Hi –
Some of you already know that I come from a family of serious Italian cooks. My mother, Ann Sorrentino, wrote a column for the Italian-American newspaper Fra Noi for many years. After she passed away, the paper’s editor asked me to help him put together a cookbook of her personal recipes. It was a labor of love and was published as “From Ann’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Reminiscences of Ann Sorrentino.” You can find a copy at the Downers Grove Public Library in Dewey number 641.5945 SOR.
A few years went by and the Fra Noi asked me to consider writing a monthly food column similar to my Mom’s. I’ve been doing this since about 2002. I continue to enjoy it because it makes me feel close to my mother and to the wonderful food memories I have of her amazing kitchen. This month in honor of the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, I wrote about the Italian custom of holding a celebration in the saint’s honor. I have written about this event in previous years, but this month I wrote about the St. Joseph Day memories of the late actor Vincent Schiavelli. In addition to being a versatile character actor, he was a talented cook and storyteller. I’m sharing the introduction with you as well a few recipes that appeared this month. I hope you enjoy them.
“Bruculinu, America” is Vincent Schiavelli’s reminiscence of growing up Sicilian-American in Brooklyn in the 1950s and ‘60s. In it he recalls a neighborhood St. Joseph’s Day celebration planned every year by Maria Roccaforte who explained that St. Joseph had spoken to her in a dream. “I want you, Maria, to feed six orphans at a feast in my honor.” She dutifully followed the saint’s wishes, and every year her St. Joseph’s Table grew and grew until her death 65 years later. “For the celebration,” Schiavelli remembers, “Mrs. Roccaforte’s Stockholm Street apartment was transformed into part shrine, part cornucopia.” Multi-tiered tables were set up in every room, replacing her usual furnishings. They were swathed in white coverings and ornamented with votive candles, statues, holy pictures, lilies, Christmas lights and potted palms. “Oranges, pineapples and bananas filled in any empty spaces that could be found,” Schiavelli explains.
He also has vivid memories of the food overload. “Mountains of stuffed artichokes and bell peppers and cords of fried asparagus and zucchini were but a few of the vegetables presented. There were schools of fried fish, and a harvest of pasta tossed with garlic and olive oil, or with fava beans or green peas, or with chickpeas. The pasta was prepared in batches to keep it hot because no self-respecting Sicilian would ever eat cold pasta, not even for St. Joseph.”
Last month I published recipes for baked artichokes and fried asparagus, and if you still have the column handy, they would be perfect for St. Joseph’s Day. I hope some of these suggestions will encourage you to honor St. Joseph at your table on March 19.
INSALATA ALLA ROMANA
(Crisp Bitter Greens with Anchovy Dressing)
8 ounces bitter salad greens (see text)
5 oil-packed anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
The classic Roman version of this salad is made with puntarelle, bitter greens that are difficult to find and require soaking in ice water to remove some of their bitterness. Use trimmed and washed frisée or endive instead. If using frisée, separate the leaves. If using endive, thinly slice it. Place the greens in a bowl. Puree the anchovies and garlic in a blender or food processor. Add the lemon juice or vinegar and pulse to blend. With the machine still running, add the oil in a slow steady stream. Gently toss the greens and dressing.
-adapted from Sara Jenkins
GAMBERI AL MARSALA
(Shrimp in Marsala)
1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup Marsala wine
4 teaspoons of butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 clove garlic, through a press
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
Place the cleaned shrimp in a glass bowl and pour the Marsala wine over them. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more, stirring occasionally.
Melt 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of the butter in a skillet and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the wine with a slotted spoon and add to the skillet along with the garlic. Sauté until the shrimp turn pink and are just cooked through, about 5-6 minutes, depending on their size. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add 3 tablespoons of the Marsala to the shrimp and heat through. Just before serving, stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter and swirl until melted. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
-Lori Sennebogen
VERDURA AL FORNO
(Oven-Roasted Vegetables)
1 small eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 large sweet onion
3 carrots
Fennel (optional)
Portobello mushrooms (optional)
2 cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh chopped herbs
Romano or Parmigiano cheese
Peel the eggplant if you wish and slice into one-inch rounds. Place on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Cover with additional paper towels and place something heavy on top of the slices for 20 to 30 minutes.
Slice the zucchini on an extreme angle for oval slices. Core and quarter the peppers, removing the white pith. Slice the onion thickly. Pare the carrots and cut them into thick sticks. Cut the garlic cloves in half. If using the fennel and mushrooms, slice them as well. Rinse the eggplant slices and pat them dry.
Place all of the vegetables (except the tomatoes) on two or more baking sheets. Brush them with plain or seasoned olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn and brush the second side with oil as well, adding more salt and pepper. Place them in a preheated 450-degree oven and roast them for about 30 minutes. Half way through, turn the vegetables gently, aided by a spatula. Add halved cherry tomatoes at this point and return to the oven, rotating the baking sheets so that the one that was on the bottom rack is now on the top. Continue roasting until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown. Turn on the broiler for just a few minutes at the end if they are not browning enough.
Remove from the oven, discard the garlic and arrange the vegetables attractively on a large platter. Sprinkle with chopped herbs such as basil or flat-leaf parsley. Pour any vegetable juices from the pan over the vegetables and drizzle with additional olive oil if desired. Add a sprinkling of grated cheese over all. If you prefer, you can use a vegetable peeler to add shavings of cheese instead. Any leftovers make a great vegetarian sandwich on crusty bread.
-Lori Sennebogen
PANE DI SAN GIUSEPPE
(St. Joseph's Bread)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
5 large eggs
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted before measuring
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped toasted almonds
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high. Crush the anise seeds between the palms of your hands and add them along with the almond extract. Mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients and almonds. Mix until just combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing.
NOTE: A mixer isn't necessary – sometimes I mix it by hand.
- Becky Sien
