Rural villages in the surrounding TunisI was surprised to find one of my favorites in my cookbook. Grandmother Latifa poured a soul-firing chickpea stew atop days’ old bread husks, topping it with kicky harissa and a boiled egg to create a lablebi—a worker’s lunch that is both filling and comforting in equal measure. I ate in Latifa’s messy kitchen with various family members. They were all circling the retro-print table cloth, searching for their favorite toppings: capers, spicy chilis, harissas, eggs, and tuna. This was a build-your own-dish, which felt so decadent that I was surprised that it was created out of necessity.
Religion and cultural norms, in addition to the purse strings of these women’s lives, have shaped their healthy diets. The Mediterranean has a tradition of fasting, irrespective of the religion. It has many benefits to health and the environment. Nonna Anna said, “Everything was logical even if it disguised itself as religion,” as we prepared her favorite Easter lunch of ricotta in a rich tomato sauce. Puglia. After celebrating Easter on Sunday and breaking the 40 days of Lent, we go on a picnic the next day, eating lighter meals to compensate for the previous gluttony.
For most women, like my Yiayia before me, meat was a special treat that appeared at Sunday dinner or celebrations. We can’t deny ourselves any longer. climate change. Although meat is a commodity today, Mediterranea The Mediterranean nonnas have always cooked meat in this manner. Due to the climate change and health benefits of eating meat in this way, it is a good idea to seek out grass-fed and slow-grown meats from your local butcher.
You will never see my Yiayia eat fresh tomatoes during the winter months. November. First, the food won’t taste very good. The second reason is that it’s not the most environmentally friendly way to eat. Winter tomatoes are not the same. The only tomatoes Italian Nonnas use in their winter cooking are jarred tomatoe that they have preserved. summer months.
The following are some of the ways to get in touch with us SicilyNonna Carla showed me how to prepare her pasta alla normala, which she makes with eggplant, and passata, made from the 200 pounds of tomatoes that she grows in her countryside summer home, just outside Catania. All Mediterranean grandmothers tend to stick by the “eat local, eat seasonal” rule and it applies to all fruit and veg—not just tomatoes. In my book, I have included recipes for the best tasting dishes when they are prepared during the appropriate season. This includes hearty stews, soups and pulses in winter, as well as light and bright dishes that feature fresh tomatoes and eggplants in summer.
