Over
the years we all make friends. Outside of family, our friendships start the
first day of school. I am fortunate that my mom saved many of my group class
pictures and I can remember most of those boys and girls as friends. I look at
my kindergarten class picture and pick out friends I had all through grade school
and some even lasting through high school. It’s rare, but it happens that we
form lifetime relationships and friendships. In college, I met two of my very
best friends, Jim and Kathy Manchester. After over 40 years, our friendship is
still strong. I have no doubt that that friendship will last our lifetimes.
However, what are even rarer are friendships that transcend generations.
In
an earlier blog, I introduced you to my Godfather, Salvatore Imbraguglio.
Compadre Terry, as he was affectionately referred, was born in Cefalu, Sicily.
He immigrated to the United States, via New Orleans, around the turn of the 20th
century. How he got to Chicago I do not know. The story I got from my mom on
how he became acquainted with the family was pretty ordinary. My grandparents
lived at 1107 South Racine. Salvatore was moving into 1105, right next door
when my grandfather, Dan, saw him carrying his furniture and just began helping
him. Thus began a friendship between the two families that has lasted nearly
100 years.
The
Purciarello’s and the Imbra’s (Imbraguglio was shortened to Imbra) became fast
friends. Compadre Terry’s wife’s name was Ida, also affectionately known as
Compadre Ida. (Just as an aside, Compadre Ida was born in the United States,
but when she married Salvatore, she lost her citizenship and to reapply for it
as an alien. Fortunately, our immigration laws have changed.) They had four
sons, Anthony (Nino), Mariano (Marty), John and Salvatore (J R). It’s hard to
describe the relationships between the two families because for me I have known
them all my life. My Aunt Ang was godmother to one of the boys; Compadre Ida
was godmother to one of my aunts. My mother chose Compadre Ida sister’s Rose,
as her sponsor for Confirmation. Marty was an usher at my parents’ wedding and
Compadre Terry became my godfather. My mother’s best childhood friend, Marge
Bongiorno married Nino. And my cousin Dan’s wife, Eleanor, was chosen godmother
for Marty’s daughter, Ida. It’s the Catholic religion that reinforced the
relationships between the two families. My generation is friends with the third
generation of Imbra’s.
I
just found out that John, one of four sons of Salvatore and Ida passed
away. John was a minor league
ballplayer. He is pictured here with
Rocky Marciano, an Italian-American profession fighter. It’s to John that I
dedicate this story
For
this entry, I have chosen Chicken Marsala. Marsala wine is produced in Sicily,
the home of my godfather, Salvatore. Marsala wine was traditionally served as
an aperitif between
the first and second courses of a meal. Contemporary diners will serve it
chilled with Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and
other spicy cheeses, with fruits or pastries, or at room temperature as a dessert wine.[ Marsala
wine is frequently used in cooking, and is especially prevalent in
Italian restaurants in the United States. A typical Marsala sauce, for example,
involves reducing the wine almost
to a syrup with onions or shallots, then
adding mushrooms and herbs. One of
the most popular Marsala recipes is chicken Marsala, in
which flour-coated pounded chicken breast halves are braised in a
mixture of Marsala, butter, olive oil, mushrooms, and spices.[11] Marsala
is also used in some risotto recipes, and is used to produce rich
Italian desserts such as zabaglione.
Enjoy
CHICKEN MARSALA
4
boneless chicken breasts, about 5 – 6 ounces each
½
cup of flour
½
teaspoon salt
½
teaspoon pepper
1
tbs. olive oil
½
cup Marsala wine
½
cup chicken stock
Juice
of 1 lemon
½
cup sliced mushrooms
1. Pound chicken breasts
between two sheets of plastic wrap to about ¼ inch.
2. Mix flour, salt and pepper
in a shallow dish and coat chicken on both sides
3. Heat oil in large skillet
and place chicken on both sides and quickly brown on both sides. Remove chicken and place aside.
4. Add the Marsala wine and
scrap bottom of skillet and heat for 2 minutes.
5. Add chick stock, lemon and
mushrooms, stir and over a low heat cook for about 10 minutes or until sauce is
partially reduced.
6. Return browned chicken to
skillet, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done.
7. Serve on a platter and pour
all the sauce over the chicken
