiting anymore. Sports games are scheduled, stores are opened and there are a myriad of choices for your time. But it is still "Pasta Day!"

And I had a half-pound of shrimp to use up and some leftover vegetables from salads, so here we go:
RIGATONI WITH SHRIMP, FETA AND SALAD VEGETABLES (Serves 4 - easy)
This recipe begs for substitutions and amounts according to taste. (So ... maybe it's not a recipe?)
olive oil - about 1/8 cup - maybe a little more as you want to later coat all the pasta
garlic - a few cloves - minced
10-15 grape tomatoes sliced in half (any tomatoes will do)
sliced black olives - whatever amount you like
1/2 pound shrimp
one pound rigatoni (any tubular pasta)
feta cheese - about 1/2 cup crumbled
fresh Italian parsley - about 1/4 cup chopped
Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup before draining.
Saute garlic, tomatoes and olives in the olive oil. Add shrimp. Saute for 3-5 minutes - until shrimp turns pink. Set aside. Drain pasta and add to pot with shrimp and vegetables. Coat. Add a bit of pasta water if the mixture seems dry. Put on platter and add feta cheese and chopped parsley. Serve. Uncle Rocky would be pleased.
Meanwhile, the apartment hunting in Fargo continues. The pricey one we thought Matthew might take is even pricier than we thought. Matthew has about four hours to find an apartment in Fargo on Wednesday afternoon. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, I'm eating pasta. It lowers stress.

19 comments:

Scate said...

This looks great with the sun finally coming back out. Fargo... well, good luck. I'm sure it's a fine place to stay for grad school. If nothing else, it will force lot's of studying with breaks for fine pastries only! Great blog!

creampuff said...

Well talk about perspective. We certainly are lucky to be Italian! What a beautiful dish!

Reeni said...

What a delicious pasta dish! Lots of goodies in there! I love reminiscing and hearing about memories of the past-the good old days!

Jen @ MyKitchenAddiction.com said...

Looks delicious! I wish I was Italian! Your recipes are great... looking forward to more!

Pearl said...

Ahh... it MUST be nice to be Italian ;)

The story behind it is so adorable; sometimes I wish that life didn't move so fast that it forces us to have to give up traditions that are so treasured.

Donna-FFW said...

his is an absolutely beautiful dish. I love the combo of shrimp and feta, pasta too, delicious!! Your stories are always so captivating.

Sara said...

This looks delicious, I often pair shrimp with feta cheese. In my mind, you can never go wrong with pasta!

unconfidential cook said...

Shrimp and feta are good any day of the week--this looks just perfect!

theUngourmet said...

I have almost everything to make this! I just need to pick up more tomatoes. It looks so delicious!

Sarah said...

Mmmmmm, anything with feta is just perfect in my book! Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you again!

Claudia said...

You know - it is fun to be Italian - but the beauty of food - is it is fun to share and relive your culture with others - not matter what it is. I cannot think of a better way to discover others' traditions than through food.

teresa said...

Hi there! This looks incredible, you've got some yummy looking stuff on your blog, it will be fun to explore!

Selba said...

You are so lucky to be Italian :)

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Great recipe but I love anything and everything with shrimp. You are lucky to be Italian.
Sam

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

You had me at pasta! I love the total combination. The shrimp, the feta, the OLIVES! Gorgeous dish!

OhioMom said...

Scots-Irish by birth, Italian by "taste" :) I love pasta dishes with fresh veggies, your plate is calling to me .. I have my own fork :)

Michele said...

That's a great story! I agree with your Uncle, we certainly are lucky! Your pasta looks yummy!

Elyse said...

Mmm, I love that Sunday is pasta day. Sounds great to be Italian :) This rigatoni dish looks absolutely delicious. Yummmmmy!

michaela said...

this sounds like something i'd really like!