I Frutti di Suono di Puget ~ A Northwest Seafood Celebration

Cooking with Chef Roberto ~

When our Big Brother Bob from Buffalo, AKA ‘Chef Roberto‘…hits town…and says he’s cooking…you know…you are in for a glorious evening of gorgeous food! You see….brother Bob…raises the bar!

Dr. Robert Hard is a distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine…at the University at Buffalo…But he is also passionate about Italian cuisine. A passion…rooted in our childhood (more here) and romanced by a Siena, Italy, sabbatical. For six months…Bob lectured…in Italian...at the University…and reveled in…the Mediterranean way of life.

…The flawless produce and ‘theater‘ of the outdoor markets…vegetables picked from the fields only an hour earlier…the rich…damp…Italian earth…still clinging to the roots…Frankly, he has never been the same. Something about living on that ancient soil…changes you.

And so it was…that a lecture on microscopic imaging…brought Bob…his wonderful wife…‘Saint’ Barbara…and dear Buffalo area friends…Frank & Sandy…and John & Kathy…to Seattle. The perfect opportunity to cook a memorable meal…showcasing fresh Northwest seafood…prepared from his coveted Italian recipes.

The Sorelle…AKA ‘The Sister Sylvesters‘…were called into action. Carol…searches all over town for the squid ink…Barbara searches several stores for the white balsamic vinegar and celery seeds….Linda and her husband Ron open their beautiful home…and I help with the table setting and little extras.

Bob sets the mouthwatering menu…featuring local crab, oysters, squid, mussels, striped bass and lemon tarts…recipes all meticulously loaded on his laptop…cooked with precision and to perfection…presented…in his impeccable Italian.

With the help of his ‘peeps’…AKA willing sous-chefs, Barbara, Matt, Linda, Gina, Natalie and myself…and with the air…thick with the savor of fried calamari…sauteed mussels…and freshly baked lemon tarts…the evening unfolds…

The Table ~

Crab shells…fragrant lemons and fresh herbs…make for a vibrant and organic centerpiece…Nothing too fancy…the meal…is the show!

The Antipasto ~

First course…Barbecued Oysters…

The oysters drizzled with a sumptuous ‘secret’ sauce…that even Matt…the man at the grill..couldn’t discern.

Next…Fritto Misto con Aioli di Roberto…Fried squid with Robert’s aioli…

Zucchini blossoms just plucked from the garden….

vegetables and squid…

Deep fried…golden crust…”Not too much salt,” he says! Salting and timing are everything in cooking…and the Aioli di Roberto…there are no words…all washed down with Prosecco.

And the food kept coming…the kitchen humming…we are still on the antipasto!

Next… the crab…for the Martini di Granchio.

…..Chef Roberto insisted the crab…for the Crab Martini…had to be caught that day…then

cooked and cracked minutes before serving…swimming in a fabulous vodka Sauce.

Finally ~ The Primo ~ Linguine alle Cozze!

Tender handmade linguine….

and sauteed mussels….delicious!

Next…Bring on the Secondo…the Contorno…Spigola Agrodolce …striped Bass in a sweet and sour sauce….and sauteed vegetables!

We must now apologize…As the evening progressed…somewhere between the chopping…frying…sauteing..plating…sampling and dining…(okay, maybe the wine) the photos became fewer and fewer….but trust…the striped bass…in Chef Roberto’s Sweet and sour sauce …the lemon tarts with the extra virgin olive oil crusts (the Dolce)…with a side of espresso…were…in the words of my late…great..uncles…‘eye-rollers…mathone!’

It had been a cooking marathon...only…it didn’t seem like work…it felt like

you were a part of something special…something ‘epic’…my sister Linda said.

Yes…this was one of those nights…you wish you could bottle…the gorgeous food…setting…

and company…cooked in the spirit of friendship and family…Nostra Family…our family…

La Famiglia...

Here’s to the cook…Chef Roberto…and his peeps!