Terry Sciabica makes Gemma Sciabica’s generational Italian meatballs recipe.
Sciabica family
The holiday season is all about giving — or so they say — and Modesto Bee readers gave us their favorite recipes to share with you.
We invited readers to submit recipes for their favorite dishes served on holidays or at group gatherings. The responses ranged from Italian classics to side dishes and even a recipe used for gift giving.
Here are some ideas to bring to your own table:
Gemma Sciabica’s Italian Meatballs
Andrew and Terry Sciabica, of Modesto’s 88-year-old Sciabica’s California Olive Oil, submitted to The Bee Gemma Sciabica’s Italian meatball recipe. Gemma Sciabica has crafted olive oil recipes for the family business for decades and has five printed cookbooks.
Her meatball recipe has been passed down multiple generations and is a staple in the family’s household.
“This recipe often finds its way to the Sciabica family’s pasta Sunday dinner table,” Terry Sciabica said. “It’s a cozy comfort dish that is not only nostalgic but a crowd pleaser as well.
How to make it:
Ingredients
1/2 pound lean, ground pork or lamb
1/2 pound ground veal or turkey (no skin)
1/2 pound lean, ground beef
2-3 slices Italian bread
1/2 cup fresh basil and/or parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated
3/4 cup provolone, shredded
Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
1 egg and 1 egg white
1/3 cup Sciabica’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons fennel or anise seeds
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup raisins or currants
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves
4 green onions (white part) chopped
Directions
1. Soak bread in water.
2. Squeeze water out and crumble bread into a mixing bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except oil. Mix very lightly until well blended.
4. Form into meatballs of the desired size. Pressing the mixture too tightly will make the meatballs too firm.
5. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add meatballs. Cook until brown on all sides. The meatballs may have to be cooked in two batches over medium heat.
6. Add the meatballs to gravy, soups, stews, meat pies, etc. Note: Meatballs may also be added to gravies and soups raw, to be cooked with the gravy or soup.
Other cooking variations: Meatballs may be rolled in flour on a baking sheet. Remove excess flour. Meatballs may be baked on a greased baking sheet in a 375-degree oven. Drizzle with oil and bake until golden brown for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size. Turn meatballs around halfway through baking. If serving meatballs only, dip in lightly beaten egg white, then roll in flavored bread crumbs all around, bake or cook in a skillet.
Terry Sciabica, of Modesto, makes a family Italian meatball recipe. The recipe is made often at Sciabica family pasta Sunday dinners. Sciabica family Walnut Pasta
Another recipe from the Sciabica family is a family favorite during the holidays: walnut pasta.
“Many of our guests are skeptical at first, but one taste of our walnut pasta quickly produces smiles,” Terry Sciabica said. “We often enjoy this deliciously simple dish on Christmas Eve.”
How to make it:
Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti noodles
3/4 cup sourdough bread (cubed) or bread crumbs
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup Sciabica’s Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup grated Italian cheese (Pecorino Romano)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 cup pasta water
Directions
1. Blend bread in a food processor. Add walnuts and blend until well chopped.
2. Add 1/8 cup Sciabica’s Garlic EVOO to a pan on medium heat. Once olive oil is warm, add bread/walnut mixture. Fry until golden brown then set aside.
3. Boil salted water. Cook spaghetti per package directions. Drain pasta. Be sure to save 1/2 cup of the pasta water. “Pasta water is a great addition,” Terry Sciabica said. “The salty, starchy water not only adds flavor but helps glue the pasta and sauce together.”
4. Combine pasta and bread/walnut mixture. Add parsley and cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.
5. Plate an individual serving, then garnish with more parsley and add cheese to taste.
Walnut pasta is a Sciabica family favorite during the holidays. Sciabica family Grandma Crocco’s Torte di Riso
Leslie Shaw Klinger of Modesto submitted her family’s recipe for torte de riso, an Italian rice cake that can be made sweet or savory.
Klinger said she grew up with her mother’s family — including her grandmother Rose Bernini Crocco and grandfather Angelo Crocco — who are all from Northern Italy. This savory recipe was a staple on the family table for Christmas, along with ravioli or other pasta dishes accompanied by her grandmother’s special sauce.
“The tradition of including our native foods was so integrated into my culture that I did not know ‘regular American kids’ didn’t have this stuff for holidays,” Shaw Klinger said. “Today I am the last Bernini/Crocco woman in Modesto and have no one to hand on these recipes to so I share it with all of you. Buon Natale.”
How to make it:
Ingredients
1 pint ricotta cheese
4 large eggs
1 pound dry, grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups Arborio white, short-grain rice
2 tablespoons dry parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Make the rice following the directions of the package and set aside.
2. Saute parsley and garlic with butter and olive oil. Mix with rice and let the mixture cool.
3. Beat the eggs and fold into the cool rice mixture.
4. Add the ricotta cheese. “Squeeze the moisture out of the cheese before you add it in, as Nona would say,” Shaw Klinger added.
5. Add Parmesan cheese.
6. Grease a 9-by-13 baking dish with extra virgin olive oil. Spread the mixture into the dish and sprinkle the top with olive oil.
7. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When it is cooled, cut it into squares.
Devonshire corn is a hearty, simple side dish. Modesto Bee file Devonshire Corn
Modesto Bee local news editor Deke Farrow shares his recipe for a corn side dish passed down by his mother, Liv Farrow.
How to make it:
Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 10-ounce packages of frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of each: nutmeg, cayenne pepper and white pepper
Directions
1. Mix milk and flour together
2. Combine corn, butter, cream, milk and flour mixture and seasonings in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for five to seven minutes.
Christmas Jam
Before becoming The Modesto Bee’s business reporter, Dominique Williams owned a small business called Jam, That’s Good!
This recipe was one of her seasonal sells at local markets and events. Williams said it makes a great gift, too.
Ingredients
4 cups fresh cranberries
4 cups diced strawberries
3 cups granulated sugar
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
1. Combine cranberries, strawberries, sugar, orange zest and orange juice in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until cranberries pop and mixture has thickened.
3. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook for an additional five minutes.
4. Let jam cool a bit before transferring into sterilized jars. Refrigerate jars for immediate use, or process in a water bath to make them shelf stable.
Loading…
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 6:00 PM.
Maria Luisa Figueroa
The Modesto Bee
Reporter Maria Luisa Figueroa covers the local economy, including trends in retail, employment and local spending. She is a Modesto native and attended San Francisco State University.
.jpg)
Dominique Williams
The Modesto Bee
Dominique Williams writes about new business, restaurant and retail developments for The Modesto Bee. She is a Ripon native and a graduate of Sacramento State.
Dining and Cooking