My introduction to Italian food was very rudimentary and sporadic. Growing up in the American South in the late 1960s and early 70s, there weren’t an abundance of Italian eateries. Most importantly, my grandmother — who raised me from infancy — always looked at anything other than the dishes she grew up with as suspicious.
So I started with spaghetti at Shoney’s, and the occasional frozen pizza. But somewhere in my high school years, I discovered lasagna, and I was truly hooked.
Lasagna is a delicious, hearty dish, with layers of flat noodles, meat sauce, and ricotta and other cheeses.
