Michael and Pam Fecchino
I think it is fair to say that Las Vegas has become a real destination spot for foodies like me. In fact I will so far as to state that I had one of the best fish dishes I have ever eaten when we dined at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Hotel. But I am not going to write about that dish today. Instead I want to tell you about a dish I ate many, many years ago.
But first you need to know the back story.
My cousin Michael is my Dad’s brother Val’s son. My uncle Val (his real name was Valentino) was an incredibly handsome guy that everyone seemed to love.
Valentino (Val) Vincent Fecchino High School Photo
I really can’t tell you much about my uncle because I never got a chance to know him.
I do know that he was the first son born to my grandmother Rose Fecchino and my grandfather John Fecchino. His older sister Ida was adopted during my grandmother's first marriage.
After years of being suspected of not being able to bear children, it must have been all the more thrilling for my grandmother to give birth to such a healthy baby boy in 1927 and then be chosen to ride with her son on the Dover's Healthy Baby float in the parade.
Rose and Val Fecchino (center) 1927
Val joined the war effort and served in the Navy. But before and after WWII, he worked at the family business which included the production of ice cream as well as the sale of soft drinks and for a time candy as well.
Val in the Navy, WWII
Thanks to this postcard that my cousin Christine ( Val's daughter) gave me, I know that he was stationed for a time in San Francisco.
Val reading a letter. Could the letter have been from my aunt Nancy?
In June of 1945, my uncle married the beautiful Nancy Dare Gholden. They were, to say the least, a most attractive couple.
Nancy and Val Fecchino, married June 26, 1945
Val and Nancy had two children, Mary Christine ( who we all call Chris) and Michael John (who we call Michael).
What little I can tell you about Val is that he enjoyed photography. Many of the family photos I treasure most in some way or another share a connection to him. It is a passion that Val passed onto his son Michael. The photo below is presumably a self portrait that Val took.
Val Fecchino self Portrait.
Though my Dad and uncle worked together at the family bowling alley, Creamo Lanes, when I was very young, I can only recall meeting my uncle Val once when he and my aunt Nancy, along with my cousin Michael, came to visit us while we were living in Schenectady New York.
Even though I was just a kid when I last saw my aunt and uncle, I can recall how glamorous my aunt was. I also remember how dark and handsome my uncle Val was.
Val and his son-in-law Chet McPhail
My cousin Michael was (and still is) very charismatic. Because my Dad, like his brother Val, also loved photography, when Michael came to visit, my Dad gave Michael an antique camera that he had. Years later, Michael returned the favor.
Michael Fecchino in his younger days
Michael for years had been a professional photographer and even owned several photo lab operations.
While visiting with Michael and his wife Pam, it was mentioned that my son Jack was also into photography. Jack was particularly into film photography.
The photo labs are closed now and Michael found himself downsizing. He had a 4 by 5 camera and offered it to Jack. What an incredibly generous gesture! Once again, one generation passed down a camera to the next.
Sadly what I remember most about my uncle Val is the time he died. The year was 1972 and Val was just 48 years old. I was in the kitchen with my Mom when she got a call from Ohio telling her that my uncle Val had suffered a heart attack. I recall my mother calling my Dad at work telling him to come home. And I remember how devastated both my parents were.
I also remember a small but loving gesture that one of our neighbors performed to show her support. That neighbor was our next-door neighbor, Jo Middleton. But I always just called her Mrs. Middleton.
Jo Middleton
Mrs. Middleton, her husband Larry, and their three children Laurie, Leslie and Lonnie lived next door to us on Newell Road in Schenectady. As a family, we were pretty close to the Middletons. Mom and Jo were friends, Laurie and I were friends, my brother Steven and Leslie were friends and Lonnie and my brother Brian were friends.
When Mrs. Middleton learned of my uncle Val’s passing, she did the neighborly thing of sending food over to our house to show her support. I was just 10 years old at the time. I am sure Mrs. Middleton thought nothing more of it than a loving gesture. But more than 39 years later, I can still remember the dish. Isn’t it nice to think that a small gesture can be so fondly remembered after so many years?
When I started this blog, I wrote to Laurie Middleton (now Smalley) to ask if she thought her mom would be willing the share the recipe. Laurie wrote back and told me that her mom had to search for the recipe, but would be happy to share it.
When I picked up our mail after returning from vacation, I found a small turquoise envelope sent from Mrs. Middleton that included a nice note and her recipe for Ham and Broccoli Strata tucked inside. You see it was her Ham and Broccoli Strata that she made for my family way back in 1972.
Admittedly, these days it is not difficult to find a good Strata recipe on the Internet or in any recipe book for that matter. But this is the recipe for the first Strata that I ever had tasted and I still remember it fondly. I hope you like it too.
With my gratitude to Mrs. Middleton, I have the pleasure of sharing her recipe with you.
Jo Middleton’s Ham and Broccoli Strata
Start with:
18 slices of white bread
1 pound of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 pound of chopped or sliced ham
1 pound of frozen chopped broccoli pieces
1 stick of room temperature butter
Cut the crusts off of the 18 slices of white bread and then butter each slice.
Arrange 9 slices of the buttered bread in the bottom of a buttered 13 x 9 pan.
Cover the buttered slices of bread with 1/3 pound of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Next add a layer of 1/4 pound of chopped or sliced ham.
Next add a layer of frozen chopped broccoli (about 1/2 of the one pound bag).
Cover the broccoli layer with 9 more slices of the buttered bread.
Cover the buttered slices of bread with a 1/3 pound more of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Add another layer of ham.
Top the layer with the remaining frozen chopped broccoli.
Combine:
6 Eggs
2 Cups of Milk
½ Teaspoon of prepared Mustard
½ Teaspoon of Salt
Whisk together the Eggs, Milk, Mustard and Salt and then pour over the bread, cheese, ham and broccoli layers.
Top with the remaining 1/3 pound of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes depending on your oven.
While I confess that I wanted to share the recipe for the Strata that Mrs. Middleton made, that was not the sole purpose of writing this post. What I wanted acknowledge were how even after all these years, I still appreciate Mrs. Middleton’s act of kindness. For after all these years it is her acts of kindness that I will never forget. The Strata was just one example.
If she saw me outside in my yard, she would yell across the lawn, “John, quick! What is 6 time 7?” just to make sure I knew my multiplication tables.
She also knew how much I loved history. Mrs. Middleton taught me about antiques. She would call me over to her house to see the latest treasure she had found and then take the time to teach me all about it and even explain why it was special.
You see, little things really do mean a lot.
I hope that when you finish reading this post, you will be inspired to do something nice for someone else. It doesn’t even have to be a big thing. And it certainly doesn’t have to include food. Just remember, sometimes even the smallest act of kindness can make the biggest difference.
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