No meal would be complete without a little vino
Most of my family is not all that religious, but honestly any excuse for us to get together and eat a meal is a good one. Just for clarity, I’m talking about the Italian side of my family, for any of you who didn’t know that Palm Sunday is NOT a Jewish holiday (although Passover is coming soon). While most Catholic families get together for Easter, which we will too, it seems like Palm Sunday has always been a bigger gathering for us.
I remember as a kid going to the church on the corner with my grandpa, and while mass really never interested me very much (you’d be hard pressed to find a kid who it does interest) I always looked forward to collecting as many palms as my little hands could carry so we could bring them back to make palm crosses. I was all over anything that had to do with crafts, and I still am. That was always the highlight of my lent, but this time around I think it would have to be the two gooey lasagnas and huge tray of meatballs.
For us, lasagna is a staple for any get together, mostly because it’s relatively easy to make and serve to a big crowd. You can find my recipe for Four Cheese Lasagna with Spinach and Porcini Here, but for this post I wanted to share a few images that I think sum up our Palm Sunday, and the way food brings us together in our family.
My aunt Camille weaves a palm cross – she had to remind me how it was done
My dad’s home baked bread (one week old and still incredible) brushed with olive oil and toasted in the grill pan
My Uncle Larry’s homemade “jambot”- what we call it in our slang Italian – stewed tomato, eggplant, peppers and onions to use as a spread on bread, or just eat with a fork
The crispy edges of the lasagna are my favorite part, and as the chef of the meal I had dibs in that extra crispy piece in the corner right there
In case this picture didn’t sum is up for you, the lasagna was perfectly cheesy and gooey
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