October 14, 2003 Section: Lifestyles Page: 1C Dish:
Chef Nick Scianna tastes as he goes. Kie Relyea Staff.
You shouldn't stop in Bella Marina in Blaine without indulging in the Italian restaurant's meatballs. Just make sure you bring your appetite because owner/chef Nick Scianna (pronounced sha-na) doesn't skimp on the beef.
Scianna - whose long black hair makes him look like an '80s rock god - spent years as a fixture in the Vancouver, B.C., rock scene before opening Nicki's Fabulous 50's Diner 11 years ago with wife, Gillian. In May 2002, they opened Bella Marina, drawing from the family's treasure trove of Sicilian recipes. The restaurant also features some Northern Italian dishes, he says. The 40-year-old Birch Bay resident began his career with food at age 15 while working for a restaurant in Vancouver - the same place where his father started as a dishwasher and worked his way up to head of the kitchen training program. "The whole family's in restaurants," Scianna says. Favorite cookbook: I really don't have one. I watch the Food Network because it's inspiring to see these guys do all this neat stuff with unlimited budgets. What's in your fridge at home? Not a lot. Whole wheat bread. Some cheeses. We usually shop every night after we get off work. Eggplant. Tomatoes. A lot of vegetarian stuff. Pasta, of course. Baccala, dried Italian salt cod. What else is in there? Frozen french fries. Ice cream. Italian sausage links are in there. Hot dogs. Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise. Grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, oranges, nectarines. Oh, green onions. Favorite comfort food: Lentil soup and a grilled cheese sandwich - using provolone and cheddar. Where do you eat other than work? I don't eat at work that much. We eat at home a lot. After being around the food all day long, the last thing you want is Italian food. (When we go out) our food tastes really vary. It depends on what we're into that day: Mexican, Thai, Italian, Cantonese, Japanese. Inspiration: My father. He's been in the business for so long. Favorite kitchen tool: A food processor. I use it quite a bit. To process some fresh vegetables, like tomatoes or pitted olives, that's a great little tool. It speeds things up a lot. Secret to good cooking: Everything that you cook must be tasted. I see a lot of people don't do that. That's the secret: Tasting as you go, because the ingredients are always changing. Interview by Kie Relyea Photos by Mame Burns Dish is a series of monthly chats with local chefs. Bella Marina 825 Peace Portal Drive, Blaine 332-2505 Hours: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday (reservations recommended Friday-Sunday).
Copyright (c) The Bellingham Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
October 14, 2003 Section: Lifestyles Page: 3C Chef shares authentic Italian pasta dish Staff THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Here's a pasta dish from Nick Scianna, owner and chef at Bella Marina in Blaine. He specializes in dishes from his family's native Sicily. MEDITERRANEAN LINGUINE 1 1/4 ounces of extra virgin olive oil 3 teaspoons fresh garlic, chopped Pinch of salt 1 sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes (to taste) 2 Roma tomatoes, diced 4 large prawns, peeled and deveined 4 average-size mushrooms, sliced 1/8 green bell pepper, sliced lengthwise 1/8 yellow bell pepper, sliced lengthwise 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped Pinch of sugar 1/2 pound linguine Parmesan cheese Pour olive oil, garlic, salt, chili pepper flakes, diced tomatoes and prawns into a saucepan and sauté on medium heat until prawns are half-cooked. Remove prawns. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, basil and pinch of sugar to the pan. Saute until vegetables are almost cooked. Put prawns back in and sauté until prawns are cooked. Turn off heat. Put cooked linguine into pan and toss for about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Serves one.
Copyright (c) The Bellingham Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.