Growing up Italian, our family always sat down to a pasta meal after Sunday mass.  I smile when I think of how my mother would bring the ‘sauce pot’ up from the refrigerator in the basement and warm up or augment the sauce early Sunday morning. My brother and I were never allowed to taste or eat any of the simmering sauce or yummy meatballs prior to church…some apparent rule that we were not allowed to eat for a few hours prior to communion. 

Continue reading Growing up Italian – Sunday Pasta: Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Shiitakes and Ricotta at Our Italian Table.