Italian

When I think of Sunday afternoon. When I think of Italy. And I combine those two, then I think of arancini da Ischia. Recently we also had delicious arancini at our Italian friend’s Gian in Antwerp. And he gave me his recipe. And I put some à la myself in the recipe, and this is what came out. It’s really good. A very independent type of side dish with rice.

Whether you like beets or not, this looks incredibly good, right? And it is. Red wine, red onions, beets… And some garlic and dill. So incredibly delicious. So fresh. So earthy. And so tasteful.

The excuse to just hang out in the kitchen for a few hours. Usually on Sunday afternoons, by the way. Making tomato sauce for later this year. Slow cooking to the max. Sterilizing bottles. The promise that that delicious sauce will be in the pantry waiting for you. For that day where you do not know what to prepare. Or exactly know what you want to make. And you decide that this is the perfect occasion to open up this bottle or jar. Yes, that sounds like the perfect day.
It’s according to the recipe from the kitchen of our Italian friend Giancarlo from Napoli. It doesn’t get any more authentic. Nor classic. Typical à la Damaris.

This is one of those pasta sauces that takes me back to when all the kids were still living at home. To a day where you looked in the fridge and thought … what kind of pasta sauce will I make today… there are some onions, garlic, a bunch of celery, tomatoes… let’s put it together let it all simmer wonderfully. Stir occasionally. Look out at the birds flying by. Stir again. Answer a question from one of the kids. Stir again. Let’s take make that phone call. And stir again. And then we can yell, guys, diner is ready. And the happy faces when they see what’s being served. Such a sauce is this…