February 13 is National ‘Italian Food’ Day

I love Italian Food. Check out a few of my Italian creations from dadwhats4dinner.com Lasagna, Orecchiette Pasta with Ham, Mushrooms and Peas, Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Risotto with Cajun Shrimp, Orecchette Pasta with Chicken Meatballs in a Mushroom Marsala Sauce.

Foodimentary - National Food Holidays

www-huffingtonpost-com

Here are today’s five thing to know about Italian Food:

1.  It was not until the 1700’s that tomatoes were first found in Italian dishes.
2. The ‘essential’ ingredients in Italian food include: olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, mozzarella, ricotta, parmigiana, capers, tomatoes, sausage and of course pasta
3. An average Italian meal is divided in two parts, primo piatto & secondo piatto; the primo include a pasta or risotto; the secondi  includes any meat and fish meals, complemented by a contorno, a side dish of vegetables.
4. The Italian dessert, Tiramisu, (ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with mascarpone cheese and egg yolks then flavored with liquor and cocoa) roughly translates to “pick-me-up.”  Did you know that this dessert did not appear until the late 1960’s and in the U.S. by the early 1980’s.
5. Italians prefer their pasta cooked ‘al dente’  literally meaning “to the tooth.” The pasta should be a bit…

View original post 86 more words