Chef Lanza Makes An Italian Difference

When Gina Lanza was growing up, cooking and eating were her family’s idea of entertainment.

“It’s amazing how often we would get together for parties and dinners. Everybody ended up in the kitchen,” said Lanza, who is the creative force behind The Anaconda Grille in Spokane.

Lanza whips up new recipes almost every night, but she doesn’t like being labeled a “chef” because she learned to cook in her mother’s kitchen rather than a formal culinary program.

“My mom’s a good cook and all the kids had to help,” she said.

Those early years under her mother’s wing helped establish her passion for cooking. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that Lanza landed her first real restaurant job, at a long-gone place called The Sherlock Holmes Cafe (now Sully’s). She was hired by a woman who didn’t even bother to ask for her resume.

“She said, ‘You’re Italian, of course you know how to cook,”’ Lanza said.

While there, Lanza learned all about working on the line - the heart of a restaurant, where all the elements of a meal come together on the plate.

“You have to be incredibly organized,” she said.

At home, that might mean chopping, slicing and measuring ingredients well in advance. In a restaurant setting, that kind of prep work is essential for turning out orders quickly.

Lanza later worked at other Spokane eateries, before moving to Port Townsend to open her own place. That restaurant - called Lanza’s - did a bang-up business with fresh seafood and gourmet pizza. She was there for five years before deciding to bring her two children back to Spokane and test the theory that it’s a great place to raise kids.

In 1990, Lanza opened Amore with the notion of creating a big city-type menu and atmosphere without the stuffiness that can accompany upscale food. For hard-core restaurant fans, Amore signaled the dawn of a new era for the Spokane dining scene.

“The first bite of calamari I ever put in my mouth in Spokane was made by Gina,” said Marcia Bond, who owns Luna and was a frequent guest at Amore. “She was the first to have so many things here.”

Lanza said Amore became a victim of its own success. She was working too many hours, and finally decided to sell it. It went out of business under the new owner.

A couple of years later, however, Lanza was ready to throw her toque back into the Spokane restaurant ring. She and her partner, Kevin Gilmore, opened The Anaconda, named for the famous mine in Montana where Gilmore’s grandfather worked.

The menu at this small, funky spot is largely Italian, but Lanza likes to experiment with seemingly odd combinations. Yams and goat cheese with pasta or goat cheese and clams are examples of her unexpected couplings.

“I just think of different things I love to eat, like clams and goat cheese, and I put them together,” she said. “People shouldn’t be afraid to try different things. If it doesn’t work out, that’s OK.”

Because she works solo in the Anaconda’s small kitchen, Lanza has developed a number of timesaving techniques to ensure diners won’t have to wait long for their meals.

She’s a big believer in sauteing a piece of meat or fish and then adding wine or stock and simmering for a few minutes.

“If you take a lightly floured chicken breast and sear it in a hot pan, then add some fresh herbs and some good olive oil and deglaze the pan with wine, that’s a great dish without a lot of trouble,” Lanza said.

When entertaining for a big group, she said, it’s possible to precook pasta so you won’t be standing over a steaming kettle right before dinner.

“Cook it al dente and then drain it and rinse it in cold water,” she advises. “That stops the cooking process and gets rid of the excess starch. Then toss it with a little olive oil. Right before serving, dunk it in boiling water.”

Lanza’s food is famous for its generous garlic content, but she says her use of seasonings also always includes a moderate dose of salt.

“A little bit brings out the flavor and too much ruins it,” she said.

Puttanesca Sauce

This spicy variation of red sauce is extremely versatile. It can be served over pasta or with chicken or seafood.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 anchovy fillets, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon fresh or dried basil

3 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and quartered

2-1/2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce

Saute the first eight ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: Chef du Jour is a monthly feature of IN Food that profiles area chefs and provides one of their recipes for readers to try at home.