Main Course

The main course of the meal is the one that becomes the heirloom recipe ready to be passed down in the family. We wait for them, and they arrive in kettles and large serving bowls, in steaming trays straight from the oven. They are the the source of sinew, strength and energy.

These dinners may be simple day-to-day meals, holiday extravaganzas, or a special occasion dish, but these are the dishes that we talk about years later. 'Remember how Mom cooked ...' ‘boy that was the best.' When we think of these dinners, we remember the slant of light across the dinner table, the apron that Mom wore, the bowl the pasta was served in, the feeling of warmth as we joined to eat. From fish to meat, to pastas, beans and grains, these are the dishes that build sturdy bones and happy memories.