AT MY MOTHERS KNEE - Cooking, crying and rejoicing with my Mom

I sat at my mother's knee to learn to cook, to take a bunch of vegetables, chunks of meat on a cutting board and turn it into a delicious meal for her six children.  A red pepper would be sliced and diced until it fell into the pot in tiny pieces or cut into long strips that would curl when they hit the sizzling oil.  I sat at my mother's knee to watch her chop onions into 1/2" squares or sometimes into mush.  And yes I sat at my mother's knee and I learned to cook.  I learned to cook Stews, Gumbos and delicious Soups, but I also learned to read the recipe that was my mother.  If the onions were chopped to mush she was suffering, sad, angry, unhappy and as she chopped, the tears would fall.  I would say to myself "the onions are making Mommy cry".  But no, it wasn't the onions her tears were real, tears from a women whose spirit was broken, whose self esteem was crushed and whose self worth was all but depleted. Now on a good day the onions went into the pot in perfect 1/2" squares, the carrots were perfect rounds and the peppers, those glorious red beauties would swim through the stew like Lilly's on a pond.  Yes, my mother vented her feelings through her cooking and I sat at her knee not only to learn the basics of cooking, but to learn the trials and tribulations of a woman raising 6 children with a husband who could, on any given day, make her feel like a queen, put a smile on her face, allow her to sing while she cooked, spin around the kitchen  with the broom, but on another make her turn her onions into mush!


Elaine's Pasta Fajioli

2 large yellow onions diced
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 stick celery
2  cans canellini (white kidney beans)
2 cups ditalini (macaroni
2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
2 lbs Sausage Meat (sweet or hot)
32 oz chicken broth (have 2 additional cups on hand to thin out as needed)

In large soup pot, over low heat, put in 4 tbsp. Olive Oil  add Diced onions  and saute  until soft
Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes (garlic should be light brown)
Add  thyme, celery. salt and cayenne pepper.
remove all of the above from pot and add Sausage
Brown Sausage in pot an add vegetables when sausage is brown
Add Beans and stir well
Add tomato paste making sure paste is thoroughly mixed in
Let simmer for 10 minutes and add chicken broth - bring to a boil
Add macaroni, (not cooked) reduce heat and cook for an hour.
Stir often (do not let macaroni stick to bottom of  pot) and add additional chicken broth if need. 
TASTE AND ADD SALT AND PEPPER IF NECESSARY
 Soup should have a thick consistency
SERVE WITH BAGUETTE AND PARMESAN CHEESE