Library Holds Program On Italian Cooking for the Holidays

Smells of Italian food permeated through the hallways of the as Chef Jack Stierer of Lincoln Culinary Institute cooked for a crowd of over 30 people Tuesday night. 

Stierer, who was a chef in Mediterranean region and France for several years, hosted a program titled . The purpose of the cooking demonstration was for the audience to get some ideas for their holiday parties this season, Stierer said.

Along with his student Allision Jones, Stierer prepared Antipasti, which is the meal before the pasta dish in Italian cuisine. The crowd got to enjoy the tastes and smells of Bruschetta with various toppings and Suppli.

"I want to make things that can be picked up easily," Stierer said.

He told the audience that there are a lot of Italian dishes, mostly baked goods, prepared only during the holiday season.

"Italian food is simple. It is the original cuisine," Stierer said.

He said the key to Italian cooking is to "respect" the "simple ingredients" used in each recipe. A good Italian chef does not mask the flavors of the five to six ingredients used in each dish.

"The most important thing in authentic Italian cooking is the ingredients," Stierer said. "Nothing is here is very difficult to prepare."