At my 50th birthday party, I served macaroni (pasta)
with an onion and tomato marinara sauce, fresh basil and fennel, and a bowl of ricotta with lots of pecorino
on the side.  When I was a kid and Mom placed the bowl of ricotta next to the macaroni, it always was a
special treat.  We probably ate pasta at least 2-3 times a week, but the addition of the cold ricotta ALWAYS
made the meal even better.  My mom's brother Vinny came to the party, Uncle Vinny, the social director of
our family.  I was so happy he was there..and when we served the pasta with the ricotta on the side he
turned to me and said, " Son, how did you know this was my favorite way to have macaroni!!??". So, since
that night, everytime I made this dish, I think of Uncle Vin.  He passed away last August and will forever be
remembered by his family.  Uncle Vin and Aunt Angie lived three houses away from me growing up, then
they moved only about 8 minutes by car away..and their house, with my other Aunt and uncle and cousins
next door, and grandparents next to them. became the gathering place for my mom's side of the family.

            
Here's a few pix of my uncle Vinny, top left, with Aunt Angie in their younger years, top right, dancing with some
of his cousins at a family reunion I arranged in 1979, and the bottom was last June at his birthday party.  Always
throwing a party, or a gathering, or a crab dinner with linguini and crab sauce at his house at the Jersey Shore,
or in Staten Island.  He had a great love of life, and of his family...and when he said that to me at my party,
it stuck deep inside my head...it's my favorite way to eat macaroni with sauce...the ricotta on the side..so simple,
not uncommon, but it connected him and I...and thanks Uncle Vin for taking me to Olympic Park in Irvington, NJ
in 1964...i love Amusement Parks, and this was a real good one...gone now...but the memories remain.

For this recipe, you can use your favorite sauce, with or without meat, and serve the ricotta in a bowl with a
good grating of black pepper on top, on the side.  Here's how I did it for this evening's dinner.
I made some little meatballs, and cheese and parsley sausage.  First though, we start the sauce.  In
a large pot, saute 1 diced onion for about 10 minutes on medium in about  3 tbs. of olive oil. Sprinkle some salt
and fennel seeds over this.  Now add two cans of San Marzano tomatoes which you have crushed well with your
hands or in a processor.  Add a handful of basil leaves, some black pepper and let this simmer for about 40
minutes. 


While the sauce is cooking, make some small meatballs...1/2 beef, 1/2 lb. pork, ground of course, 1/4 cup
grated locatelli pecorino romano, 1/8 cup finely chopped parsley, 1 beaten egg, 4 slices of bread,crusts
removed, soaked in a little water, then squeezed dry, lots of black pepper, 2 finely minced garlic cloves., 2
tsps. breadcrumbs...mix well and let sit for 10 minutes.  Then form into small balls, fry them in a skillet in
batches on medium heat on all sides, should take about 7-10 minutes.  Remove them to a bowl and
cover.  Saute' a few links of a good Italian Sausage, or, I used cheese and parsley sausage, freshly made
and saute' about  8 minutes per side.  While you're on the second side of the sausage, toss in a smashed
clove of garlic...adds some extra flavor! Add to the bowl and cover. 
  While all of this is going on, bring a pot of water
to boiling and cook in salted water, 1 lb. of Linguini Fini according to the package directions.  Drain and
mix with some pecorino, and sauce.  Don't over do it.

  Simple and good.  Now serve this with
a few of the sauteed meatballs and sausage on the side, and a big scoop of ricotta.  It doesn't get any better
and it's a nice change from adding the meatballs and sausage to the sauce..as a kid who could resist the
fried meatballs before they went into the sauce?  I couldn't...this gives you that crunchy and soft, cheesy
and garlic scented fried meatball and you will not get yelled at!  (Mom didn't like us stealing the meatballs
before they went into the sauce).

  Dust this plate with black pepper and
pecorino, and add that dollop of Ricotta....Uncle Vinny will smile everytime you do!