Check out some foods that were eaten by the Romans. Be sure to include olives.

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Italian Pasta

One of my best friend's father grew up in Italy. I love going to Luca's house because his dad is the best cook. Every time I go to Luca's house we eat pizza or pasta. We even go on picnics with tubs of pasta instead of the typical fried chicken and apple pie. As I grew older I watched as Edgio cooked. I learned a lot from this true Italian. As we were making this website I wanted to share one of his recipes with you.

First I had to do some research. How long have the Italians made pasta? I learned that pasta making tools were discovered as far back as the Etruscans. I was in luck!

Making the pasta at school was a little hard. Our video version cuts a few corners using canned tomatoes, bottled garlic, etc. Here is the recipe the way Edgio makes it. I hope you will enjoy this great Italian dish.

Ingredients

5 to 6 ripe tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
basil
one large onion (diced)
olive oil (extra light virgin olive oil)
cheese (I like fresh grated Parmesan and Mozzarella.)

Dip the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds. This will loosen the skin so that they are easy to peel. After peeling, dice the tomatoes and put them aside for later.

In a large skillet add about three tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced onion and sliced garlic. Cook until the onion is tender. Next add the tomatoes. Add basil to taste.

While the sauce simmers cook the pasta in boiling water. We use many different varies at Edgio's house. Experiment until you find your favorite. I like spaghetti. When the pasta is soft, drain the water off.

Pour the cooked pasta directly into the sauce and stir. Add the cheese.

This is my most favorite meal!

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Egg Custard

8 eggs
5 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
ground nutmeg

In a bowl beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture into 12 custard cups. Place the custard cups into a baking dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Pour boiling water in the baking dish around the custard cups until the custard cups are about one inch deep in the boiling water. Bake at 325° for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center of the custard comes out clean. You can serve the custard warm or cold. To unmold the chilled custard, loosen it with a knife by sliding the knife around the edge and then turning the custard dish upside down on a serving plate. This makes 12 servings.

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