On July 4, 1909, Domenic and Caterina LeRose married in Caccurri, Italy, and later settled in Boomer. This weekend, their descendants gather in Charleston to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the couple's wedding.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- On July 4, 1909, Domenic and Caterina LeRose married in Caccurri, Italy, and later settled in Boomer. This weekend, their descendants gather in Charleston to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the couple's wedding. To commemorate the century mark, their surviving children and grandchildren compiled a cookbook of family favorites, "In My Nonnie's Kitchen."
Domenic was just 17 years old when he came to the United States and worked in the West Virginia coal mines and sent money home to his parents in Italy. He returned to his village and married his sweetheart Caterina, but left again to earn money for her passage to America.
Five years later, she joined him in Boomer, with their son Michael in tow, said Rose Franciose of St. Albans, who is the 11th of the 12 children the LeRoses raised.
"When she arrived at the Montgomery train station at 4 a.m., there was an Italian community band there to serenade her," Franciose said. "Boomer was loaded with Italians."
All 12 children grew to adulthood. Ten married and had families of their own. Five of the nine sons served in World War II and returned safely home. Four of the 12 children live today. Domenic and Caterina died in the early 1960s.
Domenic and his oldest son, Mike, built the LeRose family restaurant adjacent to the family home in the late 1930s. When World War II broke out and Mike left to serve, Domenic retired from the mines and took his place in the restaurant. Caterina cooked, and their children worked in the restaurant serving American fare such as barbecue, hot dogs with chili and slaw and hamburgers.
Caterina dished up her Italian family favorites on Sundays when the restaurant was closed. Franciose learned to make her mother's spaghetti sauce and meatballs, chicken cacciatora, eggplant parmigiana and her pietas and pizellis.
When her niece Becky LeRose Simpson requested recipes to include in a family cookbook she was compiling, Franciose shared the sauce, meatball and cacciatora recipes. Other siblings and their offspring sent family recipes as well as newer dishes, sampled over the years at reunions and at each other's homes.
"I love to cook and I collect cookbooks. I always had a real desire to preserve some of the recipes from the LeRose family," said Simpson, who lives in Kentucky, but grew up in St. Albans. "I wanted to pass them down to our children."
"The cookbook is a great mix of grandmother's recipes, her restaurant recipes and new ones that have become traditions."
Franciose, who raised three children in St. Albans with her late husband, Fred, still cooks a family meal on Sundays.
"I make spaghetti and meatballs, salad and dessert. The grandkids love it," she said. "I used to make the noodles, but I've slacked off."
The LeRoses haven't had a big reunion since the early 1990s, Franciose said, when the clan gathered for a three-day affair at her brother Toney's estate in Virginia. Her brother John commissioned the production of 200 coins with his parents' portrait on one side and their 12 children's names on the other. Each one was numbered and given to family members.
"I'm number 13," Franciose said. She still has a bottle of wine with her parents' portrait on the front. The children of her oldest brother, Mike, and his wife, Lillian, organized this reunion. About 150 of the 225 direct descendents of Domenic and Caterina will be on hand.
Franciose baked pizellis and biscotti last week for the family members she knows will be dropping by this week. If they're wise, they won't insult her by refusing a cookie. Like her mother before her, she likes for her guests to eat.
"She was a typical Italian mother. She liked to feed people," Franciose said. "She was such a kind and gentle person."
Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.
Michael's Italian Bruschetta
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
6-8 basil leaves, chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt to taste
1 loaf baguette, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, peeled
MIX all tomatoes, onion, oil, vinegar, basil, chopped garlic and salt at least half an hour before serving.
TOAST baguette slices. Rub each toasted slice with the garlic clove while the slices are still hot.
LET slices cool.
TOP each slice with a spoonful of tomato mixture and serve immediately.
Grandma LeRose's Hot Dog Chili
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon paprika
1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
SAUTE onion in oil until lightly browned.
ADD beef and stir until browned.
ADD chili and paprika.
ADD enough tomato paste and water to make a medium-thick sauce.
