Growing up in an Italian neighborhood of Chicago, Palma Klein thought the whole world and everyone in it was Italian, and was very surprised to discover otherwise when she ventured out.

"I had three protective older brothers," she explained. "Need I say more?"

Her husband Tony lived across town and his roots are German, Polish and Bohemian. Friends arranged a blind date for them in 1959, and they were married eight months later.

They lived for some time in an apartment with her parents upstairs, so Tony satisfied his craving for Italian food, while Klein learned to cook German and Polish dishes from his mother.

"I remember once making ravioli with Mother's recipe, and my brother remembered it so differently. I wondered—did we have the same mom? But the ravioli came out well anyway," she said.

Her recipe makes about 75, and she freezes some of them for future use.

Tony's career was with the local gas company, while Klein was busy raising their three children. Later on, she went into restaurant work, and wound up at the Chicago Marriott as a banquet manager for an executive group.

Tony's parents had come to Marco in 1975, and he entertained ideas of retiring here. Klein dug in her heels and swore she'd never leave Chicago but, when the time came, she changed her mind and they've lived here happily for several years, active in local community organizations and enjoying island life. She still cooks both Italian and Eastern European dishes, and here are some samples.

German Potato Dumplings

Known technically as kartoffelklosse, these were called "sinkers" by Tony's mother. Serve them with Kielbasa and sauerkraut.

2 large potatoes

1 small onion

1 egg

Flour as needed

Peel potatoes and onion, cut into chunks and place in blender. Process until all lumps disappear. Squeeze mixture in double cheesecloth to remove excess liquid and place in a bowl. Add the egg and enough flour to make a stiff dough.

Have ready a pot of boiling salted water. Roll potato balls with floured hands ("This is messy and sticky," said Klein) or use two soup spoons dipped in water to shape them. Drop into water and be sure they do not stick to each other or to bottom of pan. Don't crowd them—you may need to do more than one batch. Cook about 20 minutes, until dumplings float.

Chill leftovers. The next day, Tony likes these sliced and fried in butter with minced onion, salt and pepper. He sprinkles caraway seeds on them as well.

Golabkis/Polish Cabbage Rolls

Klein says this is not truly Polish anymore, as she has made changes over the years, but it's still wonderful.

To start, cut the core from a large head of cabbage and drop into a pot of boiling water. When leaves soften, remove and drain.

Filling:

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 ½ cups cooked rice

2 cloves minced garlic

2 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well and fill each cabbage leaf with 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture and fold up as for egg rolls. Place in large sprayed baking dish, seam side down. Use toothpicks to hold rolls together if necessary.

Sauce:

2 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 28-ounce can crushed or puréed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Sugar as needed

Fry garlic and onion in butter until onion is soft, then add tomatoes. Stir and lower heat, simmering for about 30 minutes. Use salt and pepper to taste, and add a bit of sugar if sauce is too tart.

Pour hot sauce over cabbage rolls and bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes and serve with mashed potatoes.

Italian Chocolate Cookies

"To finish off a meal, I like my Mom Pinto's recipe for these," observed Klein. "They're great to freeze. I have a huge sweet tooth and I thought I could avoid snacking on them if they were frozen. Wrong! I discovered they're just as good to eat that way."

1 cup almonds with skin on

1 ½ cups sugar

½ pound butter or margarine

4 cups flour

½ cup cocoa

2 teacups ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking powder

Zest and juice of 2 lemons and 2 oranges

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup cold strong coffee

Roast almonds in a 350° oven for 10 minutes, then grind or blend until fine. Cream sugar and butter or margarine until smooth. Sift into another bowl all the dry ingredients.

Do not use a mixer—mix with a spatula. Add zest, juices and vanilla to creamed mixture, then stir in almonds. Add dry ingredients about a cup at a time, alternating with coffee, ¼ cup at a time.

Form into balls about the size of a walnut and place on sprayed cookie sheet well apart. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes, until edges brown. Cool cookies on wire rack and drizzle with the following:

Frosting: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with just enough lemon juice to make it runny. Drizzle on cookies and let harden before storing.

Klein said, "I can smell these cookies baking as I write the recipe."

Note: Remember to rotate cookie sheets in oven halfway through baking, from one rack to another and from front to back for more even results.

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Marion Nicolay is a regular contributor to the Marco Eagle. Contact her via e-mail at marion387@earthlink.net.