The MidCity Advocate 01-29-2025

Nana’s meatballs have a surprising ingredient

DeEtte Montalbano wrote last week to share her 97-yearold mother’smeatballrecipe.

“She’sSicilian,” Montalbano said. “And good luck making the meatballs. My sisterand I hadtowatch her for years.” At that point, Ididn’tunderstand what could be confusing about ameatball recipe. Then Ilooked at the recipe. It calls for at least two cups of water In the ground beef. Ihad never heard of such “What makesthem so tender is thewater,” Montalbano said “I just put the bowl underthe sink and turn the water on.You don’twant it drippy,for sure, but it’salmost soggy.It’smore than you think it should be.”

She then explained thather husband is the one who typically fries their family’smeatballs.

“Some people drop them in the gravy raw.Some people bake them, but there’snothing like frying them,” she said She was talking to me from her car as her husband, Mike Montalbano, drove.

In the background, he said, “Tell her that you don’thaveto cook them through when you fry them. They can finish cooking in thegravy.”

“The gravy?” Iasked.

“Weput them in our gravy. It’sared sauce, but in Sicily, we call that gravy,” Montalbano said. “It’salabor of love.”

Mike Montalbano explained that he was the one who does the frying of the meatballs.

“If you’re going to try these, you need to know that there is so much water in them that you’llhave to change the oil out after every couple of batches,” he said. “It’salabor of love.”

His wife told me that they’ve been married for 52 years. She went on to explainthat her mom, Rita Crifasi, is still “sharp as atack” and now lives with them.

“She remembers what she wore to afifth grade birthday party,” DeEtte Montalbano said. “I’m 72 years old andstill have amother telling me what todo. She’sstill got her mind, but her legs don’twork.”

DeEtte Montalbano said they prepare “gourmet meals” for her mom every night —and takethem to her on atray

“Wehave always calledher ‘Queen,’” she said.

The Montalbanos suggested that, as Iwas preparing the meatballs, to have ascotch and toast her mom.

ä See THE DISH, page 3G

Cook-a-Thon Stir Fry

Serves 2(scaleupasneeded —worksbest in batches when feeding acrowd).Recipe is from Jamie Oliver

1tablespoon cooking oil

Handful of chopped green onions, juliennedfresh ginger,thin slicedgarlic, small jalapeño

4fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced ½red bell pepper, thinly sliced 6ouncesthin slicedraw beef 2teaspoons honey

Learntomakecelebrity chef JamieOliver’sstirfry,with carrot saladonthe side

BY APRIL HAMILTON| Contributing writer

Saying yes to amove to Baton Rouge in the spring of 2016 is among my life’svictories. We were drowning in snow after 24 delightful years inWest Virginia, andmyhusband had agreat job offer here. He and Ivisited Louisianatogether at the peak of Chamber of Commerce weather while fresh strawberries perfumed the air

Sign me up!

Our moving van, stuffed with decades of possessions, arrived to unload duringthe August 2016 flood. We stepped out into the community to assist with cleanup, and alocal business owner asked me if Ihad ajob yet. My instant answer was, “I’m going to see which way my compass points.”

When Ileft West Virginia, Iwas afreshly minted“Food Revolution Hero/Ambassador of Change,”per the award-winning English celebrity chef Jamie Oliver who had an extended stay inthe state. His goal of improving the health of the community would bemadesustainable by thelocals continuing his mission of providing scratch-cooked meals in the schools and offering cooking classes around theclock in makeshift kitchens around town.The process was documented in Jamie Oliver’s“Food Revolution,” adocuseries that aired on ABC.

Icleared my calendar to catch afront-row seat to the action. Astreet that runs through thecenter of Huntington, West Virginia —home of Marshall University—hosted the cook-athon where 1,000 people cooked in shifts, making an ultra-simple, flavorful dish. Anyone familiar with Jamie Oliverwould recognizethis type of taskas“easy-peasy” and simultaneously packedwith delicious ingredients thatcan make adish in a snap. Organizers set up end-to-end banquet tables with individual propane burners that were topped with awok and achopping board withthe ingredients —asection of prepped aromatics, a handfulofcolorful veggies,some thinly sliced beef and abowl of noodles which would ultimately serve as the landing spot for the finished dish. Oliver announced from his stage in the center of the 50 or so workstations exactly how to prepare a

2tablespoonssoy sauce

Cooked noodles (angel hair or somen, cooked and cooled —leftovers are great, about ahandful perperson)

Lime wedges and fresh cilantro for serving

1. Heat the oilinawok or largeskilletovermedium-high heat. Swirl the pan to spread out the oil whichwill thin out as it heats.