COOK 45 minutes on low heat.
Eggplant Parmigiana
2 eggplants (about 1 pound each)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
Flour
Bread crumbs
Parmigiana or Romano cheese, grated
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Basic tomato sauce (recipe follows)
PREPARE basic tomato sauce
WASH, peel and slice eggplants 1/4-inch thick.
COMBINE eggs and milk in bowl.
DIP eggplant slices in flour, then in egg and milk mixture.
COOK in a large skillet eggplant slices in hot oil until golden on both sides. Eggplant will absorb oil rapidly; add oil gradually as needed.
DRAIN fried slices on paper towels.
SPREAD tomato sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish to keep eggplant from sticking.
LAYER eggplant slices on top of sauce. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese. Add sauce.
REPEAT layers until all the cooked eggplant is used.
SPRINKLE Mozzarella cheese on top.
Bake at 370 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Basic Tomato Sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large can pureed tomatoes
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- On July 4, 1909, Domenic and Caterina LeRose married in Caccurri, Italy, and later settled in Boomer. This weekend, their descendants gather in Charleston to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the couple's wedding. To commemorate the century mark, their surviving children and grandchildren compiled a cookbook of family favorites, "In My Nonnie's Kitchen."
Domenic was just 17 years old when he came to the United States and worked in the West Virginia coal mines and sent money home to his parents in Italy. He returned to his village and married his sweetheart Caterina, but left again to earn money for her passage to America.
Five years later, she joined him in Boomer, with their son Michael in tow, said Rose Franciose of St. Albans, who is the 11th of the 12 children the LeRoses raised.
"When she arrived at the Montgomery train station at 4 a.m., there was an Italian community band there to serenade her," Franciose said. "Boomer was loaded with Italians."
All 12 children grew to adulthood. Ten married and had families of their own. Five of the nine sons served in World War II and returned safely home. Four of the 12 children live today. Domenic and Caterina died in the early 1960s.
Domenic and his oldest son, Mike, built the LeRose family restaurant adjacent to the family home in the late 1930s. When World War II broke out and Mike left to serve, Domenic retired from the mines and took his place in the restaurant. Caterina cooked, and their children worked in the restaurant serving American fare such as barbecue, hot dogs with chili and slaw and hamburgers.
Caterina dished up her Italian family favorites on Sundays when the restaurant was closed. Franciose learned to make her mother's spaghetti sauce and meatballs, chicken cacciatora, eggplant parmigiana and her pietas and pizellis.
When her niece Becky LeRose Simpson requested recipes to include in a family cookbook she was compiling, Franciose shared the sauce, meatball and cacciatora recipes. Other siblings and their offspring sent family recipes as well as newer dishes, sampled over the years at reunions and at each other's homes.
"I love to cook and I collect cookbooks. I always had a real desire to preserve some of the recipes from the LeRose family," said Simpson, who lives in Kentucky, but grew up in St. Albans. "I wanted to pass them down to our children."
"The cookbook is a great mix of grandmother's recipes, her restaurant recipes and new ones that have become traditions."
Franciose, who raised three children in St. Albans with her late husband, Fred, still cooks a family meal on Sundays.
"I make spaghetti and meatballs, salad and dessert. The grandkids love it," she said. "I used to make the noodles, but I've slacked off."
The LeRoses haven't had a big reunion since the early 1990s, Franciose said, when the clan gathered for a three-day affair at her brother Toney's estate in Virginia. Her brother John commissioned the production of 200 coins with his parents' portrait on one side and their 12 children's names on the other. Each one was numbered and given to family members.
"I'm number 13," Franciose said. She still has a bottle of wine with her parents' portrait on the front. The children of her oldest brother, Mike, and his wife, Lillian, organized this reunion. About 150 of the 225 direct descendents of Domenic and Caterina will be on hand.
Franciose baked pizellis and biscotti last week for the family members she knows will be dropping by this week. If they're wise, they won't insult her by refusing a cookie. Like her mother before her, she likes for her guests to eat.
