5 Ingredients, 2 Families, and 1 Future

There are few things in life which can bring together whole families. There are also few things which bring back a flood of memories. At least, not like food.

There is this one dish in particular that would bring together all kinds of thoughts and feeling and emotions to me. This was never more true than when I left home and moved to college.

In the span of 7 years after I left home in 2011 at the age of 18 one set of my grandparents moved out of their house they had raised their kids in, my mom included. My maternal grandfather died. My parents moved out of my childhood home (well, the majority of my childhood). My parents built a house. My paternal grandfather died. My daughter was born.

It's a lot.

Yet, strangely enough, there is one thing which brings all of these stories together in an unexpected way.

Rigatoni. Or Macaroni & Tomatoes. What it is called is still hotly debated in my family.

It's this amazing soup and pasta dish that is ridiculously simple yet brings together so many thoughts and emotions and memories.

Step 1

The first step you need is a big pot to cook everything in. You don't want a lid, though. You'll want to cook this slowly or else it might scorch.

Step 1 Unpacked

This recipe is super simple and, if pushed to its limit, can be made quickly. It's not the same, though, if rushed.

Much of my family lives at a different pace of life. This is more true when it comes to the kitchen and the dining room. Cooking and eating is a family affair, even if you aren't doing any eating or cooking.

I remember this meal being made in my paternal grandma's cramped, tiny kitchen with 3 or 4 people squeezed in at a small, round table - all of us talking and laughing and telling stories. I can remember this same recipe being made at my home while my mom or dad stirred the pot and I would lean against the counter talking about something or listening to one of their stories.

It's a slow process to do it well, but the journey made the wait worthwhile.

Step 2

You are gonna need to grab some bacon grease out of the fridge (bonus points if it is kept in a mason jar)! Get a big heaping spoonful of that nasty-but-delicious bacon grease and plop it right into your pot, turning the burner on medium heat.

Step 2 Unpacked

My family had bacon from time to time but nothing crazy. What was most important, though, was saving every last dripping of the grease into this mason jar. I'm sure the contents of this mason jar have bacon grease dating back decades. It seemed like it was never completely empty and was always being filled.

All of my family collected bacon grease like this. I'm not entirely sure why. It may have just been a necessity of some of them growing up poorer and in Kentucky, so the tradition stuck and lasted through the generations.

Seeing the bacon grease jar always makes me think fondly of both sides of my family and all of their lovely quirks.

Step 3

Grab some home-canned and homemade and homegrown tomato juice and dump two mason jars of it into the pot. Fill the empty mason jars with water and pour that in, too.

Step 3 Unpacked

The tomato juice might be the most important piece to this entire meal.

Both of my grandparents and my immediate family all had gardens (off and on, at least) to varying degrees. Tomatoes were always a part of those gardens.

I can still remember my maternal grandpa bringing up from the basement this huge contraption specifically designed for making tomato juice. We would crush and squeeze tomatoes down this machine, slowly cranking it by hand, pulling it apart to remove the skins getting left behind and putting them through again to squeeze out every last drop of delicious juice.

I remember seeing the big pressure cooker on the stove at my paternal grandma's with the cans of tomato juice inside, listening for the sudden POP which meant a can had just sealed.

Even more than all of these I remember being so excited to reach in and grab a mason jar of juice out of the pantry and break the seal, hearing that same POP, and smelling the fresh tomato juice all over again. Sweet and tangy. Mmmmm.

The tomato juice step reminds me of all of my grandparents and my parents, all the great times and stories shared and the memories made bringing it all together.

Step 4

Stir it all up and let it heat up, continue stirring from time to time.

Step 4 Unpacked

You have to monitor the temperature closely when cooking with tomato juice. If it gets too hot it will start to form a skin on top and scorch on the bottom of the pot. You could leave the pot alone for short bursts but always had to make sure and check back in.

When this meal was being prepared you couldn't stay away for too long. It naturally built community around it because it became the "watering hole" for that period of time. As I mentioned before, everyone congregated around the kitchen and dining room in expectation, sharing in the beauty of a shared meal soon to come!

