How easy is this? Buy some homemade roasted vegetable ravioli, boil some water and open a can of tomatoes. Voila, you have dinner! I speak the truth. If you live in Calgary, The Italian Store is THE place you must go to, for there is where your dinner awaits you. With a freezer full of many types of homemade stuffed pastas, you can select the shape and filling that speaks to you: Veal tortellini, cheese ravioli, roasted vegetable ravioli, to name a few. I am currently working my way through a 5-pound bag of roasted vegetable ravioli and am loving every moment of it. The usual treatment is a quick boil, drain and then toss with some great canned tomatoes, preferably San Marzanos, also available at The Italian Store. Buy some hard, aged pecorino romano cheese at the same store and sprinkle a generous grating over your cooked, drained, sauced ravioli.
The shelves of The Italian Store are lined with imported Italian pastas in almost every imaginable configuration, including ones you will not see elsewhere. You may recognize brands such as Barilla and De Cecco as well as La Molisana. Prices are great, so I stock up on everything that looks interesting. Sometimes I splurge on an artisinal brand of beautifully shaped noodles, as even at $3.89 a bag, plus a can of San Marzano tomatoes at under $4.00 each, I am still feeding 4 people for less than $8.00! How else can you do that and know you are giving them the best products on earth? This is not a rhetorical question. I would really like to know if you have an answer.
Taralli, fresh pizza dough, lonza, hot pickled peppers, pear nectar, biscotti, Sicilian olives, Rega canned tomatoes, dried Greek figs, prosciutto salami, Savello cheese, fragrant basil, mascarpone, cannoli shells, lupini beans . . . . . . . the makings of a feast await you at The Italian Store. For me, a visit is like a pilgrimage to a holy sight, the temple of Italian food. Take time for a sandwich and a bowl of hot homemade soup at the lunch counter. And then go home with a carload of goodies to share with friends and family.
Celebrate your inner Italian:
