Know that even when you are in the kitchen, our Lord moves amidst the pots and pans.
— St Teresa of Avila
Since it is National Meatball Day I thought it would be fun to share here my blog from T’s Italy, my website and Italy travel consultation service, in honor of one of my family’s favorite dishes — Meatballs! I share the history and my family’s special recipe. Hopefully someday soon we will be able to travel to Italy, but we can taste the food now! And come visit my T’s Italy website for a larger taste of a beautiful country!
Happy National Meatball Day! As the old saying goes, “if I had a penny every time…” In this case, if I had a penny for every time while leading a tour across Italy, someone asked about the best ristorante for spaghetti and meatballs, I would be a wealthy woman indeed.
It is a common question as well as a common assumption, especially for Americans visiting Italy. We grew up in this country with not only our own favorite meatball recipe, but seeing and expecting spaghetti and meatballs on the menu of any decent Italian American dining establishment. No wonder not many are aware that the actual dish of spaghetti and meatballs is an American, or more specifically Italian American, invention.
So today, on this National Meatball Day, this full-blooded Italian American, who has had the blessing and thrill of visiting Italy more than 50 times, will attempt to set the record straight. And that ‘s not all, Fratelli and Sorelle, in addition to giving you the inside scoop on spaghetti and meatballs, unlike Marie Barone of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame, who begrudgingly finally turned her meatball recipe over to her daughter-in-law, I am freely sharing my recipe in this blog. Before we get to the heart, or the meat of the matter, with my recipe, let’s take a look at the history of the meatball. Continue Reading…
