Itaila's Best

I. 
"Hold the tomato over the flame, 
by piercing it with a fork 
the skin will blister and peal right off." 
Mortadella musk permeates Hector Boiardi’s basement, 
bolognese sauce over ragù with a slight tin taste. 
Pancetta, coppa, salame, sliced, diced and rolled 
by hands of the master chef of hotels, presidents, 
and the common man. 

II. 
“One should always stir with the spoon's 
rounded side down, rather than sideways.” 
His own restaurant, Giardino d'Italia 
in Cleveland's Little Italy, 
where his spaghetti sauce became so popular 
he started selling it in milk bottles. 
Birth is given to a factory. 

III. 
"If the spoon is large and held vertically, 
vigorous stirring might slop 
some liquid over the rim and out of the pot." 
Spaghetti cans have rust to dust in the fields 
of Europe and on beaches of Pacific islands. 
An Army marches on its stomach 
and a Navy floats on pasta sauce. 
Chef Boy-Ar-Dee won the war. 

VI. 
"If the spoon is held horizontally 
with the curve down, it will sail smoothly 
through the liquid, creating a sort of whirlpool 
that accomplishes efficient mixing." 
Red smiles on toddlers' runs down their bibs 
their mothers feed them with trust, while 
Chef Boiardi smiles from the label of Spaghetti-O’s.

Copyright © Mike Samford | Year Posted 2008

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