October 2014
The
Merry Weather Garden Club met on Thursday, October 30, 2014 at the home of
Carla Snider in Imlac. Guests and members were treated to hors d’oeuvres with
an Italian twist like bruschetta, garlic bread, and antipasto.
Carla
was assisted in her “Italian Feast” by friends Mary Beth Tsoukalis who did the
antipasto, Italian leafy salad, chicken Florentine, penne salad, and limoncello;
Carla added an entrée of lasagna; Phyllis Daniel made the decorations, rum
cake, lemon ricotta cookies and garlic bread; and Patti Acheson brought the cannoli.
Each place setting had a card with a map of Italy and the luncheon menu that
Carla’s daughter Anne created. The table decorations were carved loaves of
bread that held flowers.
Guests
of honor, Walter and Chris Citterio, praised the delicious meal and enjoyed the
club’s camaraderie. Walter, who grew up in Northern Italy, is a chef renowned
for his simple, healthy, and incredibly delicious recipes. His program on
cooking with herbs was filled with tips by a true connoisseur who both grows
his produce, cooks, and enjoys fine food.
Citterio
began by explaining how important a garden is to Italian families. There are
always flowers for the house and for the cemetery. Italian cemeteries are colorful
and blooming with fresh flowers year around.
Citterio
explained there are eighteen regions of Italy and every region differs so that favored
herbs in Rome are not the favored ones in his boyhood home of Como. Italy’s
history is one of invasion and the Mediterranean cuisine was influenced by
invaders with the southern portion having Arab influences and the northern
areas more French flavors.
The
basic six herbs used most often are parsley, basil, bay leaves, rosemary, sage,
and thyme. Citterio uses rosemary to flavor the oil. When he roasts meat, he puts the stripped
rosemary leaves in the oil and then takes them out after they have flavored the
oil. He cooks the meat and then adds rosemary again at the end. Too browned or
overcooked herbs can ruin flavor instead of enhance it.
He
recommends bay leaves for stews, a good chicken broth, and cooking venison. Bay is strong and can easily overpower food and
you want its delicate flavor. Citterio recommends a marinade of sage, bay, and
thyme for a good venison loin.
The
two thymes, the common and lemon varieties, add flavor to foods. Citterio
recommends using lemon thyme in seafood recipes. Parsley is also a favorite
with seafood. He roasts a large fish with garlic and parsley and uses the two
ingredients with shrimp and clam sauces.
Citterio
explained that shrimp scampi is an American invention. “Shrimp is shrimp, and scampi is scampi,” he said.
Scampi is a baby lobster-important to know if ordering a meal in Europe.
Small
basil leaves he uses for pesto. He processes and freezes them in ice cube trays
then pops them in freezer bags to have when the growing season precludes fresh leaves.
Citterio
uses tarragon in béarnaise sauces, as a dry rub for chicken, and chopped fresh
into salads. Dill is stripped with the fingers because cutting it with a knife
makes the herb dark. Citterio displayed beautiful, fresh, healthy herbs from
his garden as he discussed how he uses them in his meals. Chives he uses in
fish and soup stock, potato salad, and chopped to finish a dish. He reminded
cooks never to use oregano in the cooking process-it is always added at the end
or sprinkled on salads and bruschetta.
Many
Italian dishes begin with a basic tomato sauce and Citterio shared his: crushed
garlic is added to olive oil, then basil is added and then Citterio puts the
lid on and lets the ingredients sizzle.
He adds the tomatoes and salt and pepper and simmers it.
Nutritious
leafy vegetables he highly recommends are dandelions which he boils or steams
and adds oil and lemon juice before serving; spinach, endive, kale and broccoli
rabe. He often steams the broccoli rabe with pine nuts, raisins, and serves
with pasta. His goal is to always maintain the natural flavor and keep dishes simple.
Garden
club members inquired how he grew such green, perfect, and leafy herbs, and he
explained he had no extraordinary tips.
He made his garden in what was his bocce field because he had no one to
play bocce with. To fend off insects he uses soapy water.
The
delicious meal served at Carla’s Italian Feast plus Citterio’s inspiring talk
on cooking with herbs made for a perfectly delightful club meeting.
