Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

By Thomas G. CiapiCertified Executive Chef

A Back to Queens Cookbook, and Nutritional Presentation of Sicilian Cookery

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

What we learn from experiences, are our greatest gift! We continue to develop our thought process from our heritage, culture and the environment we grew up

with.

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

Objectives for today’s Seminar:•Awareness of what we feed to our Seniors and

also for young Children•The Quality of Food Consumption, and our habits

•“Nutrition for thought”, and cost techniquesMy mission today to all the people in this room is

for me to preach good nutritional health. Our parents have passed down health problems to us through genetics, and it is up to all of us to focus on each other to live longer. I cannot emphasize

what I had to do to change the habits of nutritional eating for my hardening of arteries,

and celiac Disease.

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

As I started writing my first book “An American Chef’s Dream”, I wanted to fulfill my personal dream to complete a basic cookbook from my

Heritage.My Grandfather was my influence who inspired me at an early age. The

Sicilian American Culture became a part of me while growing up in Queens, and then Long Island.

I have lived in Texas for over thirty years now, and the upbringing from my childhood still remains with me to this day. I always admired my Grandfather and Mom’s way of continuously surrounding the family

during the holiday’s at the dinner table. When I was growing up, it was called “Supper”.

Today, I take my heritage seriously as do so many other people and the influence continues throughout my Culinary Profession as a Chef. I have incorporated the simplicity of my Queens Days of cooking with Grandpa

and put it all into a simple Sicilian cookbook. We lived simple and produced good food that was simple, but with

finesse. A passion that still continues today with my generation and I hope will pass on to my daughter’s generation to come.

Thomas G. Ciapi, age two, Queens, New York

Circa 1962, Sutter Avenue

Thomas and brother Steve Ciapi, Long Island

Circa 1969, Lexington

Avenue and the year the Mets won the World

Series!

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

Factors for executing good food!

•Cost to make the food•Taste and Texture•Time•Plate Presentation•Nutritional Analysis

Sicilian Bread Crusted Soft Shell Crabs Sautéed in Olive Oil

Served with Buffalo

Mozzarella Salad and Herb

Vinaigrette

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

I ask you all today and think of the actual food process we are using in our environment daily, and say to one another, “Are we

feeding our Seniors or our Children good wholesome food”?

Discuss the process of wholesome food and obesity.

Rustic Tuscan Style Penne Pasta with Grilled Breast of Chicken

Tossed Whole Wheat Penne Pasta , Served with Artichoke,

Fresh Basil, Grilled Chicken Breast, Lemon Zest, Toasted Pignolia Nuts, and Lemon Basil Buerre

Blanc

Classic Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Classic Caesar with Marinated

Breast of Chicken, Italian Style Croutons,

Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano,

tossed with Caesar

Dressing

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

Each one has a mission to fulfill, a mission of love.

At the hour of death when we come face to face

with God, we are going to be judged on love,

not how much we have done,but how much love we have put

in the doing.~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

As the earth can produce nothing

without the energizing power of the sun,

so we can do nothing without

the energizing power of the Spirit~

Author Unknown

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

God has given us two hands- one to receive with

and the other to give with. We are

not made cisterns for

hoarding; We are channels made

for sharing~ Billy Graham

Chicory Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Kalamata Olives

Serves 12Ingredients:Two Heads small Chicory or One LargeOne Cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (Page?) Four Ounces Kalamata Olives, Sliced, LengthwiseFour Ounces Roasted Pignolia NutsOne Teaspoon Granulated GarlicOne Teaspoon Olive OilOne Ounce “Shaved “Asiago CheeseTwo Tablespoons Chopped Italian Parsley Instructions:•In Ice water or Cold water, wash Chicory, cut core away, and break with Hands. Leaves will not oxidize. •On small Sheet pan, add Granulated Garlic, Olive Oil, and Pignolia Nuts, shuffle around, and bake Seasoned Pignolia Nuts in 350 degree oven for eight to ten minutes. Set aside.•In large mixing bowl, add Chicory, Kalamata Olives, and Seasoned Pignolia Nuts. Toss Salad.•Add Cheese, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Chopped Italian Parsley.•Toss and Place in Wooden Bowl with Salad Tongs. Notes: Chicory or Curly Endive is bitter in Taste, but as you get closer to the inside leaves the bitterness subsides. You have to enjoy this Salad green. Escarole may also be substituted and is in the Chicory family. Chicory tends to grow large, but the Little ones are Tasty.

