Nutritious Nibbles: Nonna’s cucina (grandma’s kitchen)

By: Saije Rusimovici, Staff Writer

Growing up, some of my best memories are of eating homemade meals for dinner at my nonna’s house on cozy fall evenings. As an adult, I find myself gravitating more and more to her recipes this time of year, as they’re so simple and made with just a few ingredients. Not only do these dishes take me back to my childhood, but they remind me that good food can also be very simple. 

Nonna’s Pastina 

Pastina has become a popular dish online this fall. It’s the simplicity of this dish that makes it so appealing. Before it became a trend online, my grandmother prepared this for us as children, particularly as the weather turned colder or when we were sick with the flu. While my favourite way to prepare this dish is with tiny star-shaped pasta, they can be difficult to find. For this recipe, any small pasta will do. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

4 cups water 
Salt (to taste) 
1 cup pastina 
2 tbsp butter
½ grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Crushed black pepper 

1. 1. 1. Add water and salt to a medium pot and bring to boil.
      2. Add one cup of pastina.
      3. Cook until al dente, about 8–10 minutes. 
      4. Drain excess water from the pot using a strainer.
      5. Add pastina back to the warm pot and add butter, ½ parmesan cheese and stir until combined. 
      6. Top with black pepper and as much extra parmesan cheese as you would like! 

Frittata with Potato, Mortadella, and Mozzarella Cheese

My nonna would always whip up a version of the Italian frittata, an omelette-like dish made with scrambled eggs, cheese, and fillings. It’s a quick dinner that comes together in minutes. It’s also an easy way to get rid of any vegetables in your fridge. You can swap out the fillings in this recipe for cheese and veggies of your choice.I enjoy thinly sliced zucchini and parmesan cheese in this dish, but this is by-far my favourite version of frittata. The combination of ham, cheese, and thinly-sliced potato is so delicious.

Serves: 2–4

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes 
3 tbsp olive oil 
8 slices (approx. 20g) Italian mortadella (ham also works well)
1 cup mozzarella cheese 

1. 1. 1. Boil potatoes.
      2. Once tender, peel and mash potatoes in a bowl. Set aside to cool. 
      3. Once potatoes are cooled, season with salt and pepper to your taste. 
      4. In a frying pan, heat olive oil. 
      5. Take half of the mashed potatoes and transfer into the hot frying pan, pressing down evenly with the back of a big spoon to create a thick crust on the bottom of the pan. 
      6. Top the potato crust with mortadella or ham and mozzarella cheese. 
      7. Cover the cheese layer completely with the remaining potatoes in the bowl (make sure to press them down tightly). 
      8. Cook at medium-high heat for about 5–6 minutes. 
      9. This is the fun part! Cover the frying pan with a large dinner plate and carefully flip the frittata onto it. Slide it back into the pan and cook the other side for another 5–6 minutes. 
      10. The frittata should be golden brown on both sides. 
      11. Cut into triangles (like a pizza!) and enjoy. 

Polenta 

My nonna grew up eating polenta very often, especially in the colder months of the year. Polenta, a dish made of cornmeal, was cheap and easy to pull together. My bis nonna (great-grandmother) would cook the cornmeal in a large pot. Once it was ready, she would pour and spread the polenta on a large wooden board and top it with tomato sauce. My nonna’s family would settle around the table and eat off of the corner of the board closest to them. Now, I look forward to this dish that’s been prepared by my family members for generations as soon as the weather becomes chilly. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

1 ⅓ cups cornmeal
3 cups water
½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste) 

1. 1. 1. Heat water to a hot temperature, but make sure it is not completely boiling. 
      2. Add salt.
      3. Slowly add the cornmeal a little bit at a time, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes thick and the cornmeal has absorbed all the water. 
      4. Spread out on flat dinner plates (or large board if you have one!) and top with your favourite tomato sauce.
      5. Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.