Mangia Con Elena

  Chicken Broth and Pastina Soup I nstagram  @mangia.con.elen a When I think of the times I was under the weather as a child, I think of the comforting simple soup that my mom would serve me. In Italian it is called pastina. It soothed not only the physical ailments but also emotional. From colds to broken hearts, it just made eveyrthing a little bit better. Not to mention the known health benefits of bone broth, garlic and turmeric ( my version)! There  was always fresh broth in our house. Bags of it in the freezer and containers in the fridge. My mom would make it once a week and it was either chicken, vegetable or beef stock depending on the meat available to her or what her meal plans were for that week.  On cold winter days, I would run home for lunch and the smell of that amazing pastina soup would envelope me as I opened the door.  It was just what I needed on those very cold days!  Sometimes, if we were lucky, she would shred the chicken from the broth and cut up the carrots an

  Italian Tomato Sauce with Meat( Sugo di carne) Instagram  @mangia.con.elena Sunday sauce. There is a hashtag on instagram right now which is #makesundaysitalianagain. When I see that I smile to myself as it brings back childhood memories of Sunday dinners. Sundays were always large family dinners. Mostly a variation of pasta with lots of sides. I would wake up early to the sound of pots and pans banging in the kitchen (my mother was a terrible sleeper and was up early getting started in the kitchen). I would quickly eat my ciambella and drink my cappucino and I would meet my cousins outside to walk to church. I remember running home from church because I couldn't wait to see what our dinner was going to be. I could smell the sauce all the way  up the street! The smell- oh my! This sauce was used on Sunday but also kept in the fridge for meals during the week. It was an important part of so many dishes- lasagna, gnocchi, polenta, risotto, fettucine, polpettone and so much more! Su

My Role Model, My Mamma Hello everybody and thanks for dropping by. Welcome! I am super excited about resurrecting this blog into a spot where I can share some recipes and some stories about growing up Italian as well. It is a crazy time out there and my cooking is getting me through. But not without the support of my friends, my family and this lovely woman. My mamma.   My mamma is a rock. She is a success story and a wonder. She was born in the Lazio region of Italy and shared a small house with 12 other people- 10 siblings and 3 adults. Daily life was a hardship. As it was for most during WW11 and afterwards. She was just a newborn when the war began. They lived and ate off the land. She learned at a very young age how to cook with very few ingredients (this is where "la cucina povera" was born-out of necessity). She tells me the story of how at the age of 7 her mom gave her a few eggs and some flour and told her to not come out of the kitchen until she had made enough pas

Mangia Con Elena Instagram  @mangia.con.elena Hello and welcome to those who stopped on my page as you were scrolling! I've been wanting to do this for awhile (a long while actually) and now that I seem to have way more time on my hands and to try to evade the ground hog feeling that is our life at the moment - I thought now is the right time!  Mostly this blog will be about Italian cooking. I would like to share some old traditional recipes handed down from generations of Italian women who show their love of family through food.  Cooking for me and many Italians is an emotion. So many celebrations and special memories are connected to food.  So where to start? I am a proud first generation Italian Canadian. Born and raised in a small Northern Ontario community with many other Italians certainly shaped and nurtured my love of cooking, eating and family.  Being the only girl in a traditional family, I was the one in the kitchen helping my mom with EVERYTHING. I learned at a young ag