Pots and Pans Can Inspire Dreams #2

After I wrote about a day dream I had while looking at a cast iron pot, I started to think that I have been around so much cooking all my life and all the history that goes along with it. That cast iron pot, which belonged to my wife Patti's Gramma is in our kitchen on top of a group of cabinets in our kitchen. It is among memorabilia from her Mom and Dad, my Mom and Dad, her grandparents, my grandparents, our restaurant and including her and I. It is just beautiful and quite a crowd-pleaser. I look at that pot because it was so special to my wife Patti who passed away suddenly from cancer in 2009. So that pot has special meaning to me now and it makes me think back and day dream.

This particular time I was remembering being in my Gramma's old kitchen which was right behind the butcher department in our super market with butchers and family members constantly going in and out of the swinging door because the big walk in cooler was in the kitchen also and a pot belly stove believe it or not. This particular day I remember sitting on an apple crate at the kitchen table watching Ggramma getting two huge stainless or cast iron frying pans and putting them on the stove filled half way with water. She would get two big rings of fresh made Italian sausage and place one ring it in each pan. While that was cooking she would take bruised or partially bad green peppers and clean them cut of all the bad parts and slice up the rest ( the perfect green peppers were for the customers to buy ). She did mounds of these while I watched. When the water would disappear in the frying pans she would turn the rings of sausage until browned. She would take the sausage out and put them on a platter. The crispy frying pans were filled, again, with water about a third of the way and she would stir the crispy bottom of the pans and then add all the green peppers salt and pepper. They would fry gently in the savory water until soft and full of flavor from the Italian sausage and seasoning. What an aroma!

While this was all going on Gramma would pour a cup of strong coffee and put lots of cream and sugar in it for me and then give me cut up fresh Italian bread with butter to dunk in my coffee. She would always smile at me and kiss me every chance she got. Then it was back to the green peppers because they were done and so delicious. She would cut the sausage up in approximately five inch links and put them on a very large baking sheet. She would then cover them with the green peppers stewed tomatoes, oregano, basil, black pepper, a little salt and then top it Imported Romano Cheese and bake them. The Italian bread was also in the oven getting reheated.

This would fill the whole table and the whole store would take turns having lunch all sitting on apple crates except my Grampa, he got a chair. This also was nothing special as it happened everyday. Gramma would cook what ever wasn't moving to quickly from the store. Then Gramma would let everyone working in the store that lunch was ready I got to sit with everyone because I was so little and didn't have to work. I especially liked it when my Aunts came in because they were always hugging and kissing me. But, once again I can't ever remember anyone cleaning up all the different frying pans, pots and trays she used but it must be in the back of my mind which is probably why, as an adult, my wife and I choose non stick cookware. Once again I came back to the present feeling warm inside because I was a lucky little boy for all these experiences, the delicious food and all the love.

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