A recipe originally passed down to me from my dad, his description at the top of the recipe reads:

"An Irish-American version of the Italian staple, easy to prepare and as basic as it comes, as it had to be for feeding a family of fourteen during the Great Depression. This version for today's smaller families serves 3-4".

My dad often tells me stories about my great-grandmother, Mom Colgan. A strong, Irish Catholic woman, she had a massive family of fourteen children, including my grandmother. To survive the hard economic times, she would make this recipe as a cheap, yet filling meal. My dad also tells me she created the idea for this meal, because she wanted to seem more "American". Her family came to the USA through Ellis Island most likely around the mid 1800's, though some of the history is unclear. My brother got really into our family history this past summer and tells me Mom Colgan's father, Francis Xavier Colgan, was the one who originally emigrated from Ireland. Regardless of history, this recipe has been passed down by each generation after her's, most recently in my dad's family recipe cookbook (picture shown). Since my dad made this for me often during my childhood, it now reminds me of being home and being close to my family. 

– LP

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more