It’s back to school season (already!) and it’s important to note in this busy season that going back to school is a big shift for kids and parents. After adjusting to summer fun and travel, adjusting back to a rigid school and after-school activity schedule can make even the most prepared among us a bit stressed. Make sure to take the time to celebrate and relax with your family during this time. At Pinocchio’s, we know that nothing makes a whole family smile like authentic Italian cuisine to bring them all together.

A regular, weekly night set aside for a family dinner can help add some regular comfort to the back to school season. Between homework, after-school activities, and sports it’s all too easy to lose track of each other. Catch up over our delicious eggplant parmesan and the best breadsticks in Brighton, Colorado.  By the time you finish up with one of our signature desserts the worries of your working and studying lives will seem much further away. Plus, you can take the stress out of your family dinner when you let Pinocchio’s clear the dishes!

Struggling to talk about something other than school and work? For a change in topic of dinner conversation, here are a few things your family might not know about Italian cuisine:

1. Olive Oil: Every liter of olive oil is refined from at least seven liters of olives. It is such a nutritious and valuable commodity that it fueled the economy of the Roman Empire for hundreds of years. It’s good for heart and digestive health and can improve such cognitive functions like memory.

2. Lasagna: The origins of lasagna are much debated, but the dish probably first appeared in ancient Greece and is based on a word that translates to “pot” or “dish.” While filled layers of unleavened bread became instantly popular in the ancient world, lasagna as we know it today didn’t achieve its current form until the tomato was introduced to Italy in the late 1400’s.

3. Tiramisu: This familiar coffee-flavored dessert made from lady fingers (a type of sweet biscuit), egg yolks, and mascarpone cheese, is not all that old. It first appeared in cookbooks in the 1960s but legend notes that it was invented by a Grand Duke in the 17th century.

Dining together is a great way to catch up on family news and relax after a stressful week at work and school. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to our table. Call today for reservation.

* Worried about heavy Italian food for your kids at the start of the new school season? Kids (and parents) love spaghetti, lasagna, and ravioli, but traditional pasta dishes are often full of gluten. Pinocchio’s re-imagining of these traditional recipes make no compromises on flavor and offer a healthy alternative your family will love. With kids going back to school it’s important to give them every opportunity to shine. Health of the body and the mind begins with a nutritious, low gluten diet. We hope you’ll let us help ensure that your young scholars are getting into the right study and eating habits this Fall.

 

Let’s talk about bread. Considered a staple item in many pantries around the world, bread can tell you a lot about a person. For example, if they are eating an unleavened bread called Matzo, they are probably Jewish and it is during a Jewish holiday called Passover. Or perhaps they correct your usage of the term ‘naan’ for flatbread at an Indian restaurant, when you may be eating a similar, but different flatbread called ‘chapati.’

As bread plays an important role in Italian cuisine (like at Pinocchio’s), from the typical Italian breadsticks served with almost every dinner to the elaborate panettone (a sweet bread with candied fruit pieces inside) that is made for special occasions like New Year and Christmas, we love to learn about the variety of bread types from around the world.

Here is just a sampling of bread from around the world, including several types of Italian bread you’ll find at Pinocchio’s:

Chapati (India)

Chapati is a thin, wheat bread that is unleavened and typically used to wrap around and pick up other pieces of your meal (like chicken or veggies). The main difference between chapati and naan bread is that chapati is unleavened while naan is leavened (meaning it includes the use of yeast).

Ciabatta (Italy)

Ciabatta is known as a classic Italian bread. It is an elongated loaf of white or wheat bread that is flattened slightly, has a harder crust, and a porous texture inside. Did you know that the ciabatta was Italy’s response to the popularity of the French baguette for sandwiches?

Crumpet (United Kingdom)

A crumpet is thick, circular, and spongy. Crumpets are different from English muffins, which also are small and circular, but are much more porous and thinner than a crumpet. Both are delicious when sliced, toasted, and slathered in butter (or your choice of jam).

Focaccia (Italy)

Known to many people as similar to pizza dough, focaccia bread is a thick yeasted bread rolled out by hand, salted and seasoned with olive oil and herbs, then baked to produce a lush bread. While focaccia bread can be used when making pizza, it also can be used as sandwich bread or simply a meal addition by itself.

Hushpuppy (United States)

Imagine a delicious and savory cornbread with your dinner. Now imagine it balled up and deep fried! This is a hushpuppy: simply a deep fried corn dough ball. Hushpuppies are popular in southern US states and actually originated with Native American cuisine in the area.

Melonpan (Japan)

Melonpan, also known as melon buns, are sweet buns of enriched flour dough baked with a thin layer of cookie dough on top that crackles over the surface. Popular across Asia, melonpans haven’t gained much attention around the rest of the world, possibly because they are harder to make and can be quite dry in the center than other sweet breads.

Pane Carasau (Italy)

Technically from Sardinia, pane carasau is an incredibly thin, crispy flatbread traditionally baked twice and used by shepherds on long trips away from home.

 

If you’re not Italian or a foodie, you may be wondering “first off, what is spumoni? Is it some kind of meat?”

Quite the opposite! Spumoni is layered ice cream, typically with a bit of candied nuts or fruit at the bottom or in between the ice cream layers.

The truth about spumoni is that it’s the hidden gem of Italian immigrants in the United States. Spumoni isn’t nearly as popular in Italy anymore, yet it’s found a new home in Italian restaurants across the U.S.

In traditional Italian fare, spumoni is made of chocolate, pistachio, and cherry ice cream – a perfect combination for the holiday season or year-round.

Whether you’re already in love with spumoni, or you’ve never tried it before, come into Pinocchio’s Italian Eatery in Brighton, CO, for our signature spumoni dessert!