Growing up Italian, you would never find the simple Salad Greens that a typical child of

today would know. We had Chicory, Escarole, Radicchio, and a Little Romaine in the Local

Produce Markets.Iceberg Lettuce in the early days was

considered the outdoor lettuce for Cookouts. We always used to have this Curly Endive

Salad as a Regular if Mom made Filets for the evening, and my Dad would always complain “Rosie, You overcooked the Filets!” “What’s

the matter with you?” In essence, that’s how I remember this Salad. I could still hear Dad saying that every time my Mom Made Filets. Salad was not a major hit in the Family, but always a required “to Make” Item to fill the table with other items before the big meal.

This is a simple Salad and I personally like the bitter Greens even today as a Chef.

Chicory was cheap in the early days, so I guess that was what we went with on a regular basis, but do not see much of it in the South. It can be slightly sautéed with Garlic, and Red Bean

as a nice side Dish also.

Eggplant CaponataServes 12

Ingredients:Two Large EggplantOne Tablespoon of Chopped GarlicOne Tablespoon of Chopped ShallotsOne Large Yellow Onion, SlicedOne Large Roasted Red Pepper, SlicedOne Tablespoon of Chopped ParsleySea Salt to TasteOne Cup of White Wine “Cooking” or “House”One Cup of Olive OilInstructions:•Trim skin off of eggplant and slice long ways. Cut into ½ inch Julienne strips.•Sprinkle Salt on Eggplant to sweat, reserve.•Chop Garlic, Shallots, and Parsley. •Roast off Red Pepper, sweat in plastic bag, and take off skin. Canned Roasted Red pepper will do also. Slice Pepper, reserve.•Julienne Slice Yellow Onion After chopping other ingredients.•In large Sauté pan, add Olive Oil and Heat. Add Eggplant to pan and Sauté with Garlic, Sliced Onion, Shallots. Cook for ten minutes.•Add White Wine and Reduce.•Add Roasted Red Pepper and Chopped Parsley.•Heat additional ten minutes and reduce.•Date, Label, and refrigerate.•Serve with Sliced Crostini Italian Bread.

When I was a boy, we would go to the local delicatessen for all our favorite Italian items for the

weekends and or Holidays. I remember especially gazing in the window and seeing all the Sausages

hanging and the special Sharp Provolone Cheese. The butcher would make his own Italian Sausage and of

course they would have all the imported Italian Delicacies.

One of the items that would always catch my eye was the Eggplant Caponata that was bottled and jarred from the old country. There were other items that

were jarred and used for Antipasti.Today I revised the addition to my repertoire of Cooking and produce my own homemade Eggplant

Caponata. You can serve this cold or warm depending on the time of the year. I also like to serve it with Seasoned Italian Bread slices and lightly toasted in the oven. This makes a great side dish and also is

good for Potlucks.

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

Tastes and TalesTastes and Tales is primarily about our thoughts and memories,

what we experienced growing up and our heritage. It reminds us ofwho and what we are and tries to turn the thought process to earlier

days. We live in the now, but it is always memories that make uslaugh, cry, feel, touch, and remember how life is and was, both good,

and bad.Memories are what help us to fulfill our dreams, desires, and goals.

We pursue a longing for our culture, history, and generationalheritage daily in our lives.

My Tastes and Tales are memories from yesteryear of self, family,friends, food, and gatherings. As a Chef, I’ve grown accustomed toremember what I had, and what I continue to give to others. It’s all

about the food and hospitality.Italians are known for the respect they give each other, their love of

family and the desire to make others happy.We continually want to reach out and show our love and passion in

our cooking. This is what I have done for thirty years as a Chef,and to maintain that focus with people throughout my travels today.

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

Once Italian, always Italian!

My Momma, 1973,

Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary

Party!

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cookery

My Grandparent’s 50th Wedding Anniversary, our home,

1973.

238 Lexington Avenue, West Hempstead, New York

Circa 1964, Home was

renovated and Landscaped

before moving into 1965.

Good Memories,

Good Times, produce positive

influences!

Taste and Tales of Sicilian Cooking

Sicilian Cookery Class

for U.T. Informal

Classes, circa, 1993

My cup truly runneth over.Food service is and will always be an uphill battle between

rootsand family balance, but great passion comes to those who

have adesire to do the things in life in the old, natural way.

I’ve enjoyed the outcome of this new cook book because it involved

my heart, my love for my Grandpa Nonno and a doggeddetermination to follow what was natural, coupled with a

youngmemory of old friends telling me to go for it.

The outreach and encouragement from new family communication

that had been nonexistent, and for the perseverance of God’s

inner calling to bring us all together, that is what I tried to do in this

book. The gathering of family is long gone on both sides, but the

memories will live on forever.