A Culinary Tour of the Willey Family (in one day)

It occurred to me today (while sitting in a mandatory "new hire" training class) that yesterday was an autobiographical day for food in my mom's family. With my parents visiting, we had three meals that are completely dependent on where Willeys lived. [Willey is my mom's maiden name and my middle name....Willey women are occasionally impatient but damn can they cook!]

Breakfast: sourdough pancakes; origin: Newfoundland/Nova Scotia
While chronologically northeastern Canada comes last in our family history, breakfast comes first in a day, so we'll start with sourdough pancakes. While living in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, my aunt and uncle sent some sourdough starter as a Christmas present for my brother (before I was born). The starter has been split numerous times, and I make pancakes (and only pancakes for some reason) with it regularly. Traditionally, blueberries are used, but yesterday we had blackberries and raspberries (Indiana-grown from last summer). Sourdough pancakes differ from traditional pancakes in at least three ways (other than their clear superiority): 1) they are sour (obviously), 2) they are thinner and denser than regular pancakes, and 3) you never ever eat them with imitation maple syrup. These were the only pancakes we ate at home and I had no idea they weren't "normal" pancakes until I spent the night at friends houses. Nova Scotia in particular is very important to our family---check out our blog entry from last summer for a glimpse of why.

Lunch: taylors ham; origin: New Jersey
Both my parents grew up in the Boss's home state (my mom moved at age 12, more on that below), and for the Willeys at least, Taylor ham was a staple. What the heck is it? I am not really sure. Here's what wikipedia has to say. All you really need to know is that it is made of pork and is delicious. While not required, it is recommended that you eat it with mustard. Taylor Ham is not local and fresh (sorry, Jamie Oliver)...it is processed meat, but it reminds me of summer and my grandparents and the beach, and every bite is just full of happiness. (Indiana folks, it is available at the Fresh Market---or our house---if you ever want to try it).

Dinner: tortellini en brodo; origin: Italy
To put it simply, tortellini en brodo is an Italian beef soup with tortellini. But that doesn't begin to cover it. What can I say about tortellini en brodo? I think it's been my favorite food since I first tasted it. After making the soup, you cook the tortellini in the broth, so the pasta and soup flavors meld together in the perfect blend. I generally only have it once a year (around Christmas), but our farmer's market was selling local oxtails, so my mom and I had to buy them! My mom's family learned to make it while living in Italy in the 1960s (my grandfather worked for Esso and was sent there for 4 years). Those four years in Italy gave my family so much, not the least of which, were recipes.