2. Add the aromatic green onion, ginger,garlic, and jalapeño and cook for 1minute.

3. Push to the side and add the mushroomsand bell pepper, continuing to cook for aminute or two to soften.

4. Push this to theside(or if minimal room is available in your pan, scoop it out to make room for the beef).

5. Add the beef and stir fry for one minute or until no longer pink.

6. Drizzle in thehoney and soy sauce and stir together to lightly glaze the mixture.

7. Add the noodlesand cook and stir just until they are heated.

8. Transfer to twowarmed bowls and garnish each with a squeeze of limeand somehandtorn cilantro sprigs.

I’msoglad it’sback

DookyChase’s reopenshistoricupstairsdiningroom

BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer

DodieSmith-Sim-

mons is oneofthe Freedom Riders, ahero of the Civil Rights Movement. She stepped into thesmall upstairs dining room at Dooky Chase’s Restauranton Monday evening with afeeling of bothjoy and reverence.

“This is where it happened,” she said.“When people come, now theycan see it, I’m so glad it’s back.”

Dooky Chase’sRestaurant is known for its Creole cuisine, for traditionsthat span generations, and for its role in the Civil Rights Movement. Key momentsinthat history transpired in the upstairs diningroom, aplacewhere activists, attorneys and allies could meet to strategize.

Now,a physical manifestation of that history has beenbrought back and given new life, all with an eye very much toward the present.

Twelfth Night, Jan. 6, is the birthday of the late LeahChase, thecelebrated chef and matriarchofthe restaurant family.She would’ve been102 this year.Her family chose the day to unveil the newly renovatedupstairs dining room. The spacewill serve as aprivate dining roomfor the restaurant,available for eventsand specialdinners. Edgar“Dook” Chase IV,one of the restaurant’s operators, said it will be “a chef’s playground,” with specially curated menus tailoredtoeach gathering. It might be the mostcommunity-mindedofprivate dining rooms,and it is much more than arestaurant amenity.The Chase family worked closely withNew Orleans artists Ron Bechetand AyoScott, as well as students from Xavier University’sart program, to envision anew design within its four walls.

The resultisaspace that feels like an art installation and astorytellingtool as much as ahospitality venue.

“Wehonor the people who inspired that room, but it’sabout people today seeing themselves in that room,”said Stella Reese Chase, daughterofLeah Chase.

“We’re amulti-generation family restaurant, and we have multigenerational customers,” she said.“We felt it was important to connect the generations here. We felt we needed to give this back to our community.”

DOOKY CHASE’S RESTAURANT

2301Orleans Ave ,(504) 821-0535 Lunch Tue.-Fri., dinner Fri., Sat.

Rising to themoment

Opened in 1941, Dooky Chase’s evolved from aneighborhood jointintoadestination restaurant, aplace for importantdinners and social gatheringsinthe Black community duringthe segregationera.

By the 1950s, with the Civil Rights Movement gaining ground in New Orleans, the restaurant also became ameeting place for activists and civic leaders, both Black and White. Such gatherings defied segregation laws. The police didn’t intervene, though the Chase family did receive threatening notes, and apipe bomb was once hurled at the restaurant.

“Theywere brave,” SmithSimmons said. “They were putting their businessonthe line and their livesand the safety of their family.But theydid what was right insteadoffollowing the law of the land at the time.”

Groups packedinto the upstairs dining room for planning sessions, while restaurant staff shuttled food up the narrow staircase.

One of the groups that frequently used the space was the Congress of Racial Equality,whose leaders, including Oretha Castle Haley, Jerome Smith and Rudy Lombard, developed peaceful protest campaigns here.

“They’d go out in thestreets, they would go to jail, they did what

they had to do, but first they ate with us,” Leah Chase said in a2016 interview

The restaurant hosted and nourished, and it also provided asafe place for people to convene, arole it would continue over generations.

As the restaurant evolved through successive renovations, the second floor’s use changed, including stints as an office and storage for the restaurant’s art collection. But its significance was never forgotten by the family

It was Edgar Chase III, Leah Chase’sson, who championed the project to bring it back. He died in February at age 74, knowing the work was well in hand. The rest of the family carried the project to completion.

Designed to inspire

Today,the upstairs dining room has the same scale and contours as before, while anewly installed elevator makes it more accessible. The room juts out of the restaurant roofline like asmall tower,orthe hump on acamelback house. It’snot alarge space, with seating for perhaps three dozen people.

“It’sthe smallest footprint with the largest legacy,” said Tracie Haydel Griffin, agranddaughter of Leah Chase andone of the restaurant operators. The redesigned space today is

rich with symbolism, from the magnolia pattern of the wallpaper (Leah Chase’sfavorite bloom) to landmark civil rights achievements written on the steps rising to the room

Those stairs lead to one mural of the Chase family,with some represented in shadows and symbols, signifying that another generation is always coming behind the last. Another mural stretches across half of one wall, depicting meetings that happenedhere. Asmall video displayatthe entrance plays ashort documentary with interviews of people who were part of the room’s history

Perhaps no aspect is more important to the Chase family than mirrors positioned on the walls. Visitors can see themselvesin the room, and at some angles within the murals of faces from the past. It brings apowerful metaphor to life.

“When you’re in that room,you think about how it was everyday people who saw what needed to change and playedtheir role,” said Dook Chase.

