Eager to entertain
Stephen Sondheim's 1959 hit "Let Me Entertain You" could have been written for Angel Porch, a former Pittsburg resident with Southern belle aspirations.
Within her social circle in Naperville she is known as the one who does things up right whenever she hosts the Newcomers book club, her bunco group, mahjong meets or Christmas open house.
That happens rather often, at least two to three times a month, and sometimes twice in a week. Recently, Angel served a variety of sandwiches, salads and desserts to 20 people in her book club. Two days later, she entertained her quilting group.
"Entertaining doesn't frazzle me; I just really enjoy making people happy," says Angel. "I hope they feel good when they leave here; that they have full stomachs and ask for recipes."
Angel credits her Italian grandmother for teaching her to share the bounty of her kitchen. Living just two blocks away, Angel visited her almost daily, watching her cook and learning.
"When she made Easter pizzas she didn't make just one or two for her family, she made 12, and they went to neighbors and friends," she says. "You shared."
Born in Hawaii, Angel grew up in Pittsburg, where she met her husband, Jim. With an in-ground pool, the Porches were ground zero for entertaining their parents, siblings, their spouses and 14 nieces and nephews.
But when the Porches moved to Atlanta for four years, Angel fell in love with everything Dixie. Southern Living magazine became her bible; Paula Dean her culinary evangelist.
Neighbors cooked for each other, exchanged recipes and dreamed up new ways to entertain, like gathering once a week to watch "The Bachelor."
"We took turns and everyone always had a big spread," she says.
The Porches moved to Naperville more than three years ago with their two children, StacyLynne, 21, and Sara, 15. Angel brought her newly fused Italian-Southern hospitality with her.
"Real food" is what she prefers to cook, but Angel manages desserts as well. Today we get a little of both.
The Ham and Broccoli Sandwiches and Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce earned a thumbs-up from her book club and quilting group. From her grandmother, Angel gives us Wedding Soup, a dish she always requested for birthday dinners.
Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs
3 pounds ground round
9 eggs
3 cups bread crumbs
1½ cups grated parmesan
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoons salt
Soup
1½ gallons water
3 pounds beef shank meat (or beef sold for stew)
1 large sweet onion, halved
5 ribs celery, cut into to fit into pot
1 pound baby carrots
2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes
1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
Salt and pepper
½ pound very small pasta such as pastina, cooked
For the meatballs: Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine ground round, eggs, bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic powder and salt, mixing just until combined. Shape into bite-size meatballs, place on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes or until done.
For the soup: Pour water into a large soup pot; add shank meat, onion and celery stalks; let simmer 1 hour. Add carrots, tomatoes, puree and simmer until meat is cooked tender, 1½ to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste while soup is cooking.
Strain soup, cut carrots and meat into bite-size pieces and set aside. Discard onion and celery. Return broth to pot. Add meat, carrots, pasta and meatballs to broth. Simmer 20 minutes.
Serves 16 to 18.
Nutrition values per serving: 520 calories, 19 g fat (8 g saturated), 39 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 47 g protein, 210 mg cholesterol, 810 mg sodium.
Ham and Broccoli Sandwiches
1 cup ham, chopped
1 cup raw broccoli flowerets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped fine
8 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls (8 rolls per package)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine ham, broccoli, onion, cheese, lemon juice and Dijon mustard.
Separate the dough into triangles and on a cookie sheet or baking stone arrange the pieces side by side, wide ends in the center, to create a wreath with a 5-inch center. Overlap the wide ends. Spoon filling over the wide ends. Pull pointed end over filling and tuck under wide end. Bake 20-25 minutes.
Serves eight.
Nutrition values per serving: 380 calories, 22 g fat (8 g saturated), 26 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 17 g protein, 40 mg cholesterol, 950 mg sodium.
Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce
1 pound loaf Italian (or French) bread
1 quart half and half
3 eggs
1½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract
¾ cup slivered almonds
Sauce
½ cup butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
¼ cup Amaretto
The night before: Break bread in small pieces into a large bowl. Pour half and half over bread, cover and let soak over night.
When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, beat eggs; add sugar and almond extract and mix well. Stir into bread, mixing well. Stir in almonds to evenly distribute. Pour into prepared pan and bake 45-50 minutes. Do not overbake; the top should be crunchy but the bread still soft.
For the sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add confectioners' sugar; whisk until blended. Remove from heat and whisk in egg. Continue whisking until sauce comes to room temperature. Whisk in Amaretto. Pour into serving dish to pass.
Serves 12.
Nutrition values per serving: 460 calories, 23 g fat (12 g saturated), 54 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 9 g protein, 120 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium.
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