The comfort of Italian and Italian-American food is something special. It is most often simple but made with love that envelops your every sense. What could be better that waking up to the aroma of sauce on the stove followed by the frying of some meatballs that will be added to the sauce to simmer until the sauce reaches the color, taste and smell of perfection? It is one of my favorite ways to start my Sunday. That’s just a small morsel of my love affair with Italian cuisine.
The very first Italian food I learned to prepare were chicken cutlets. Chicken, egg, bread crumbs and into a pan of hot olive oil. Simple but certainly a staple in my diet since I first learned to make them while I was still in elementary school. One thing that I learned from my mother was to use the leftover egg and breadcrumbs to make what we called “pancakes.” I still do it and I never get tired of them. A funny story I have about chicken cutlets is when I was shopping at Bath and Body Works with my wife. She was buying some chocolate scented body something-or-other. The cashier says “I bet it’s hard to stay away from her with that scent.” I just looked at her dead serious and said, “That would be true if it were chicken cutlet scent.” True story.
If you think about it, all the delicious words in English have been borrowed from Italian. Pasta, pizza, mozzarella, ravioli and gelato pop right into my mind. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t know these words and, I think, even more hard-pressed to find that they didn’t love these things. I’m pretty sure that many non Italian-Americans might even know what a frittata is, can name quite a few Italian cheeses and many types of pasta shapes.
I feel both grateful and spoiled by being born Italian-American. I have been eating homemade sauce, pasta and pizza since I can remember. Over the years, I have come a long way from making chicken cutlets. I have learned from books, magazines, television shows and so many people on social media. I have learned to make some dishes from my wife and her family who come from a different region than my family does. One of the fan favorites in our house are panzerotti. They are from Puglia, on Italy’s heel, and are like mini pizza pockets that you can fill with whatever you like. I’ve also started to adapt recipes to my own tastes and so far no one seems upset in my house.
Panzerotti 
Pan di stelle pistachio parfait thanks to @miciamammas 
A delicious kale, potato and sausage soup inspired by @miciamammas 
Tortellini and swiss chard soup thanks to @thegiadzy
One thing that I do make from time to time is chicken cutlet parmigiana. While this dish is only something you’d find in an Italian-American restaurant or household and might confuse Italians from Italy, it is still delicious and a crowd-pleaser. Our ancestors brought their culinary expertise and over time, we have adapted some dishes but that doesn’t make them any less satisfying or make us any less Italian.
Food can arguably be one of the most important facets of Italian-American life, after family. During the quarantine this year, I took the opportunity to share my love of cooking with my one of my sons. My other son is mostly interested in eating what we make more than making it. I hope I’ve given him some invaluable lessons and hope that he’ll continue to prepare some of our favorites. If you have any stories about food you’d like to share or want to share a recipe or your go-to Italian comfort foods, please share!
