TODARI

Maria, Paola's Daughter, and Paola

Maria, one of the women who works at the bakery I go to recently bought a computer. Before she bought it, she asked me if I would help her learn how to use it. Of course I would. I have gone over to her house many times, helped her get started with e mail, skype, facebook, word processing, etc etc. She is a fast learner, and right now I think the only thing that might be holding her back would be her typing speed.

Anyway, after going through some stuff on the computer with her, she would fix dinner, and her husband Mimo would come home from work, and we would sit down with their two children Alberto and Claudia. The two kids are cute, and Claudia uses her status as being younger along with her being female to try to get Alberto in trouble. He is catching on to her game, which sometimes infuriates Claudia.

Anyway, I went over there once and Maria said we were going to have a special meal of Todari.
Paula, her sister who lives next door, and also works at the bakery, along with her husband Fillipo who is the chief baker, were also going to join us for dinner. Then their parents showed up as well, so suddenly I was in the middle of a family feast. What great times they are!!

Calogero, Filippo, e Mimo

Anyway, we started off with shrimp cocktail (sicilian style, with russian dressing intstead of hot red cocktail sauce). Yum And then there was ensalata de pulpo - cotopus salad. While the octopus is boiled, it tastes more like a ceviche, because lemon juice is used to dress it. Sweet and not too chewey.

Then todari. It was sort of funny, because Filippo's last name is Todaro, which would be the singular of todari. However, he looks nothing like a squid.

We finished up with a baked fish dish, which I did not eat very much of due to my over riding fear of fish with spines. I just can not stand them.

I am, of course, saving the best for last. And that is the picture of the todari in a wonderful pizziola sauce. Brava Maria, complimenti e grazie.