Could there be a better place than Sicily to make fresh pasta sauce?
This morning when I (it’s Loryn here writing this!) was asking for ideas on what everyone would like to eat, it was inevitable that some sort of Italian dish would present itself.
We needed to go to the grocery store and soon since our rental car was being picked up in 2 hrs. Our little excursion turned out harder than it should have been. We received directions from the one and only English speaking person in the marina that made it seem like the store was very close and easy to find, but that store was no where to be found.
Simon and I drove back and forth, turned right instead of left, looked down side streets and asked directions from residents that only spoke Italian.
We knew the word ‘supermarcado’ in Italian but that was it
One person sent us back the way we came with no store in sight. Then the next person sent us back the other way. We were beginning to think there was no store, so we went to plan B, drive to the next town.
When arriving in the next town we searched many different streets just hoping the word ‘supermarcado’ would jump out.
Finally I yelled out, “it’s there right there!” I never felt so relieved to know we had made it. Now the question was, “will we know what we are buying since everything is in Italian?”
Fresh fruits and veggies were a piece of cake but other items were a bit difficult. All I knew was I needed items for a homemade pasta sauce to be served over stuffed pasta shells. As I was thinking of all the ingredients I needed a worker walked past me carrying a whole tray of fresh ricotta cheese.
My stomach began to dance in happiness
In the produce section of most Italian stores, a worker gets a bag for you and ask how many you would like of any item and then bags it for you. The attendant then puts a price on the bag making it easy for checking out. It was a nice change from the do-it-yourself approach I’m used to back home. All fresh ingredients I got for the sauce, except for the tomatoes I needed.
Just need some local tomatoes now!
As we drove off I asked Simon to stop at a roadside stand selling fresh veggies to see if we could score some killer tomatoes. Wouldn’t you know we found one right off the bat that had beautiful tomatoes, garlic, onions and peppers. That’s when I knew this sauce was going to be great, fresh ingredients from the southern part of Sicily. It’s a very simple but delicious sauce that I hope you enjoy. Oh and feel free to add any meats of your preference to jazz it up a bit.
Pasta Sauce in Sicily (video)
[gmc_recipe 934]
Get more information on the Britcan Galley Italian Blend, (recipes and videos too)! And go hear to read about the Stuffed Pasta Shells recipe.