DO ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME

Neighborhood food experts share their most special recipes and secrets for whipping them up right

STORY BY: GARY DOWELL

PHOTOS BY: BENJAMIN HAGER & CAN TÜRKYILMAZ

IT’S noT TH e b RIS k AIR , the carefully wrapped gifts or the warm hugs from family that make the holidays so special. nope — it’s the food. And behind every treasured recipe is a story, usually one involving family, friends and traditions.

Those who understand the value of great recipes — comforting creations made familiar after years of reunions, weddings and weekend trips hold the secret to genuine holiday happiness.

This month, several neighbors a few who make their living in the culinary arts — dish about their favorite kitchen creations. Their recipes — already passed from generation to generation — could become new holiday traditions for your family this year.

Sardinian- Style Stuffed eggplant (Melanzane r ipienne a lla Sarda)

from Salvatore Gisellu, master chef at Urban Crust restaurant

Gisellu, a Lake Highlands resident whose acclaimed restaurant is located in Plano, says this dish brings back warm memories of childhood. “Melanzane Ripiene Alla Sarda is the ultimate Italian comfort food,” Gisellu says. “My mother has made this dish forever; I can remember her making it since I was 5 years old. She always made it on Thursdays for lunch.” Chef Gisellu says the dish is also perfect as a late-night snack. These days, his wife Jeanne Marie loves the dish, and she regularly makes it for their sons, Matteo and Lucas.

ingredientS

Serves 6-8 a 2 large Italian eggplants, firm and free of blemishes a 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil a 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped a 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped a 1 tsp fresh mint, chopped a 1 tsp fresh Italian parsley a 1 medium onion, chopped a 1 clove garlic, chopped a 1 lb fresh ground veal a 1 c white wine dry a 1/2 c your homemade tomato sauce a 1/2 c grated pecorino sardo cheese (or Romano) a 1/2 c Italian plain bread crumbs a 1 whole egg a salt and pepper

-Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

- Cut the eggplant into 2-inch rings; remove the inside part, leaving some of the pulp attached to the skin.

- Brush the rings with oil, and season with salt and pepper; set them up in a baking sheet, and roast for 15 minutes.

- Sprinkle the pulp with salt, wrap with a paper towel, and put some weight on.

- After 10–15 minutes, remove the paper towel from the eggplant, rinse with cold water (to remove the salt and the bitterness), and chop.

- Heat up a large sauté pan, add oil, sweat onions and garlic with the herbs, brown the veal, and season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with the wine, remove from stove, and add tomato sauce, cheese, breadcrumbs and the egg; season well. Serves 6-8.

The 2010 Advocate Foundation Charity Ornament is now available at the following retailers:

Brumley Gardens 10540 Church Rd. 214.343.4900 brumleygardens.com

The Store in Lake Highlands 10233 E. Northwest Hwy. 214.553.8850 thestoreinlh.com

Net procceds from the sale of these limited edition hand-painted ornaments benefit neighborhood schools and non-profits.

Learn more about the Advocate Foundation at www.foundation.advocatemag.com

BIG MAMA’S CORNBREAD STUFFING

from Paul Wackym, White Rock area resident and founder and owner of Wackym’s Kitchen Cookies

Wackym’s great-grandmother, “Big Mama”, taught this recipe to his grandmother, who taught it to his mother when she was a child in South Carolina.

“Mom taught it to me and said, ‘It is just the way to do it.’ ” Wackym says the recipe is not as complicated to make as you might think, and it can be modified to suit your taste.

“It can be baked in a pan rather that stuffed in the cavity of the turkey,” he says. “We now make it with vegetable stock for the vegetarians — that’s how we make it at home to eat along with Tofurkey.”

TURKEY STOCK:

Bag of giblets from turkey

Wackym’s note: Don’t accidentally leave these in the carcass of the bird like my English friend did on his first attempt to bake a Thanksgiving turkey

4 qt water

2 bay leaves

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp cracked red pepper

1 clove garlic onion skins and celery tops (from stuffing)

- Throw all ingredients into a large pot, and put to simmer on the back burner; check after a couple of hours. The meat should fall off the neck bone. Strain and separate out the fat. Hold the turkey bits and extra stock for giblet gravy.

CORNBREAD:

2 tsp canola oil

1 tsp sugar

2 eggs

1 c whole milk soured with 1 Tbsp white vinegar (set aside for 20 minutes)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried marjoram

¼ tsp powdered garlic

¼ tsp sage

½ tsp salt

½ cup flour

1½ cup yellow cornmeal

- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Add 1 tsp canola oil to a 12-inch cast iron skillet, and place in oven. Mix the oil, sugar, eggs and milk. Add the soda, spices, flour and cornmeal. Pour into the hot cast iron skillet, and bake 20 minutes until golden brown.

STUFFING:

¼ lb butter

4 stalks celery, chopped fine

2 medium yellow onions, chopped fine cornbread, crumbled

2 boiled eggs, chopped fine

1½ c cooked grits

1 large raw egg, beaten turkey stock

- Sauté the celery and onion in butter until very limp in a large and deep pan.

- Add the cornbread, boiled eggs, grits and mix.

Add the raw egg and enough stock to moisten.

- Stuff in the cavity of a turkey, and bake immediately until 165 degrees internal temperature of the stuffing has been reached, and the turkey is done. If baking in a 9x13 pan, bake until firm and golden brown.

Serve with copious amounts of gravy and a dollop of homemade cranberry sauce, followed by a piece or two of pie and a nap.

Tip: Wackym likes to make cornbread the night before. After it cools, break it into small pieces, and place it back into the oven. Let it dry out overnight.

FIND VIDEO featuring more tips from Paul Wackym on lakehighlands.advocatemag.com