“I want people to get inspired, Iwant them to think. Ican see myself with the people who satin those chairs. We want people to see themselves as the next wave moving forward.”

Email IanMcNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

Carrot Salad

Serves 1, scaleupasnecessary*. Thehumble carrotisthe unsung hero of the produce drawer. They keep for weeks, readytojazzupany mealasanourishing colorful side dish. Peel, grate and dress.

1medium carrot, peeled and gratedonthe large holesofa box grater*

1teaspoon sesame oil

2teaspoons soysauce

1teaspoon rice vinegar

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. Place the gratedcarrot in amedium bowl.

2. Toss with the sesame oil, soy sauce,

STIR FRY

Continued from page1G

stir fry in less time than ittakes to order takeout.

“Get the wok ripping hot,drizzle in a bit of oil and chuck in thearomatics,”he said.

Oliver continued to tell the crowdwhat to add when, and then he instructed us to plate it up and pose for aphoto before diving in with chopsticks. Istuck around Huntingtonfor the duration of Jamie’s residency,embracing themoniker Ambas-

andrice vinegar to lightly dress.

3. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and enjoy *If making abigger batch of carrot salad, let the food processor do the work. The shredding blade works wonders for carrots. Make extra —it’sgreat for days. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for uptofive days.

sadorofChange withmynewspaper column, morning news cooking spots, speaking engagements, acooking class kitchen andacookbook Iwrote.

Thesnow chased me from theplace Ihad called home for 24 years. Baton Rougebeckoned with warm weather,the friendliest people and ayear-round farmers market. It may have taken me afew years and somewild detours to figure out which way my compasspoints,but Ihave found myplace. Icall it landing in the bull’seye. Iam thrilled to share my thoughts andrecipes here in amonthly column and hope you will cook along.

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Nana’sMeatballs

4pounds ground round beef (equals about 40 meatballs) 10 largeeggs (mayneed to add 2more) 6-8 largecloves garlic, chopped

10 basil leaves, chopped

3½ to 4cups Italian breadcrumbs ½cup Romano cheese,more to taste Lots of water,startwith 2 cups, add more until soft Salt and pepper (depending on the saltiness of cheese)

1. Mix all dry ingredients together with meat. Mix with your hands.

2. Mix eggs separately and add to meat mixture.

3. Start adding water and continueuntil mixture is soft (whichwill likely require more water than you’re anticipating).

4. Form meatballs about nine to 10 meatballs per pound of beef.

5. Drop meatballs in oil in ablack iron skillet or deep fryer.(Nana

THE DISH

Continued from page1G

“She has always had a happy hour every night at 5:30,” DeEtte Montalbano said.

But back to the meatballs.

“No one can get over our meatballs. We’ve had classes on them,” DeEtte Montalbano said. “Mama grew up here in Baton Rouge. She went Baton Rouge High and graduated in 1944. She went to nurses training but had to quit when she married Daddy She’shalf-Sicilian and halfFrench.”

We closed off our phone call with her warning me again not to be afraid to add sufficient water to the meatballs.

“Call me when you’re making them,and let me see apicture so Ican tell

STAFF PHOTO BY JANRISHER Jan Risher prepared a plate full of spaghetti, Nana’sgravy and meatballs.

usesMazolaoil.) For the health-conscious,the meatballs could also be baked on acookie sheet, but Nana says that makes them lose all the goodness.

6. Place meatballs in Nana’s“gravy” to continue cooking for about an hour —orfreeze the extras

7. Serve with pasta.

you if you’ve got enough,” she said as the call was ending.

Later that day,with my husband and daughter assisting (or vice versa depending on who’stelling the story), we all realized the depth to which Nana’s meatballs are alabor of love.

My husband loves meatballs and could not believe we were going to add that much water to the ground beef.

But we did. DeEtte Montalbano was in my head warning me not to stop.

Finally,I took aphotograph of the watered-down ground beef, sent it her way and called to get the verdict.

“That looks perfect,” she said. “I’m impressed.”

So was my meatballloving husband. We even made Nana’s red gravy.The whole meal was atreat —aspecial

1. Saute onions.

2. After onions are soft, add garlic.

3. Add tomato paste and cook untilitseparates and oil comes through.

4. Add tomato sauce and water.Continue to stir,cooking foranother 30-45 minutes.

5. Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste.

6. Add Italian seasoning, bay leaves and basil. 7. Simmer forfour hours.

occasion, to be sure perfect forthe cold, rainy weather

That said, I’deat it any day of the year

As we sat at the table, my husband said, “I’ll never make meatballs any other way.Itisthe water It combines with those breadcrumbs and makes the insides so soft.”

He’sbrought up the meatballs at least six times in the three days that have passed since we made them. He’saconvert, to be sure. DeEtte Montalbano invited me to come meet her mother and her 77-year-old stove. Ican’twait. Nana knows what she’s doing.

Each week,Jan Risher tries herhand at making someoneelse’ssignature dish. If you or someone you know has asignature dish thatyou would like

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