Who's Cooking: Joanne Lisi

A teacher's assistant at a nursery school, she lives in Franklin Square with her husband and two children.

Have you always been interested in cooking? I learned to cook before I got married. That's the way I got my husband! He kept eating . . . and here we are, 19 years later.

Do you cook in school? We have a cooking class once a week with the 4-year-olds, simple stuff like chicken and potatoes, and they enjoy it. They get a recipe book and apron at the end.

Where did this recipe come from? My grandfather. He was widowed in his 50s and learned how to cook after that. The whole family used to travel to Brooklyn for his Sunday dinners. My mom makes spiedini. My sister makes it as an appetizer. I make it as a main dish.

Any variations on the recipe? My kids don't eat veal, so I'll substitute chicken cutlets for them. It's very important to use small pieces of meat.

Do you have other grilling favorites? I like to cook chicken parts on the grill and pour dressing on them once the meat is cooked. Basting during grilling can cause flare-ups.

Do you have a lot of summer entertaining plans? It will be nonstop. First, we are having a pre-prom party for my daughter, but with nothing too messy, because her dress is white. Maybe some chicken cutlet heroes cut up into small bites, vegetables and dip. Then she wants me to send her off for her prom weekend with five trays of lasagna. For her graduation we'll have dinner with her favorites: penne with pink sauce, grilled chicken, zucchini quiches cut into small squares. Then there's July 4. My husband, who smokes a lot of meat and is good on the grill, will do a lot of the cooking. And I'm also throwing a big birthday party for a friend. Many pounds of pasta with Alfredo sauce for that one. So I need a second job to pay for all the ingredients.

SPIEDINI

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 plum tomato, seeded, peeled, and chopped

1 small Vidalia onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 pound "spiedini-cut" (very thin and small pieces) veal cutlets

1 small bunch dried or fresh bay leaves

Juice from 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, tomato and half of the onion in a pan and saute until moistened and soft.

2. Heat a gas grill to medium. Lay cutlets on wax paper. Spread 1 tablespoon bread-crumb mixture over each, roll up and secure with a toothpick. Push a bay leaf and an onion slice through the exposed part of each toothpick.

3. Combine remaining ½ cup olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Grill veal bundles, turning to cook all sides, about 12 minutes total. Pour lemon mixture over cooked veal bundles and serve immediately. Serves four.