Aromas of Italian Cooking Wafts Through Library

There was a full house for the last cooking session taught by chef Robert Kass and hosted by Merrick Library on Wednesday evening.

Teens from the area were shown how to make pasta with marinara and virgin ala vodka sauce. Matthew Cavanagh was the sous chef for the evening busy grating Parmesan cheese while water boiled on a nearby burner.

Having already tried some recipes from previous classes at home, Matthew said, "I made an omelet, which came out good."

After Kass gave the recipes for both sauces, along with instructions, the first being always to listen to the chef, students lined up to make his or her preferred sauce. The trick seemed to be to toss the mixed ingredients in a pan with a flip of the hand.

Some students, like Ratep Leflore, attempted the feat whereas others were simply satisfied with stirring. While adding cheese to her dish, Cosette Esnes said that she helped her mom cook at home.

"I like the basic recipes, nothing too complicated," Cosette said.

Another teen, Danielle Abrahams, was in a sharing mood Wednesday.

"I'm going to bring some of mine home," she said, leaving some of her pasta on her dish, "so that my family can try it."

Once everyone had a chance at making their own sauce with pasta, Kass said that doing the classes had been a lot of fun.

"I'm looking forward to the next two," he said.

There will be a Halloween theme with chocolate being the main ingredient in the featured recipes on October 27 at 4:30 p.m. On November 10 at 6:30 p.m., Kass will teach the students how to make pies in honor of Thanksgiving.