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When it comes to cooking, Dolores Tema of Norwalk goes straight to her Italian roots for inspiration. My relationship with food goes all the way back to my childhood. I come from Italian parents, both born in Italy, she says. As a young girl on a farm, Doloress mother expected her and her siblings to help prepare dinner. Her cooking always consisted of natural, home grown foods. We always had a nice, big garden. Our parents always made their own tomato sauce. Even now, when shopping for groceries, Dolores looks for fruits and vegetables that are in season. If possible she attempts to buy locally grown products, right here in Fairfield County.
With the addition of a new grandson to her family, Dolores looks upon some of the old world recipes that her mother used to prepare. Both my daughter [Julia] and her husband [Mario] work long hours. I often go over to prepare dinner for them. Some of her mothers classic dishes that she keeps in her apron pocket include pasta and beans, hearty tomato sauces and a perfectly steamed broccoli rabe.
Being a visual arts instructor at Fairfield College Preparatory School, Dolores sees food as another artistic medium. Cooking is a really creative art, and as a fine artist myself I always think about that. Sometimes when Im approaching a new type of dish I get anxious, but the end result is usually a good one. And I can tweak it a little bit for the next time around. Her husband, Michael, on the other hand is more by the book, so to speak, when following a recipe. Once in a while, he's shocked by one of Doloress creative changes. One of his comments that I think is really funny is, Whoa! You never did this before. I think it baffles him as a retired math teacher. I think he tends to look at things as the set recipe, and I often change up on dishes.
Dolores shares her Ossobuco Recipe from Molfetta, a city in the Apulia region of Italy.
Ingredients:
Ossobuco (4 servings)
Four veal marrow bones with meat
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 2 inch pieces
4 celery ribs cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
Broth (vegetable, chicken, beef)
½ lb spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
Virgin olive oil
Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Brown veal in olive oil and place in a large pot with broth (enough for a good soup). Sauté vegetables and add to the broth and veal. Bring to boil and simmer two to two and a half hours. Cook pasta in boiling water. Drain and add to dish. Add veal, vegetables and broth.
Buon appetito!
Do you know anyone who cooks up a memorable meal? The perfect pasta primavera? Exquisite escargot? Let us know here.
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