Family Meal Plan: Senior Locavore Badge: Kale Ravioli + Lemon-Vanilla Italian Sodas + Apple Crostata

Amazing Kale Ravioli with Wonderful White Bean Alfredo Sauce

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• blend :

  to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• knife skills :

  Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls). 

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• mix :

  to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.

• scoop :

  to pick up an amount of food with a utensil to move it to a dish, pan, or container; utensils that can be used to scoop are spoons, dishers (small scoops used for cookie dough or melon balls), ice cream scoops, or large transfer scoops for bulk foods.

• zest :

  to scrape off the outer colored part of a citrus fruit's rind (skin or peel) using a metal tool with small sharp blades, such as a zester, microplane, or the small holes of a grater (avoid the "pith," the white, spongy lining of the rind that can be bitter).

History of Ravioli and Fettuccine Alfredo!

Ravioli!

• We know ravioli are at least as old as the 14th century because they were mentioned in a Venetian cookbook and personal letters by an Italian merchant from that time. Ravioli and other small filled pastas may have come to Italy from China, Mongolia, or Persia.  
• The origin of the word "ravioli" is uncertain; however, some people think it comes from the Italian word "riavvolgere," which is "rewrap" in English. 
• Ravioli are small pasta envelopes or parcels filled with cheese, ground meat, or vegetables. Most people say that true ravioli contain no meat, and there is some truth to this assertion because ravioli are a testament to the frugal resourcefulness of the Ligurian people of Italy, who could combine wild greens plucked from the mountainsides with the simplest of cheeses and pasta, to make an extraordinarily rich and tasty dish.
• Stuffed pasta goes a long way back, and almost every region in Italy has its own varieties with characteristic forms and fillings. A century ago, stuffed pasta with vegetable-based fillings was eaten on Fridays during Lent by those well-off and eaten year-round by those too poor to buy meat. On the other hand, the meat-filled varieties were a day-after treat made with the leftover meats from Sunday dinners or festive meals. Times have changed, and now most Italians buy their stuffed pasta ready-made.

Fettuccine Alfredo!

• A recipe for fettuccine pasta served with "butter, good cheese, and sweet spices" was in the cookbook of a 15th-century Italian chef, Martino da Como. 
• Fettuccine Alfredo was created in the early 1900s by Alfredo Di Lelio when he added triple the amount of butter ("burro" in Italian) and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to fettuccine to tempt his wife to eat after giving birth to their son. The dish was initially called "fettuccine al triplo burro," but eventually became known as "fettuccine all'Alfredo." It was prepared tableside and served as the "primo" or first course in his restaurant in Rome.
• When the dish came to the United States, the recipe eventually changed to include heavy cream. It is often served in Italian restaurants in the US as the main entrée, with the addition of cooked chicken and broccoli. 
• Jarred Alfredo sauce is available to purchase in stores. Prepared versions of the dish and sauce may add eggs and food starch as thickeners. 
• Our Sticky Fingers Cooking's Amazing Kale Ravioli with Wonderful White Bean Alfredo Sauce includes white beans and milk in the sauce to thicken it and add extra protein!

Let's Learn About Italy!

• Italy became a unified country in 1861, only 150 years ago. It is sometimes called "bel paese" or "beautiful country."  
• Italians invented the piano and the thermometer! 
• In ancient Roman mythology, two twin brothers named Romulus and Remus founded Rome, Italy's capital city. The myth says the twins were abandoned and then discovered by a she-wolf before being found and raised by a shepherd and his wife. Eventually (and after many exciting adventures), they found themselves at the location of Palatine Hill, where Romulus built "Roma." The Italian wolf became Italy's unofficial national animal. 
• In the 1930s and 40s, Mussolini, Italy's prime minister, and dictator tried to eliminate all foreign words from the Italian language. How did he do that? He just changed them! For example, in soccer, "goal" became "meta." Disney character names changed, too: Donald Duck became "Paperino;" Mickey Mouse became "Topolino;" and Goofy became "Pippo." Although they're not banned anymore, these words and names have stuck. So now if you go to the Italian Disneyland, called Gardaland Park, you will see Topolino and Pippo! 
• About 60 million people call Italy home, and it is 116,350 square miles, slightly larger than the US state of Arizona. If you compare that to the United Kingdom, 67 million people live there, and it is about 94,350 square miles. So, the UK is smaller than Italy but has a bigger population! 
• The Italian flag is green, white, and red. These colors represent hope, faith, and charity.
• The average Italian eats close to 55 pounds of pasta annually. If you think about how light pasta is, that is a considerable amount! There are more than 500 different types of pasta eaten in Italy today. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Italy?

• Kids begin school at 6 years old. They grow up speaking Italian, but they learn English in school, so many become bilingual in Italian and English.
• The most popular sport for kids is football (soccer). The Italian word for soccer is "calcio," the same word they use for "kick." A favorite of younger kids is "Rody, the bouncing horse," a plastic horse that a small child can hop onto and bounce around the room. Rody was invented in Italy in 1984.  
• The family ("la famiglia") is a central characteristic of Italian life. Children have great respect for their older relatives. It is traditional to name the first male child after the grandfather and the first female child after the grandmother.
• If kids live close to school, they can go home and have lunch with their families! Lunch at school might be pasta, meat with vegetables, a sandwich, or a salad with lots of ingredients. Families typically eat dinner later (7 to 8 pm), so kids end up staying up later, too!
• Between lunch and dinner, kids often enjoy "merenda," which is an afternoon snack that translates to "something that is deserved." It is really a mini-meal that can include both savory and sweet foods. Examples of savory foods are a salami or mortadella sandwich, a slice of rustic bread rubbed with a cut, raw tomato, or "pizza bianca" (white pizza without tomato sauce). Types of sweet foods eaten during merenda are "gelato" (a lower-fat type of ice cream), any kind of cake, or biscotti dipped in warm milk.