Wheaton dad sings, sells, has dinner on table in an hour

Posted December 04, 2007 10:00 pm

By Laura Bianchi

At home, Bob Stelletello is in hot demand for his culinary prowess.

But around town, the Wheaton man is better known for his rich, bass voice, a fixture in several choirs and more recently a theater group.

Does that make him a singing chef, or a cooking chorister?

Either way, Bob has decades of experience in both.

He started working in his father's restaurants in Chicago at age 10.

"My first job was walloping (washing) pots for the princely sum of $1.75 an hour," he says. "That was 1970-71, and I thought I was living high on the hog."

Dad moved him through the ranks quickly, from prep kitchen to cook to running the kitchen. At home he was cooking dinner by the time he was 10 and wrote a cookbook of his favorite recipes that he still has.

His musical adventures began roughly in eighth grade when he played the lead in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." The summer before college he played Pontius Pilate in a local production of "Jesus Christ Superstar."

But hospitality won out over a life in the spotlight. Bob studied hotel restaurant administration after high school but after just a few years, decided there wasn't much future in it.

He ended up in real estate, started his own company and now works from home where he is steps from the kitchen.

"Unless things get really crazy I cook five or six nights a week and we eat together," says Bob, who cooks for his three children, Casey, 17, Ali, 15 and Mikey, 11, and his wife, Kate Daly.

Typically after school he runs the kids wherever they need to go, then dashes to the grocery store to buy any last-minute ingredients he might need for dinner that night.

"Most of the things I make are an hour or less from walking in the door to the table," he says.

His six-burner Viking stove with double oven and flat grill "is the altar" on which lots of good food happens.

If the kids want a hot breakfast he can whip together a golden ham and cheese omelet, French toast or a "bull's eye," a grilled slice of bread with a hole cut in the middle where he drops an egg.

"I make pancakes, and if I'm feeling really expansive I'll drop in some chocolate chips, if I'm currying favor that morning," says Bob.

For dinner he doesn't plan ahead too far.

"I just say, 'What do you want for dinner?' I can cook pretty much anything."

In his free time Bob sings at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Wheaton, where the family worships, and he is a member of the West Suburban Choral Union, "a very high end choir, it does large pieces like Rachmaninoff and the Requiem Mass."

At home his talents sometimes come together when he practices for a performance while hitting all the right culinary notes in the kitchen.

Topping the charts with his family, braised country pork ribs, a recipe from his childhood.

"You take one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can find and turn it into something that is outrageous," he says.

With his ham-and-cheese paninis, brushed with Dijon mustard and mayonnaise, Bob recommends some homemade soup, like lentil, pea soup or broccoli and cheese.

A medley of white wine, feta cheese and tomato sauce give his shrimp a Greek accent.

No need to sing while you sauté, unless you're inspired.

Greek Shrimp

2 cups long-grain rice

Salt

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound raw shrimp (16-20 per pound)

1 cup dry white wine

16 ounces plain tomato sauce

8 ounces asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks

Pepper

4 ounces feta cheese, cut in 1-inch chunks

Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Bring 5 cups water to boil in saucepan; add rice and salt to taste if desired. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Place garlic in small bowl; cover with olive oil and microwave 1 minute. Discard garlic.

Peel and devein shrimp. Heat a thin layer of the oil in sauté pan and cook shrimp at medium for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add wine and simmer 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer 3 minutes. Add asparagus, tomatoes and feta, stir well and simmer 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice and garnish with parsley.

Serves four to six.

Nutrition values per serving: 650 calories, 14 g fat ( 4.5 g saturated), 86 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 37 g protein, 180 mg cholesterol, 540 mg sodium.

Braised Country Ribs with Carrots

3½-4 pounds bone-in pork country ribs

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 cups beef stock

2 cups long-grain brown rice

5 cups water

½ stick butter

1 bulb garlic, cloves separated but not peeled

1 pound baby carrots

About ¼ cup parsley, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour; shake off excess.

In Dutch oven over medium heat warm olive oil until nearly smoking. Add half the ribs and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes; remove to plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining ribs, removing to plate.

Drain excess oil and stir in garlic and cumin. Return ribs to pot and place over medium heat. Add beef stock and enough water to almost cover ribs. Heat until boiling; turn off burner. Cover pot and bake for 1 hour.

In the meantime, in a medium saucepan place rice, 5 cups water, butter and salt. Bring to boil, reduce to gentle simmer and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Remove ribs from oven; add garlic cloves with skin and carrots. Heat to boiling on stove top; cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, simmer uncovered on stovetop until liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Serve over rice; garnished with parsley.

Serves six.

Nutrition values per serving: 1,220 calories, 69 g fat (24 g saturated), 90 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 57 g protein, 205 mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium.