Gina Patti isn’t a trained chef, but boy, can she cook. Patti has lived on the Island for 24 years, and has taught at Oak Bluffs School ever since she arrived. “I’m a kindergarten through fourth grade reading specialist,” Patti said.
Patti moved to the Island after she reconnected with her high school sweetheart, who was a chef here. “He died quite young — before my daughter was even born,” Patti said. Though it was tragic, Patti went on to meet and fall in love again. Happily remarried, she and her husband have four children — one is Patti’s biological daughter, and three are her beloved stepchildren: “We’re a big, blended family — with lots of extended family.”
As it is with most wonderful cooks, Patti has always loved food and cooking. “Food was a focal point when I was growing up. Both sides of my family are Italian, and all the stereotypes you can think about Italians are absolutely true,” Patti laughed. Patti’s mom was also in the food business, and worked at a neighborhood bakery. “Anything my parents cooked, I loved. It was all homemade. Sunday was homemade sauce, macaroni and meatballs, which my dad called ‘Italian penicillin.’ Christmas Eve was truly all about the fried fish and all the desserts we had — it was all good.”
Patti’s son, hairstylist Sam Oslyn, who grew up on the Island, was home visiting from NYC and joined us, along with his boyfriend, Scott Bradley. ”I love to cook,” Oslyn said. “I definitely got a refined palate for food growing up eating Gina’s food. And then when you’re young and broke, you realize if you want to eat good food, you probably need to cook it yourself.”
Oslyn’s partner, Bradley, cooks as well but also loves to bake: “I make a lot of breads, cakes, pizza dough, and cookies of different types.” Sounds like a match made in heaven.
For this month’s In the Kitchen with, Patti decided to make fresh tomato sauce on pasta, a zucchini dish, and an orange salad. “I wanted to make something close to my heritage, something in season, and something easy,” Patti said. “I want people to spend more time at the beach than they do cooking.”
Patti has a lush vegetable garden, several happy chickens, and two upbeat dogs. Save for the pasta and oranges, all the ingredients for her summer Sicilian lunch came from her garden. “People can make this with ingredients from their garden, or if they don’t have a garden, from local farmstands,” she said.
We headed out to the garden to collect our ingredients, which included tomatoes, zucchini, parsley, chives, and basil. Once we’d collected the ingredients — and said hi to the chickens — we headed in to prepare the meal.
Patti scored the tomatoes by slicing an “x” on their tops, while Oslyn sliced the zucchini. “You want to just boil the tomatoes enough so their skin falls off,” Patti explained.
Oslyn used a mortar and pestle to grind the herbs. “What I love about having a garden is that it’s kind of like a circle of life,” Oslyn said. “We feed all the scraps to the chickens, and then they create eggs that are delicious. And we use the dirt from the coop for the gardens.”
“It’s like ‘Little House on the Prairie,’” Patti interjected.
“But with the air conditioning,” Oslyn added.
When the tomatoes were parboiled, Patti removed their skins, and put them in a bowl. Bradley and Oslyn then teamed up — Bradley slicing the cooked tomatoes and Oslyn using a larger pestle to mix the ground herbs into the tomatoes. Next Patti took the sliced zucchini and added it to hot olive oil to fry up. When they were done, she drizzled a delicious balsamic she’d made over them. The pasta was put right in the same boiling water the tomatoes had just come out of. “You can use any pasta. I like pasta from Italy,” Patti said.
For the orange salad, Patti cut up oranges into small chunks, and Oslyn sprinkled them with fresh herbs. Then we sat down to feast. Patti, Bradley, and Oslyn set the table and laid out the goods. “I feel like we need a good red wine,” Patti laughed. So what if it was only 10:45 am? Oslyn found a bottle of blush, and we dug in. The meal was fantastic. The pasta and tomatoes were outstanding, comforting, and rich but not heavy. The zucchini was surprisingly light for being fried, and the orange salad was amazingly refreshing.
I didn’t want to leave, but alas, work beckoned. “We’re going to the beach,” Patti said, as I packed up my computer. I was a little jealous, but it pleased me to see this happy, loving blended family — and partners — imbibing in such delicious food together. Plus, Patti walked her talk and did just what she wants our readers to do — get outside and enjoy their summer.
Visit Gina Patti’s Instagram account for yummy food videos and photos at local.living.mv.
Summer Sicilian Lunch
Fresh Sauce
Ammogghui is a Sicilian-American summertime favorite. Ammogghui (Sicilian dialect) means “dipping,” a Sicilian version of chips and salsa. This sauce can also enhance grilled meats, fish, and vegetables, but we have always eaten it on spaghetti. Yield: 4-6 servings.
3 large, ripe tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 fresh basil leaves
sea salt (Maldon flakes)
black pepper, freshly ground
Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of water to boil, and prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.
With a paring knife, cut an “x” into the bottom of each tomato. Put the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and plunge into the ice bath. This will allow the tomatoes to release their skin easier. Peel the tomatoes.
Add one clove of garlic (or more), and a pinch of salt to mortar, and smash together into a paste, or process in a processor. Add the basil leaves, and pound lightly to release the oils and flavor.
Cut the tomatoes in pieces and crush. Add the rest of the tomatoes to the mortar and smash, leaving the tomatoes pulpy.Add the rest of the oil, and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Put the sauce into a glass bowl, cover, and allow the flavors to meld.
Serve over pasta, meat, chicken, fish or anything that could use a delicious, fresh, tomato Sicilian twist!
Zucchini Agrodolce
Yield: 4-6 servings.
3 zucchini, sliced
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
½ cup white wine or balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
Working in batches, cook 3 sliced zucchini in ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet until golden, 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter; season with salt. Discard all but 1 tablespoon oil from the skillet; add 3 crushed garlic cloves, and cook until sizzling. Add ½ cup white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook until syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour over the zucchini. Top with chopped parsley.
Simple Orange Salad
Yield: 4-6 servings.
4-6 medium oranges, preferably a mixture of oranges (blood, navel, Cara Cara)
5 scallions, or a bunch of chives
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Optional: Sun-dried tomatoes, fennel, capers
Peel and cut the oranges in half, and remove any pith from the center. Cut into small, bite-size segments. Place segments in a bowl. Slice scallions (or chives), and add to the oranges. Add salt and fresh black pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over the salad. Toss gently to combine. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with Italian bread.
