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Kitchen cousins
By MARY JANE PARK © St. Petersburg Times, published May 30, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- As children growing up in Tuscany, the gilded part of Italy that is extolled for its light, its hills, its art and its cuisine, Bea Bryan and Barbara Golini were unaware they lived in a culinary paradise. "My grandmother and my mother -- they didn't cook a stick," Bryan said. "We had boiled chicken, boiled fish. We thought this was how people ate." The women, first cousins, think of each other as sisters; Golini was 4 when her mother died, and she came to live with Bryan's family. They still have a house in Tuscany on land that has been in their family for 300 years. Photographs of it show enormous hydrangea blooms, yellow roses and waist-high rosemary. The house, the Villa de Stefano in Populonia, Maremma, Tuscany, was completed in 1923. Every year the family stayed there from June until Oct. 10, the feast of St. Cerbone, the patron saint of the area. "After Mass in the little chapel, the priest would give out a piece of bread that was blessed, and we would pray in front of the bread," Bryan said. The little chapel is near the sea, and she remembers spectacular, dramatic weather. "It is a rough culture. The wind is strong, the storms are strong." The family spent the rest of the year in Florence. "Unfortunately, we had to go to school," Bryan said, although she smiled as she recalled their teachers, the French-speaking Sisters of Neveres. Today, the two women are known for their accomplishments in the kitchen. Bryan, who married an American and moved to the United States, represents non-alcoholic beverage companies to convenience stores. She is a host whose friends long for invitations to dinner and her famous tiramisu. Golini, who still lives in Italy, has a degree in art and attended the Cordon Bleu in Florence and the Escoffier Ritz Ecole in Paris. She has written two cookbooks and teaches culinary classes in her home in Florence. "I love good and wholesome food. I still remember, as a child, helping to make homemade bread in the brick oven of the old family country house in Maremma," Golini said in an interview in the December issue of the Italian magazine Cucina & Vini. Her first book concentrates on cakes. In the second, Dall'arte dei Medici alla Tavola Quotidiana (From the Art of the Medici to the Ordinary Table,) "My two passions, art and cooking, come together," she said. It was a finalist in the 2000 world cookbook award ceremony at Perigueux Livre Gourmand in France. On a recent visit to Bryan's home in Feather Sound, Golini and her cousin collaborated on a feast for 14 guests. Bryan did most of the talking and translated for Golini. As girls, "The first dish we cooked together was carbonara," Bryan said. This time, the meal was more elaborate: Crostini with olive and chicken liver spreads; a zucchini frittata; risotto scented with orange and lemon; a layered casserole of tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, onions and potatoes; pasta (garganelli) with lobster sauce and a hint of tomato. "Please don't make Italian food red," Bryan pleaded. "Italian food cannot be forgotten," she warned as the two women demonstrated techniques for preparing the risotto: arborio rice stirred into a little olive oil and onion, plumped with chicken broth and white wine, fragranced with orange juice and lemon zest, made creamy with egg yolk and Parmesan cheese. "You have to take care of it." That tender attention seems instinctive with these two, who prepared most of their festive meal without consulting recipes. For dessert, they served Coppa Golosa, a creamy concoction with the crunch of raw sugar and amaretto cookies. "Dolce primo amore," Golini said. "My first love." "Barbara has a sweet tooth," Bryan teased. Crostini Neri(Chicken Liver on Little Crusts)
Finely chop the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and parsley. Saute in olive oil until golden. After 5 minutes, add the anchovies (if salted, first rinse under cold running water) and cook over low heat until they begin to dissolve. Meanwhile, wash and pat dry the chicken livers, season lightly and add to the pan, browning on all sides. Press with a wooden spoon from time to time so that they begin to fall apart. After 5-10 minutes, add the wine and the vinegar. Continue cooking over low heat, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the capers. For a finer texture, chop the mixture briefly in the food processor or chop by hand for a rougher texture. Serve either warm or at room temperature on small toasted rounds of bread. Makes around 30. Source: adapted from "In Tuscany" by Frances Mayes (Broadway Books, 2000; $50). Crostini Di Fegatini(Chicken Livers on Toast)
Lay the bread out on a tray and toast in a 375-degree oven until golden. Fry the chicken livers gently in the oil with the garlic for 4-5 minutes or until they are brown outside and still pink and juicy inside. Add the rest of ingredients and blend until smooth in a food processor. Spread on the toast and serve at once. Source: "The Good Food of Italy -- Region by Region" by Claudia Roden. (Alfred A. Knopf, 1989 and 1990). Crostini Di Olive(Olive Toast)
Lay the bread out on a tray and toast in a 375-degree oven until golden. Put the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and blend only briefly so that the anchovies, capers and garlic are finely chopped but not smooth. Spread onto the toast. Source: "The Good Food of Italy -- Region by Region" by Claudia Roden. (Alfred A. Knopf, 1989 and 1990). Frittata Di Cipolle(Onion Frittata With Herbs)
Fry the onions gently in 2 tablespoons oil for 20 minutes, adding salt and pepper and stirring often, until they are very soft and golden, then put them in a bowl with the eggs and herbs and a little more salt and pepper and beat well. Pour the mixture into a large non-stick frying pan with the sizzling butter and remaining oil. Cook until the bottom is set and browned and then turn over or put under the broiler to brown the top. Variations: Use vegetables such as spinach, chard, leeks, zucchini, asparagus, peas and cabbage, previously boiled, or fried bacon, salami or pork sausage cut into pieces. Fold into the eggs with herbs and seasoning and cook in the same way. Serves 4. Source: "The Good Food of Italy -- Region by Region" by Claudia Roden. (Alfred A. Knopf, 1989 and 1990).
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
