It's that time!

Oh my God, garlic and olive oil...I neeeeeeed you

Growing up in a bi-faith household had its challenges...but we all followed one common religion: FOOD

Sauce is a way for me to celebrate my late grandparents. Today was my grandfather's birthday, and his favorite dish was my grandmother's sauce. Miss you, Nana and Poppi!

Time to add the wine to both the sauce and the chef!

Of course! How else do I know it's good? https://twitter.com/piccibiker/status/1342188825137741825

Oops, had to perform tomato surgery.

Fun story about my Nana: one day we were all sitting around kind of strapped for conversation. My BIL started talking about what soda he liked.

Okay, sure bro, we can run with that.

So we all start chiming in, making sure to avoid alcoholic drinks.

It's Nana's turn, and she says "you know what I like? BRANDY."

She continues: "my doctor said to pour myself a small glass in the evening, for my health."

Okay Nana. You're 90 years old. You don't have to justify it to us!

But she continues!!! "And I used to do exactly that. But then, I thought: I'm the only one drinking the brandy! It's a waste of a glass...

... So I started drinking directly from the bottle! No cleanup needed."

And I have this great image in my head of her in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, pouring brandy down her throat straight from the bottle.

I'm like, hell yeah, Nana! You do that!

One of my favorite memories of my awesome grandmother. She was a gem.

Now my grandfather was a quiet man. Not serious, mind you, but a man of few words.

His birthday though? We always tried to make it special since he often got cheated of it growing up (something like 11 brothers, no sisters, you get the picture).

We would get him a cassata cake, which is a lovely cake, VERY drenched in rum. He rarely drank, so this was a treat for him.

The center of the cake was where it's at. He would argue with my grandmother for that piece -- it was HIS birthday, so he should get the rum-soaked part.

He usually won out. But not after a "fight" which was sweet to watch.

The real tragedy here is that I NEVER got that piece.

I'm still looking for a bakery in Seattle that makes it. If you know one, hmu!

Anyway, the sauce is on its first hour on the stove. It smells fantastic, and I haven't even added the tea. Thinking I may take a different approach to it this time.

Oops, underestimated the tomatoes. Thank goodness @cephalobloop supports my sauce endeavours!

Whew! Just need one more thing and sauce will be set to simmer for ~6 hours.

I can just hear the questions: why not use a slow cooker or instapot?

Well, sauce is only partly about the food.

It's mostly about the creativity, reliving memories, tradition, and toasting those who are no longer with us.

It's a tribute.

The ritual of getting up every ten minutes to stir is a privilege -- who has that much time?!

It marks a day that can be spent leisurely. Where you can afford to not hustle and not maximize efficiency.

The mindset is as much a part of making sauce as the herbs that go into it.

Did you think the sauce thread was over?!

Acidity has gone down. Wine, spices, onion, garlic, secret ingredient have all melded together.

It takes about *mumble* hours for this to work, IMO.

Sorry, don't have exact timings; there was wine.

*chef's kiss*

FIN