Step 5

Once the mixture is coming to a boil, dump in a box of penne noodles. If you are desperate feel free to use rigatoni noodles or any other cylindrical noodles you may have on hand.

Step 5 Unpacked

The meal is called Rigatoni (to my family) but it does not use rigatoni noodles.

I know, it's a bizarre twist of fate.

This recipe originated with my paternal side of the family and was simply called "Macaroni & Tomatoes." When it made the jump to being called Rigatoni, I do not know.

I do know the name "Macaroni & Tomatoes" caused some confusion for my parents when they were newlyweds as my mom wanted to make a special meal for my dad one day and made macaroni noodles with tomatoes in it.

Needless to say, the name didn't help my mom in figuring out what the heck this dish was.

Now, why is it made with penne noodles?

Again, I don't know. All I know is Rigatoni tastes best when made with penne noodles. Sorry, but not sorry.

The debate of what types of noodles are acceptable have gone 'round and 'round with my family and it always comes back to penne noodles. Rigatoni noodles are an acceptable substitution and, for myself, I have found one other noodle I enjoy for this recipe: red lentil rotini noodles. (don't tell my family, though)

Step 6

Stir from time to time and check the noodles for tenderness whenever you feel you need or want to. If you want to salt, pepper, or otherwise season to taste feel free to do so.

Step 6 Unpacked

This one is funny to me because of the number of times I would try the noodles prematurely and they were barely softened at all. However, it brings back more special memories because of the seasonings that go into it based on who is cooking.

For me, I couldn't care less about the seasonings. I just love the dish.

My mom would always be so concerned about the saltiness. No matter how much salt she would put in at this step she would inevitably complain about how she didn't put enough salt in by the end. My paternal grandma would always heavily salt it. My dad didn't seem to care one way or another and did his thing.

It's a simple little step which brings back so many brief memories and a smile to my face.

When I make it now I like to add some pepper to the soup, as well as a bit of paprika.

Step 7

Ladle some noodles and juice into a bowl and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

Step 7 Unpacked

The cheese!

The cheese is near and dear to my heart.

You have to put the cheese on right away and stir it in. The cheese begins to melt instantly and gets all globby and goopy and I absolutely love everything about it.

Pretty much everyone in my family loved cheese growing up. If we know Rigatoni was going to be made, then we made sure to stock up on cheddar cheese.

Since moving out I have experimented with different types of cheeses. Mexican style is the only substitute worthwhile, and even then it is still disappointing. Sharp cheddar is the best but a mild cheddar is good, too.

It was the sprinkling of the cheese which became a super fun part of getting ready for the meal. There was something about the mad dash to dump as much or as little cheese as you wanted into the bowl and comparing everyone's bowl once it was completed that made it just that much more of an enjoyable experience.

Step 8

Enjoy!

Step 8 Unpacked

I don't think I need to go into more detail on this one. After having gone through this true experience of a recipe to get the meal to the table being able to enjoy it together was genuinely pleasant. There was something about how satisfying the meal was from start to finish that made it magical.

That's all there is to it. It's such an easy recipe and the ingredients are so simple. It takes a little bit of time to get it just right but it is so worth it.

Unless you just don't like it.

Rigatoni Now

My daughter, as of this writing, is almost 2 and a half years old. My wife doesn't like anything tomato-based, but when Mommy is away and I have all the ingredients together my daughter and I love to slam on some Rigatoni.

At her age I try to replicate the experience. I show her the container of juice (store bought now, so not exactly the same but I get to share those memories with her). I put on a movie or show we can enjoy while it simmers and cooks, making sure to check in every so often and make sure it hasn't scorched. Ladling it out in her bowl and letting her put her cheese on (and then putting it in the fridge to cool, of course). And enjoying it together and having a blast eating it together.

This meal makes me think of so many memories from both sides of my family and now I get to share that experience with my daughter. This one food brings together both sides of my family, in my mind, and helps me bring it forward to the current generation.

I can't wait to some day show her how to make it on her own and share every memory with her.