Italian dinner party
And remember what Otto Say’s
Pasta sanza vino e come il cuore
sanza amore
Pasta without wine is like a heart
without love
Antipasto Platter
Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna
Tricolore Salad With Parmesan
Garlic Bread
Olive Oil Cake With Vanilla Oranges
Ingredients
500 gr thinly
sliced cured meats (such as prosciutto, salami, and mortadella)
16 piece
Parmesan or some other hard cheese
150 gr.
bocconcini (small balls of fresh mozzarella)
100 gr sun-dried
tomatoes packed in oil
250 gr. assorted
olives
250 gr. marinated
artichoke hearts
bread sticks
and/or crackers, for serving about 32 altogether
Method1.
1.Arrange the
cured meats, Parmesan, bocconcini, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and
artichoke hearts on a large platter and in bowls.
2.Serve with the
bread sticks and/or crackers.
Ingredients
400 gr portobello mushrooms, stems
discarded and caps halved and sliced
400 gr cremini mushrooms, trimmed and
sliced
75 ml olive oil
51 ml fresh thyme leaves
salt and black pepper
125 mlbutter, plus more for the foil
125 ml all-purpose flour
1.5 lt whole milk
2 ml ground nutmeg
300 ml grated Parmesan plus 100 gr
12 lasagna noodles pakaged or home made
noodles
2 packages frozen chopped spinach,
thawed and squeezed dry or 2 pks fresh cook them and squezzed
Method
1.Heat oven to 200 C. Dividing
evenly, on 2 rimmed baking sheets, toss the mushrooms with the oil,
thyme, pinch of salt and pepper . Roast, tossing once, until tender,
20 to 25 minutes; let cool. Reduce oven to 180 C.
2.Meanwhile, melt the butter in a
large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring,
until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes (do not let the mixture darken). Slowly
whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until
thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
3.Remove from heat, add the nutmeg,
150 ml Parmesan, salt and pepper , and stir to combine.
4. Spread 125 mlof the milk mixture in
the bottom of a baking dish. Top with 4 noodles (breaking to fit,
if necessary), 75 ml of the remaining milk mixture, half of the
spinach, and half the mushrooms; repeat. Top with the remaining 4
noodles, milk mixture, and 75 ml of Parmesan.
5.Cover the dish with buttered foil
and bake until the filling is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover
and bake until the noodles are tender and the top is brown, 20 to 25
minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
75
ml olive oil
45
ml red wine vinegar
10
ml honey
5
ml Dijon mustard
salt and black pepper
1head
radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces about 1500 ml
bunch
arugula, thick stems removed about 1000 ml
2
heads endive, sliced about 750 ml
75
ml.Parmesan, shaved
Method
1.In
a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, inch
salt, and pepper.
2.Add
the radicchio, arugula, and endive and toss to combine.
3.Sprinkle
with the Parmesan.
4.Serve
with crustini bread or Garlic Toast
Ingredients
75 ml butter, at room temperature
2 cloves garlic, chopped
30 ml chopped fresh parsley
kosher salt and black pepper
1 baguette, split lengthwise
Method
1.Heat oven to 190 C In a small bowl,
mix together the butter, garlic, parsley, pinch salt, and pepper.
2.Dividing evenly, spread the baguette
halves with the garlic butter. On a rimmed baking sheet, bake,
cut-side up, until lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Cut into pieces
before serving.
Ingredients
175 ml olive oil, plus more for the pan
500 ml. all-purpose flour, plus more
for the pan
175 ml finely ground cornmeal
3 lm baking powder
3 ml.baking soda
3lml salt
175 buttermilk
2 large eggs
500 ml.sugar
2 blood oranges or navel oranges
3 ml.pure vanilla extract
mascarpone or sweetened whipped cream,
for serving
Method
1.Heat
oven to 190 . Oil an loaf pan and dust with flour, tapping out the
excess.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together the
flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3.In a medium bowl, whisk together the
olive oil, buttermilk, eggs, and add to the dry ingredients and
mix just until combined (do not overmix).
4Transfer the batter to the prepared
pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of
the cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes
in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5.Meanwhile,
cut away the peel and pith of the oranges: Working over a small
bowl, cut along both sides of each orange segment, releasing the
segments into the bowl. Toss the orange segments with the vanilla
and the remaining of sugar. Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up
to 2 hours, tossing occasionally.Serve the cake, sliced, topped with
the oranges and mascarpone or whipped cream.