"She was a typical Italian mother. She liked to feed people," Franciose said. "She was such a kind and gentle person."
Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.
Michael's Italian Bruschetta
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
6-8 basil leaves, chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt to taste
1 loaf baguette, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, peeled
MIX all tomatoes, onion, oil, vinegar, basil, chopped garlic and salt at least half an hour before serving.
TOAST baguette slices. Rub each toasted slice with the garlic clove while the slices are still hot.
LET slices cool.
TOP each slice with a spoonful of tomato mixture and serve immediately.
Grandma LeRose's Hot Dog Chili
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon paprika
1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
SAUTE onion in oil until lightly browned.
ADD beef and stir until browned.
ADD chili and paprika.
ADD enough tomato paste and water to make a medium-thick sauce.
COOK 45 minutes on low heat.
Eggplant Parmigiana
2 eggplants (about 1 pound each)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
Flour
Bread crumbs
Parmigiana or Romano cheese, grated
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Basic tomato sauce (recipe follows)
PREPARE basic tomato sauce
WASH, peel and slice eggplants 1/4-inch thick.
COMBINE eggs and milk in bowl.
DIP eggplant slices in flour, then in egg and milk mixture.
COOK in a large skillet eggplant slices in hot oil until golden on both sides. Eggplant will absorb oil rapidly; add oil gradually as needed.
DRAIN fried slices on paper towels.
SPREAD tomato sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish to keep eggplant from sticking.
LAYER eggplant slices on top of sauce. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese. Add sauce.
REPEAT layers until all the cooked eggplant is used.
SPRINKLE Mozzarella cheese on top.
Bake at 370 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Basic Tomato Sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large can pureed tomatoes
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Dash of pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon basil
BROWN onion and garlic in oil
ADD pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, water and all other ingredients.
SIMMER uncovered for an hour until thickened.
Chicken Cacciatora
Serves 4 to 6.
3 pounds chicken, cut into serving pieces
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup oil
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 large green pepper, slice lengthwise
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
SPRINKLE chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste.
ROLL lightly in flour.
BROWN on both sides in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes.
BLEND together tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, pepper strips and oregano.
ADD to browned chicken and cover tightly.
COOK slowly over medium low heat for about 45 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
ADD sliced mushrooms and cook 10 minutes longer.
Tiramisu
5 cups strong, cold espresso coffee
32 Italian ladyfingers
5 egg yolks
10 tablespoons sugar
1 pound mascarpone cheese
1-2 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
POUR cold coffee into a large pie plate. Dip 16 of the ladyfingers very quickly into the coffee, and line the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch pan with the ladyfingers.
WHISK the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until frothy. Add the mascarpone and wine, and blend until smooth.
IN ANOTHER BOWL, whisk the cream until stiff and fold into mascarpone mixture until well blended and smooth.
LAYER half of the mixture on the ladyfingers.
DIP the remaining ladyfingers quickly into the coffee, arrange another layer of them over the cheese mixture and top with remaining cheese mixture.
COVER with plastic wrap and chill at least 6 hours.
BEFORE SERVING, dust the entire surface with cocoa powder.
Orange Almond Biscotti
Makes 24 cookies
3/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large orange
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
HEAT oven to 350 degrees.
TOAST the almonds until golden brown. Cool.
RESET oven to 325 degrees.
CREAM butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs until smooth.
ZEST orange and add zest to mixture, stirring well.
ADD orange-flavored liqueur and cinnamon.
MIX in flour, baking powder and salt. Beat just until mixed. Stir in sliced almonds.
DIVIDE dough in half on floured surface and form into long rolls about 2 inches in diameter and 11 inches long.
SET the rolls on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until brown on top.
REMOVE cookie sheet from oven and let the rolls cool for five minutes, then slice diagonally, about 1/2 inch thick.
PLACE slices on cookie sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.
FLIP slices and bake another 10 minutes.
COOL on wire racks.
STORE in airtight container.
Post a comment
Thresa Ferris Oliverio