Growing Up Italian & Grandma's Kitchen...

As many of us have the same stories and can relate to growing up Italian, this is one about my Grandma's kitchen...

My Grandma Carmella had the best knowledge of making meals from leftovers. She had 5 children and 12 grandchildren and we all lived in 3 houses next to each other. I remember running home from school to go see grandma and there was always something cooking on the stove. She would make fried dough and sprinkle sugar on top and say "comma, I mayda you ciambella". My favorite thing of all time and my most fond memories was something she called "Giamborta". It was usually made the day after a Sunday family dinner when there were lots of leftovers like sausages, gravy (tomato sauce) fried peppers and onions and such. I actually think she was saying Giambotta, which means stew in Italian, but she would make an egg scramble out of it. 

Here is Grandma Carmella's Giamborta, more like an egg scramble than an Omelet recipe:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• about 3 cooked italian sausage sliced up really thin
• 1/2 cup chopped green long italian peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup dice pulp from fresh tomato (or canned diced)
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup leftover tomato sauce or meat sauce
• 4 beaten jumbo eggs
• crushed red pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese

Add olive oil to a 10 inch skillet on medium heat. Add the peppers and onions and saute until crispy. Add the sausage and cook for a few minutes. Add the diced tomato and cook for a minute or so. At this point you can add the basil salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl - beat the eggs and loosely stir in the tomato sauce. Add this mixture to the skillet and move the eggs around with a spatula to scramble and incorporate the rest of the ingredients until cooked and firm.

Plate and sprinkle with crushed red pepper and parmesan cheese!

Note: She would sometimes add these:

1/2 cooked diced potato or 1/2 cup cooked zucchini