Learning to Cook : First Courses : A Nose for Good Food

Some of us learned to cook from our mothers. Some of us learned to cook in spite of our mothers. Actually, our mothers didn’t have all that much to do with the process--as the following stories prove.

Although we all came to cooking via different paths, all of us vividly remember the first foods that we cooked. And while they’re not generally dishes that we find ourselves cooking up every day, when we recently tested these recipes, we found, somewhat to our surprise, that they are all delicious.

Learning to cook was a real adventure in our West Chicago household. Family, friends and neighbors loved to eat at the Serritelli’s--we were famous throughout the Westside for our dinner parties.

My mom, Stella, cooked like a Cordon Bleu chef, but wasn’t always in the mood to be bothered having me and my sister Pauline in the kitchen. So it became a battle of wits between Mother and me. (And my father, who liked to hog the kitchen for his own specialties.)

I basically learned how to cook because I was nosy. Each day I made it my business to detect what we were having for dinner--I would skulk in and out of the kitchen and poke my nose into everything. I’d lift the covers off of the pots to taste the sumptuous creations slowly cooking on the stove. And I would peek over my mother’s shoulder to see what magic she was performing.

Remembering my mother’s tricks, and adding a few of my own, I developed into a cook. Almost everything I made turned out pretty good; and now everything I make turns out great. (I am not modest about my talents.)

One of my favorite meals then and now is chicken cacciatore. When I serve my chicken cacciatore at a dinner party, I usually start out with fresh figs wrapped with prosciutto as an appetizer. A great side dish is hot wide noodles with butter and whipped ricotta, topped with shredded mozzarella. For dessert, pour Asti Spumante into a champagne glass and add fresh fruit.

Here is my concoction:

MARGE POWERS’ CHICKEN CACCIATORE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced into rings

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 cups Marsala wine

8 chicken thighs, or any chicken parts preferred

Salt, pepper

1 1/2 sweet red peppers, thinly sliced

1 1/2 green peppers, thinly sliced

1 pound small mushrooms, if using large mushrooms, thinly slice

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender and lightly browned. Add 1 cup wine and cook until reduced.

Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook, uncovered, until browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add peppers and mushrooms and saute until tender-crisp. Add 1 more cup wine, if all liquid has cooked away.

Add tomato sauce and remaining 1 cup wine to entire mixture. Simmer, uncovered, until chicken is tender, about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste. Makes 4 servings.