Super Italian, Italian Supper (this is a fake palindrome. And by fake, I mean not really a palindrome at all.)
Warm summer nights call for hot Italian suppers. Lily had us over on Sunday evening to enjoy the sunset, drink a lemon & red wine spritzer and cook up maximum quantities of delicious Italian eats.
Recipes are still being acquired, but here is what was served:
1. Copious amounts of prosciutto & coppa, for starters. This was a meat-pile-mountain on a plate. We were not allowed to know where this meat came from. Apparently, Greg’s friend Jason uncovered a meat goldmine somewhere. Out of principle (that’s right, I have principles), I usually try to avoid eating meat from unnamed, mysterious sources. Not on this day. No, sir. Lily found the irregular cut meat leftovers in the fridge on Monday, and we ate them for dinner again, on day two. So good. No regrets.
1. Copious amounts of prosciutto & coppa, for starters. This was a meat-pile-mountain on a plate. We were not allowed to know where this meat came from. Apparently, Greg’s friend Jason uncovered a meat goldmine somewhere. Out of principle (that’s right, I have principles), I usually try to avoid eating meat from unnamed, mysterious sources. Not on this day. No, sir. Lily found the irregular cut meat leftovers in the fridge on Monday, and we ate them for dinner again, on day two. So good. No regrets.
2. Appetizer pizza with kalamata olives, onions and other deliciousness, courtesy of Alisha & Ben
4. Garlic bread with fresh herbs from Lily’s garden, what were these herbs, Kelly? Mint, thyme and basil, perhaps. It tasted good, but no one knows what was in there exactly.
5. Roasted fennel and prosciutto salad with mixed greens from J.Son Santino. This came dressed in a homemade vinaigrette.
6. Beet salad with Arugula from Lily (see recipe below)
7. Braised oxtails also from Lily. She taught us that oxtails are not actually from oxen, but from regular cows. Thanks, teacher, you make my brain smarter each day that I know you.
9. Mine was the strawberry dessert soup (Strawberry Gelato) that no one ever ate. Mwoh mwoh. Here is the lesson of the day, freeze the boiling milk mixture for ice cream or gelato BEFORE pouring into the frozen tub of an ice cream machine. It WILL NOT work if you skip this step or try to freeze the tub AFTER it contains boiling liquid.
Lily’s Roasted Beet Salad with Arugula
INGREDIENTS
Beets, sliced (Roasted in tinfoil at 375 until they are easily sliced or stabbed with a fork)
Arugula
Beets, sliced (Roasted in tinfoil at 375 until they are easily sliced or stabbed with a fork)
Arugula
Dressing
1 shallot, chopped
½ cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
½ cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Mix dressing ingredients. Marinate roasted beets in dressing for 4+ hours or overnight, if you can. Toss with a few handfuls of arugula right before serving.
