Our Cook of the Week, Betty Spugnardi, appreciates the hard lessons that can be learned in the kitchen. “I married into an Italian family and learned a lot of authentic dishes from my mother- and father-in-law,” Betty explains. “I remember my mother-in-law being a great cook, and she taught me how to make soup. She never told me to cook the pasta before I put it into the soup. Well, what a mess! I had giant-size macaroni and no broth.”

Betty didn’t give up though, and she encourages new cooks not to do so either. “New cooks need to try anything and not to get discouraged with it.”

Today, Betty loves to cook everything, and when she goes into the kitchen, she relishes every moment. “I especially like getting up in the morning, planning my dinner, from appetizers to dessert and start cooking all day for a great meal in the evening.”

The Food Network on TV (www.foodtv.com) gives Betty many ideas for creating dishes, as her collection of cookbooks also does. “My favorite cookbooks are ‘Cooking Yankee with a French Accent’ and ‘The Barefoot Contessa’ cookbooks.” She also draws from her two experiences at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Betty is retired and lives in Turner with her husband, John. Betty emphasizes that it really helps a cook to have a husband who loves her cooking. Betty and John also have two married sons, a new grandson, Jacob, and another one due in December.

Spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil sauce

Ingredients:

2½ pounds fresh tomatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1-pound box spaghetti

¾ cup Parmesan cheese

Basil leaves

Method:

Wash, peel and chop tomatoes, discarding seeds. Heat oil in a deep pan, add onions and garlic, and sauté until onions are soft. Add tomatoes, chopped basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil water for the spaghetti and add salt to taste. Add spaghetti for approximately eight to 10 minutes. Drain spaghetti, toss it with the sauce and the grated cheese. Top with whole basil leaves.

Serve with meatballs or sausage. Serves 8.

Fried Eggplant

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1½ cups olive oil, or more if needed

Flour

Salt and pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Method:

Wash eggplant, pat dry. Remove the stem from the eggplant. Cut the eggplant crosswise into slices about a quarter-inch thick. Do not remove the skin as this holds the eggplant together. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.

Dip each slice of eggplant into the flour, then dip into the egg wash and fry on both sides over high heat until golden brown. Lay them in a pan or pie plate and sprinkle each one with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Betty’s note: I put them in the oven at about 250 degrees while I cook all the slices. You can serve these just as they are or use a jar of plain marinara sauce to dip them in.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

½ cup butter or margarine

4 large Spanish onions, sliced into rings

2 packages of au jus gravy mix

2 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

French baguette

1 cup Swiss cheese, grated

Method:

Melt the butter in a large pot.

Add onions and sauté slowly until they are light brown, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Dissolve the au jus gravy mix in 3½ cups of boiling water. Add to onions along with chicken broth and stir well. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slice baguette and place one slice on top of each bowl of soup and then sprinkle cheese over the bread. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until the cheese is melted and the bread has browned.

Betty’s note: Be sure to use ovenproof bowls. The last step of melting the cheese can be done in a microwave but she prefers doing it in the oven.