Fabulously fast fettuccine, herbs go to the freezer, a sweet onion sandwich, and bubbling wines - includes recipes

Sunset, May, 1995 by Jerry Anee Di Vecchio

Surprisingly, most good cooks - even the most talented professionals - don't feel they cook much differently from anyone else. But as someone who has spent years watching all kinds of cooks at work, I know that decisions, often unspoken, at each step make the difference. I've learned to be very inquiring about look, smell, taste, and texture, all critical to recreating a dish in the image of the original.

Fettuccine alla Norcina is a perfect example. It is served at L'Opera on Pine Avenue in Long Beach, California - a city that has regained vitality to match its waterfront setting after long years of stagnation.

The fettuccine was among several dishes on the menu that caught my eye one busy evening. I later called the team of chefs - Stefano Colaiacomo, Luis Lopes, and Donna Woo - and asked them to share a few recipes. Since restaurant dishes are usually designed to be made one serving at a time, recipes invariably need retooling for home kitchens. But first, the ingredients and steps must be reviewed.

The L'Opera chefs make their pastas fresh, so I asked how they would feel if I suggested purchased fresh pasta as an alternative. No problem, they said, but be sure not to overcook it.

I knew we had a dish that would be great for the harried home cooks among us when they said to put the pasta water on to boil before you start the sauce.

How do they make the sauce? Exact proportions aren't really important. It's the way in which the ingredients are treated. The sausages are browned just enough to develop flavor instead of being cooked through. Garlic is subtle in this dish. It's cooked just until golden; less time and the taste will be harsh, more and it will be bitter and scorched. How much mild red pepper to use? Enough to give a mellow taste, but be sure the peppers are skinned and cut in thin slivers. How much white wine? Enough to cover the pan bottom. And so it goes with each ingredient and each step. When it came to the cream - the recipe calls for at least a cup per person - I asked the chefs if they would mind if I also gave a less rich alternative. Of course not, they assured me, if it tastes good. I served the cream and the milk versions side by side in our test kitchen, and my cohorts had to taste each several times to decide which was which. Some tasters actually liked the milk-based sauce best.

So what is the secret to being a good cook? Knowing when enough is neither too much nor too little - and remembering that good cooking takes patience, practice, and an observing eye.

BACK TO BASICS

Freezing herb leaves

When fresh herbs wither before I've had time to use them, my wee bit of Scottish heritage comes to the fore and torments me about waste - especially since staff writer Christine Hale proved that a little forethought and the freezer can save them. She has explored the ways to preserve herbs for freshest flavor and found that freezing works best. In blind tastes of dishes using the herbs, most of us couldn't tell the difference between fresh and frozen. Here's how to freeze:

Step 1. Rinse herbs and let drain until dry.

Tough-leaf herbs such as rosemary and thyme change little when thawed. Freeze on the stem, or strip off leaves for more compact storage.

Hardy parsley and chives are best chopped or snipped before freezing. Thawed, they are a little limp but still have lots of flavor and color.

Moderately firm-leaf marjoram and oregano darken when thawed; freeze on the stem or freeze just the leaves.

Tender-leaf herbs such as basil, sage, summer savory, and tarragon get black and limp when they thaw - no problem if you're adding them to cooked mixtures (to measure, crumble frozen leaves). But if color is important (as in a pesto sauce), you can retain most of it - as well as the flavor - if you blanch the leaves before freezing: immerse them in boiling water just until they turn a brighter green, 2 to 3 seconds. Immediately plunge leaves into ice water and let stand until cold; drain. Spread leaves out on towels and blot to dry.

Step 2. Lay herbs in 1 layer on baking sheets, keeping pieces slightly apart (spread cut parsley or chives in a thin layer). Freeze on pans just until herbs are rigid, about an hour.

Step 3. Quickly pour frozen herbs into small freezer plastic bags, press out air, seal, and return to the freezer.

To rise: Pour herbs you need from bag, reseal, and return the rest to the freezer immediately. You can freeze herbs up to a year, but flavor falls off with the duration of storage.

GREAT INGREDIENT

Fresh sweet onions

Fresh sweet onions are the province of spring and summer - and a joy to my onion-loving household. These onions taste sweet because they contain more water and sugar than the other ones. They are mild, too, because they have fewer sulfur compounds, which make other onions taste hot and also make your eyes sting and tear. And they're very juicy, which makes them quite perishable; refrigerate (separating with paper towels) if you don't plan to use them within a few days.

Domestic fresh sweet onions surface at the market in April and last into August. They're grown in many places - usually indicated by their name. Most are white fleshed - Maui, Walla Walla, Vidalia, Texas 1015 Super-Sweet, California Imperial, and New Mexico Carzalia - except for one red from Fresno County called Fresno. Sweet Red.