Italian Night
I watched some "Italian Grandma Cooks" videos on YouTube, and developed a hankering on something that I don't usually crave: Italian food. I know, I tend to incline toward Indian and Asian food, but I do like continental food also, on occasion. Here is what turned out to be a very nice, enjoyable meal...
First, I wanted a nice soup, but did not want to invest the time for a good minestrone. I had some nice home-made Hungarian Gulyash in the freezer, so I opted for that. Check up-thread for the description and ingredients.
Next, a tasty Shaved Fennel Salad: spiced croutons, chopped walnuts, extra-virgin olive oil, seal salt, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Italian red pepper flakes, shaved fennel bulbs, torn mint leaves, lemon zest and juice, and shaved Parmesan cheese.
Next, garlic toast: garlic from the olive oil infusing process, butter, olive oil, & French demi-baguettes.
Next some Italian Mushrooms: sliced Chanterelle mushrooms, Italian herb mix (from Penzey's Spices), sea salt, fresh-ground black pepper, fried in garlic-infused kalamata olive oil.
Next, Joe's Special (distilled from a local iconic restaurant): #7 linguini, Italian hot pepper flakes, garlic-infused Kalamata olive oil, fresh mozzarella cheese, spicy marinara sauce (Dell'Amore brand), and strips of fresh basil...all baked to perfection
Finally, Chicken Parmesan: chicken thigh meat (boned & pressed), panko crumbs, Italian herb mix (from Penzey's Spices), grated Grana Padana Parmesan cheese, fresh-ground black pepper, sea salt, all-purpose flour, olive oil, spicy marinara sauce (Dell'Amore brand), fresh mozzarella cheese, strips of fresh basil, and olive oil...all baked to perfection.
This was all washed down with a nice Stella Rosso wine (slightly sweet, lightly effevescent, and Italian) from the Stella Rosa winery.
At the end, a delicate black raspberry sorbet and fresh mint.
Enjoy,
Rich P