Dad Food : When Dad Was in the Kitchen : The Imperial Chef

Dad was the kind of man who fancied himself--a little immodestly--the Emperor of the World (hey, he was Italian ). And to a little girl growing up on Chicago’s west side, bank VP Tomaso Serritelli--in his Botany 500 armor and Buick Special chariot--seemed invincible.

Even in the culinary world, Dad reigned supreme, imagining himself a cordon bleu chef. Our walk-in pantry was stocked like a grocery store: We could have fed a battalion with all the rations.

His specialties were beef stews, soups, pasta sauces--and meat, plenty of meat. Dad loved to dabble in the kitchen--planning a menu one day, shopping the next (there’s no such thing as too much pasta) and finally preparing the meal from scratch.

When he started to cook, it was as though a squad of commandos had hit our kitchen. Every cupboard was open, every drawer was open, every pot and pan and utensil had been used and then discarded to await the arrival of Mr. Clean to come to the rescue. But somehow Mr. Clean never found our house, so Mom and my sister and I would mop up Dad’s war zone . . . and then settle down to a warm bowl of the emperor’s best.

THOMAS SERRITELLI’S BEEF STEW

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced into rings

3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 cups Marsala

2 to 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Garlic salt

Pepper

Hot pepper sauce

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels, or 2 cups fresh corn kernels

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen petite sweet peas, or 2 cups fresh peas

1/2 to 1 pound baby mushrooms

6 petite new potatoes, quartered

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add and saute red onion and garlic until almost tender. Add 1 cup Marsala and continue to saute until onion and garlic are tender.

Season beef cubes with garlic salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste. Add meat, along with another 1 cup Marsala, to onion mixture. Cover and saute until meat is lightly browned.

Season corn, peas, mushrooms and potatoes to taste with garlic salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Add to meat mixture along with tomato sauce and remaining 1 cup Marsala. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until meat is very tender, about 4 hours. Taste to adjust seasonings. Makes 4 servings.