- Panzanella
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Ravioli stuffed with spinach & ricotta in a creamy tomato seafood sauce
- Game Hens with Pomegranate
- Rum Babas
- Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Peel
- Drink: Italian Wine
- Drink: Limoncello
Panzanella: The panzanella was great. Instead of making it as a tossed salad, Rebecca stacked the elements on pieces of broiled french bread (a la bruschetta). It was a fancy little appetizer and a fresh start to the meal.
Italian Wedding Soup: This was my dish and I loved it. There were so many variations on the soup online, I finally picked Giada De Laurentiis's version and worked from that. The meatballs were AMAZING. I had leftover meatballs and ate them for days afterwards...and never got sick of them. Even if you don't want the soup, this recipe is worth it just for the meatballs.
Ravioli: John made some homemade ravioli and covered it in a creamy tomato seafood sauce made with blended mussels. Top notch.
Game Hens: Game hens are always delicious. Andy stuffed them with pomegranate and it was a nice surprise when digging in. I believe this recipe was from Mario Batali's truly awesome book, Molto Italiano.
Desserts: The Rum Babas was another recipe from Molto Italiano cooked by Andy, this simple dessert was very dense and filling. Huge buns covered in a sauce. It was ok, but not something I would make again. The chocolate covered orange peels was something I made on a whim. They were delicious, and you can't really screw them up. But they are pretty time consuming.
Drink: Limoncello (the non-creamy version) is heaven in a bottle. I'm excited to drink this on ice this coming summer. Perfect hot day treat.
Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs:
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 8 ounces ground pork
- Freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
- 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tools
- Large Bowl
- Baking Sheet
- Large Pot
- Whisk
- Fork
- Ladle
To make the meatballs:
Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork.
Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
To make the soup:
Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes.
Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend.
Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute.
Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour into bowls and finish soup with parmesan cheese.
Makes 8 servings.
Labels: Endive, Ground Beef, Ground Pork, Soup
