Italian mother keeps family's food traditions alive
Her friends at work insist that one day Mary Kleifges will wake up and realize that she doesn't have to cook so much.
With pizza delivery a phone call away and cans of soup with pull-top convenience, who needs extra work?
That would be Mary, a full-blooded Italian whose house brims with cookbooks, dishware and gadgets and whose kitchen always smells wonderful.
She's in this for the long haul.
"When I'm in my kitchen I'm really at peace, I feel like nothing in my life is going wrong," she says. "It's my happy place."
A full-time employee in the Naperville Unit District 203 administration office, Mary returns home by mid-afternoon with ample time "to whip up anything I want" for husband Jim and her daughter Kimberly, 25. Two other sons, Christopher and Paul, are on their own and 18-year-old Matt is off to college.
Though her household's number is decreasing, Mary's motivation doesn't flag.
"Even if I have to cut down on quantity, I will still cook," she says.
Growing up in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood Mary lived just down the street from her grandmother and in the same apartment building with her aunt.
"Every day after school I stopped at her (grandmother's) house for something to eat and something to take home, like fresh bread," says Mary. "Every day my grandmother and my aunt made pizza and bread."
After dinner at home Mary often walked across the hall to her aunt's apartment and ate again.
"With Italians you never really stop eating," she says. "My grandmother was the type of Italian woman, every person who walked in the house had to eat. There was always a pot of something on the stove."
Mary watched them cook and learned. At home her father taught her to make spaghetti and meatballs; from her mother she learned chicken cacciatore, chicken Vesuvio and breaded eggplant, among others.
Now Mary learns from Food Network favorites including Emeril LaGasse, Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay. Their cookbooks are the ones easily at hand in her kitchen, while dozens of others are stored in the basement.
Even while she's cooking Mary often tunes into the Food Network, picking up new recipes while preparing old favorites.
Typical meals are hearty fare that follow the seasons: lighter pastas during summer, and during the winter comfort food like soups, stews, chili mac and barbecue pork.
This week put some end-of-season zucchini to good use in Mary's egg-and-cheese casserole. This works as an appetizer when cut small or for breakfast if you add crumbled sausage and serve with fruit.
And her easy, meaty spaghetti sauce feeds a crowd and can be prepared ahead of time; chicken Vesuvio is a one-dish wonder. Put it together early in the day and bake before serving.
Zucchini and Sausage Casserole
1 pound pork sausage, optional, see note
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 small onion, diced
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 slices white bread, cubed
1 cup mozzarella, grated
¼ cup parmesan, grated
The day before serving: Brown sausage in skillet until partially cooked; drain, leaving sausage in pan. Add zucchini and onion and cook until onions are translucent. Drain again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, mustard, bread and mozzarella. Add sausage mixture and stir well. Pour into 8-by-12-inch baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover casserole and top with parmesan. Bake about 45 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh fruit.
Serves eight to 10. Cut into smaller pieces, this dish works as an appetizer or side dish.
Cook's note: Pork sausage is optional. If you eliminate it, cook zucchini and onion in a thin layer of olive oil and continue with directions.
Nutrition values per serving: 250 calories, 15 g fat (4.5 g saturated), 8 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 20 g protein, 180 mg cholesterol, 1,580 mg sodium.
Italian Meat Sauce
Cooking spray
½ cup vegetable oil
3 pounds ground sirloin
1 small onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Accent seasoning
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
1 can (28 ounces) water
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
6-8 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Spray a 10-quart stockpot with cooking spray. Heat vegetable oil; add sirloin, onion, green pepper, garlic and Accent; cook until onion is translucent and meat is brown.
Drain mixture in colander; return to pot. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, water, red pepper, sugar, basil, Worcestershire, red wine, salt and pepper and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Just before serving stir in parmesan. Serve over pasta.
Serves 10 to 12 (enough for 1½ pounds pasta).
Nutrition values per serving (sauce only): 330 calories, 18 g fat (6 g saturated), 13 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 29 g protein, 70 mg cholesterol, 410 mg sodium.
Chicken Vesuvio
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups water
¼ cup white wine
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 chicken legs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large green pepper, sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
3 medium russet potatoes, quartered and peeled
3 tablespoons oregano
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a roasting pan with cooking spray.
To the pan, add olive oil, butter, water and white wine.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan with onion, green pepper, mushrooms, potatoes and oregano. Cover and bake 90 minutes. Serve with Italian bread.
Serves four to six.
Nutrition values per serving: 370 calories, 17 g fat (6 g saturated), 23 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 30 g protein, 110 mg cholesterol, 105 mg sodium.
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