Mother (and great-aunts) Know Best

This past weekend, my mom, sister, and I held a baby shower for my cousin's wife. Six of my Italian great-aunts and four cousins, ages 60 to 80-something, were in attendance, along with my step-great-grandmother, age 103! When that many Italian women of their generation gather, you may be sure the conversation turns to food. As I listened to the entertaining bunch, a perfect group to write a novel about, I realized they perfectly illustrate one of Michael Pollen's central premises in his book, In Defense of Food: if we cook like our moms and grandmothers, we'll eat in a way that is better for both us and the earth.
Great Aunts Mary and Grace were trading notes on beans and escarole, a hearty winter favorite which is low-cost, low-fat, high-protein, high-fiber, and did I say delicious, but which few contemporary cooks venture into. It is far from sexy or foodie. But my kids actually acquired a fairly early taste for escarole because I put it into Italian wedding soup (the one with the little meatballs). So I listened in for the recipes. (My family have never been ones to withhold a requested recipe.) They were shocked at my interest, doubtful my family would eat it, and curious about what other "old-fashioned" Italian food I regularly cook. I mentioned how much we all love Pasta Fagiola (pasta fazool, if you know your Italian food names from watching The Sopranos), and we all shared our variations: mine with tomato paste, theirs with a little sauce leftover from Sunday; whether to pre-cook the pasta or cook it directly in the broth; who uses canned vs. dried beans; how thick or thin the finished product should be....
All that talk got me craving the comfort food. Make this one right away. It is inexpensive, earth-friendly, healthful-off-the-charts, filling and satisfying. Using dried beans ups your score on all those qualities. But if you don't have time, don't beat yourself up for using canned -- you could choose an organic brand.

Pasta Fagiola
serves 8

2 cups dried cannellini (or Great Northern) beans (or 2 19 oz. cans, drained and rinsed)
1 medium onion, one large stalk celery, on large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 plum tomatoes, diced, or one 14.5 oz. can tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I freeze the remainder in a zip-lock bag)
2 cups water
2 cans chicken broth
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. ditalini or pasta of choice (small pieces)

If using dried beans, soak them overnight is plenty of water. The next day, simmer them for 1-2 hours until soft, making sure they are under at least 2" of water. Save the water and use it for the 2 cups required in the recipe.

Saute the onion, celery and carrot in oil until soft. Add the garlic and saute briefly (do not let it brown). Add the crushed red pepper flakes, tomatoes, paste, water, and chicken broth. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the beans and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta (be sure it is simmering) and cook, stirring frequently, until done. Don't let it overcook, or the pasta will be mushy.

Stress Fracture

Okay, here's a typical weekend in the offing at my house. My in-laws are due to arrive this afternoon as they drive back to their Long Island condo after a month in Ft. Myers, FL. My daughter has viola lesson after dinner tonight, and my husband is travelling today. So tonight's meal has to be flexible for re-heating, as well as special enough for in-laws.
My son is away at an orchestra festival beginning tonight, but it is his 17th birthday this weekend, so my parents are coming tomorrow for the concert and the celebration. That means I have a weekend of meals to plan, including special request birthday dinner and cake.
My daughter has girl scouts after school tomorrow, but she has decided to fore go that in favor of the middle school ski club trip (I think I'd make the same choice...), so I need to help her pack for that tonight, including portable lunch and dinner for tomorrow.
And right now, I need to go to physical therapy because I have a stress fracture of the talus (ankle). It seems so ironic to me, I broke it on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving. I was running -- my normal 3-4 mile run around the neighborhood, so essential to my mental health, and all the more required the day before Thanksgiving and a house full of company for three days. I just twisted my ankle a little -- supinated is the technical term -- and three weeks, two x-rays, and an MRI later, it was determined to be a stress fracture or bone bruise.
I endured a month of wearing a very clumsy and hideous black Velcro air-boot thing, and now, finally, I can go to p.t. -- aquatic therapy with no impact.
So here the themes come full circle: stress and impact. It seems like most of my meal planning is about decreasing the stress in our lives, nourishing us and carving out a peaceful mealtime experience to re-energize everybody. The cooking is a huge stress relief for me (and without running and tennis these past two months, cooking is my ONLY stress relief!). I will admit that the efforts to use organic and sustainable foods causes me some stress, even though I am glad when I can do it. When time is tight, it is hard to follow the ground rules of slow foods. We are so fractured from healthy eating habits in this country, unnaturally steered toward fast foods and packaged products.
So especially in the winter months, when few local products are available, I try to stick to one basic principles that helps the slow foods movement: Prepare dinner 5 nights a week with as few packaged foods as possible. The more we cook at home from produce, meats, all the items on the perimeter of the grocery store, rather than the aisles, the better. The fewer packages snacks for kids' lunches, the better. The corollary is to bake as often as possible. This one habit reduces the environmental costs of factory production, packaging, and shipping. Plus, homemade is yummier! So by doing that alone, I manage my stress, heal the fractures imposed by our busy lives, impact the environment as little as possible. So off to the pool, I go now, and tonight, it's "Barbecued" Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a salad of organic baby greens.

"Barbecued" Meatloaf, modified from a Cooking Light magazine recipe

1. cup ketchup or homemade tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 slice wheat bread
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 cup minced onion
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup minced carrot
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. meatloaf mix (beef/pork/veal)
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Process bread in a food processor until finely ground. Combine with milk in a large bowl. Add 1/2 of the barbecue sauce and remaining ingredients. Blend well and place in an oiled 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Bake one hour. Brush remaining sauce on top. Bake 15 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan and slice. Makes 8 servings.