Italian Shopping List

When I moved the the USA going to the supermarket had become a nightmare...aisles and aisles of cereal, frozen goods, chips, cookies...I remember searching frantically for anything that would look familiar to me and that would allow me to make the dishes I had grown up with, but after few years of denial I had to face the truth. Cooking Italian style, especially in smaller towns, is no peace of cake and when the chance comes to buy something authentic, your groceries might get quite pricey. But if you look around carefully (and believe you me, I did for 6 years), the "Italian solution" is around the corner.
Let's see what are the must-haves to make an Italian dish as close as possible to the real thing:

 

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil :definitely more expensive than regular olive oil, but tastier and healthier. It's cheaper at Cotsco and Sam's Club, but you can also find it at Walmart, Target and Smith's. The bigger the bottle, the cheaper the price. 
• Tomato Sauce: pretty sure Italians couldn't live without it. Don't bother trying pre-made Italian tomato sauces...chances are they were made in Texas and they are terribly spicy. Tomato paste with pasta? Never! Go for canned tomato sauce, with no salt, no sugar, no spices added. You'll add what you need to the sauce to personalize your dish. Smith's and Albertsons carried my favorite! I'll post my recipe for tomato sauce soon.
• Parmigiano Cheese : also know as Parmesan. The real Parmigiano comes in slivers and it's recognizable by the traditional marking with the inscription in full "Parmigiano Reggiano" impressed along the side of the whole cheese and visible on small pieces too. Again, very pricey and difficult to find but I remember buying it at Target, Sam's Club and Cotsco . If you can't find the real thing, avoid cheese mixes for Italian recipes...whatever they contain doesn't taste Italian! Go for grated Parmesan mix without spices in it. 

• Mozzarella Cheese : real mozzarella cheese is soft and watery...nothing like mozzarella sticks, but for most recipes shredded mozzarella works. Sam's club and Cotsco have real mozzarella and sometimes Romano cheese.
• Basil ,Origano, Parsley: While origano is often used to prepare Italian specialties, Basil and Parsley are only used for the preparation of few dishes. Dry Basil and dry Parsley don't taste very good...when it's possible, use fresh herbs (Target).

As for other common ingredients...for Italians the general motto is "fresh is better". Frozen chopped onions and garlic powder might be convenient and might not smell as bed as the fresh version, but the taste you obtain with fresh vegetables and  herbs  it's worth the effort to peel and chop them : )
Yes, we have frozen goods and yes, we have microwaves (the Roman Empire existed loooooooong time ago ; ) ), but for most Italians slow cooked food is the key for a healthy, tasty meal.
Cooking time is also very important for your pasta dishes. Choose Barilla when it comes to choosing your favorite pasta and follow meticulously the recommended time to cook it. Not overcooked, not too firm...we like it "al dente" : )

I'll be anxiously waiting for your comments and questions about the recipes !

Stefania