This past Sunday was my birthday, and I was overwhelmed with joy from the many well wishes I received from friends and family through calls, texts, and Facebook messages. Thank you all for making my day special!
Isn’t it funny how quickly birthdays seem to pass by? When we’re young, we can’t wait to grow older and do grownup things. How many of you would love to go back to those days? I know I would. There are many things I would change about my life, but then I think, “If I changed some of those things, I wouldn’t have my children and my grandchildren.”
For my birthday, my daughter made me one of my favorite dishes: linguine with white clam sauce. I plan to feature this dish in one of my upcoming cooking videos. I’ve also received a request for pasta fagioli. There’s the traditional Italian method, which involves soaking the beans, cooking them (don’t forget to throw out the first water), sautéing garlic and basil, adding tomatoes, pasta water, or chicken broth. Or, you can take a simpler route using canned cannellini beans from brands like Progresso or Rienzi. You can use any beans you prefer, but we always used cannellini. Surprisingly, I prefer the simpler method for this dish, even though I usually like to do things the old Italian way. The results are very nearly the same.
Speaking of “throwing out the first water,” it reminds me of a story from my youth. My dear friend Lorraine, may she rest in peace (we lost her six months ago), was a big joker and loved playing pranks. In our old neighborhood, the older Italian ladies liked to sit in front of their buildings and chat. Lorraine and I made a little mechanism with a large paper clip, rubber band, and a metal washer. When you sat on it and lifted your thigh, the washer would hit the chair fabric and sound like a fart. Lorraine did this in front of her future mother-in-law Mary “Honeyball” and her friend Josie. Each time, Josie would exclaim, “Oh my God. Tell your mother when she makes the beans to throw out the first water so you won’t have so much gas.” We laughed so hard we cried.
I look back on those days with fond memories and miss my childhood friend Lorraine. She loved a good prank, and we shared so many years of friendship. Where did all those years go?
Stay tuned for my next cooking videos featuring linguine with white clam sauce and pasta fagioli. Thanks for joining me on this trip down memory lane.
With love, Nanny