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July 08, 2010
Michael Aushenker , Staff Writer
This summer has been awash in lackluster sequels: 'Iron Man 2,' 'Sex and the City 2' and 'Shrek Forever After' to name a few.
But one good sequel took place at the Pacific Palisades Woman's Club last Tuesday: the return of Chef Giuseppe Barravecchia and his Italian cooking lessons, which segued into the Club's installation luncheon.
For the second year in a row, the club welcomed the amiable Barravecchia, head cook and partner of Pinocchio's, the popular Italian restaurant and delicatessen at 970 Monument, near Sunset. Barravecchia returned with a different menu and, by most anecdotal accounts, his Sicilian handiwork exceeded last year's luncheon, where he served two styles of pasta (rigatoni with eggplant and bow tie pasta with Bolognaise sauce).
This time, Chef Barravecchia created trays of rotolo, a lasagne filled with ricotta and spinach, mushrooms and baked peas, covered in a creamy white besciamella sauce made with milk to give it a lighter consistency. With the pasta servings came slices of roast chicken basted in a vegetable pesto and covered in a white wine sauce, topped with hearty gourmet mushrooms.
The Pinocchio salad, consisting of a tasty bed of baby spinach leaves topped with crumbled ch'vre, roasted tomatoes and diced almonds, preceded the entr'e. Squares of soft airy bread accompanied this appetizer.
'Everything is baked,' the chef told the Palisadian-Post, referring to the chicken and the pasta entrees. 'I prepared everything last night here [in the clubhouse kitchen]. We're slicing the chicken for presentation. It looks nicer.'
Palisadian-Post publisher Roberta Donohue and Cheryel Kanan, the Post's business manager, were among the women taking part in this year's cooking lesson, as did Jane DuBovy, Phyllis Genovese, and Ariane Sawyer, president of the Junior Women's Club. Diligently, they rolled sheets of pasta dough pasted with a pur'e of ricotta and spinach, and peas. Donning white Pinocchio chef hats, the ladies valiantly pressed on ''in the face of the rapturous scent of the pre-made lasagna-style entr'e''to create the rolls unto which the besciamella sauce would be poured onto. The group employed fresh ingredients''saut'ed spinach and mushrooms, salt and pepper, olive oil, butter''and later served the food to some 50 guests in the clubhouse's main room. By Barravecchia's account, these local lasses earned their pointy chapeaus.
In the kitchen, Sawyer said she was looking forward to trying 'all of it! I'm excited to try the chicken. I want to try doing that for my dinner parties. This is an exciting way to learn how to do it.'
She added that this is a big year for the Junior Women, which will have a float in the local Americanism parade on July 4 and will celebrate its 75th anniversary at a gala event in September.
'All of the proceeds from our events go to charitable events,' she said.
At the lunch tables, Sally Byun and Ruth White''guests of Alice Beagles, a member of three years''offered opinions during their meal in progress.
'He's a good chef, Byun said, taking a bite of her chicken. 'I think it's fabulous.'
'Delicious!' said White upon finishing her pasta. 'It was very tasty and it seemed like it was all vegetarian.'
Byun wisely withheld judgment on which course she enjoyed the most because 'we haven't eaten the dessert yet!'
Dessert arrived in the form of a mousse-like chocolate cake (not made from scratch at Pinocchio but savory nevertheless) that complemented the coffee.
(All of the items served at the Woman's Club event are sold at Pinocchio, save for chicken cooked in this fashion.)
Wrapping up the meal, Linda Vitale Jackson introduced the new president and board members of the Woman's Club.
Co-president Trish Bowe looked forward to taking over the club's lead position on this day. The energetic owner a State Farm Insurance business on Via de la Paz said, 'I had a good co-president. So I hope I'm ready. And if I'm not, I'll call Jean!'
Bowe was referring to Jean Aroste, who will now serve the club as secretary. She has been a member of the club since 1982.
When all was said and eaten, Chef Barravecchia had crafted another delicious meal a la Pinocchio in Cucina''and that's no lie!
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