The courses of an Italian dinner

[senior citizen]

...............

[rubicon]

senior citizen mille grazie! Your post reflects what many Americans of Italian descent remembered from the days of the grandmothers and mothers who made it clear that every meal was a feast to be enjoyed shared and to be carried on to thee succeeding generation.

[DianeM]

Sounds divine to me. Reminds me of many meals with good friends in NY.

[asianthree]

where does the cheese and fruit come in? at my inlaws we always had that platter too...just don't remember what order

[senior citizen]

.............

[senior citizen]

............

[senior citizen]

.............

[asianthree]

last family wedding there was 7 courses...our family goes to a venue that does 90% italian weddings...problem is with an open bar i can't remember what all the courses were....LOL

[jblum315]

I discovered that back in the Prohibition days, families were allowed so much table wine..........never knew that before.

...

Yes, families were allowed to brew a certain amount of wine for personal use, and many, many Italian families in the NY area where I lived still do it. Mostly they cultivate figs for that purpose, not grapes.

[tucson]

My grandmother was born and raised in Rome, matter of fact was raised by nun's in a convent after her mother when she very young. That is where she learned how to become a great cook. She always served the salad as the last course. Everything was made from scratch, homemade macaroni, pesto, breads, desserts, wine, even the chicken from the backyard coop :-) I fondly remember spending Sat. helping her make the spaghetti and hanging it on her clothes rack in the kitchen for the big Sunday meal w/all my aunts,uncles and cousins. :-)

[senior citizen]

..............

[senior citizen]

.........

[DianeM]

The New York folks really know how to put out a tasty spread, that's for sure.

Life is short. Enjoying some special foods here and there will not kill anyone unless they are going to gorge every day.....

I do not recall one obese family member on my dad's side and they all lived extremely long lives......maybe it was the home made Italian vino. My great uncle Vito was the one who made the red wine and brought it by the gallon jugs to my grandmother's home.

I discovered that back in the Prohibition days, families were allowed so much table wine..........never knew that before.

I will bet they all self medicated with wine........and were indeed a jolly bunch.

Not like some of the uptight folks of today ........

You are also invited......once I get there and "recover" from the move and settling in.....

Thank you for the invite - I'll be there with bells on.

There is nothing better than homemade wine. Some of my friends in NY still make it. Christmas Eve would not be the same without it. (SIGH).

Good times - good friends - good eats. :BigApplause:

[tucson]

Yes, families were allowed to brew a certain amount of wine for personal use, and many, many Italian families in the NY area where I lived still do it. Mostly they cultivate figs for that purpose, not grapes.

Yes that's right, my grandparent's made their own wine from their grape arbor in the back yard. I remember that they only drank a small amt w/meals (like a sm. juice glass) and my mother telling me once that she was scolded by her 2nd grade teacher for having wine on her breathe in class,my grandmother gave her a little for an upset stomach :-)

[DianeM]

OK since we're on the homemade wine path - anyone care to go to the pastries path? Anyone have a decent canolli (sp) recently since moving to Florida?

[jblum315]

I used to love figs. I didn't know they made wine out of them.

My aunts made fig cookies.

You can make wine from almost anything. In Gilroy, CA, they make it from garlic.

[MikeV]

Boy do I miss our Italian meals back in NJ. My mother would cook all day long and boy was it good. Both my father and mother were first generation Italian-Americans and they knew how to eat. I miss my mom.

[rubicon]

I would say at the end...... as part of the dessert???
Maybe Rubicon remembers????

I know that in Italy they do not eat their green salad as a first course as we do here in the U.S.

I would just put out the fruit and cheese as a buffet selection along with all the rest of the stuff...........for a big family reunion (not necessarily a sit down dinner)........besides the antipasto which is an appetizer....a huge appetizer..........
I would put out hot dishes like baked ziti and lasagna, etc., chicken cacciatore, etc. Whatever I am in the mood for.....depending also on the season of the year............

In my family the fruit and cheese was offered when guests first arrived. When we sat down the antipasto was served first and could consist of a huge platter of cheese sliced meats olives of all types, peppers, etc

At the end of our meal we ate our salads. I loved to pour some pasta sauce over mine instead of salad dressings.

[DianeM]

Boy do I miss our Italian meals back in NJ. My mother would cook all day long and boy was it good. Both my father and mother were first generation Italian-Americans and they knew how to eat. I miss my mom.

Good food for sure. I'm not Italian but most of my NY friends were as a kid and even as an adult. Good times.