You're Invited! A Meme
Well by golly, Susan over at Porcini Chronicles recently tagged me for a meme. What's this, you ask? A meme? That's right: I was invited to write up my ideal dinner menu for a night with blogger friends at my house, based on the meme passed around by fellow blogger Angelika, over at the Flying Apple. I have never been tagged for a meme before, so I felt utterly flattered and completely unworthy--Susan, did you KNOW that we just bought a new dining room table, or what? :)
Especially now, I like this idea of inviting people from out of town to our house for a dinner, because we are just about to host two wonderful visitors in just a few days. Eric and Corrie are coming, and I've already been thinking about how we'll organize dinners, what I want to make, which restaurants we'll dine at, etc. While we might not do one big dinner of several courses for Corrie and Eric, we will do daily doses of Italian food--bits and pieces all fitting together to make a long week full of festa.
Just like Susan says, I also tend to prepare exotic (read: American) food for our Italian friends, who have never tried, say, a quesadilla with cream cheese or eggplant with tzaziki. It's those American friends of ours who I cook Italian food for, hoping that, if they didn't feel it surrounding them already, they can confirm that they are indeed in Italy now. Their tastebuds prove it.
So, with those ideas in mind--different doses of Italian cuisine for every day--I'm going to put together a multi-regional Italian meal for that first big night of arrival. You're all invited! Buon appetito!
Antipasti:
Various vegetables sott'olio and sott'aceto, including:
- hot cherry pepperoncini from Calabria
- local black olives
- marinated cauliflower from Toscana
- grilled onions
Various cheeses from different regions, including:
- From Le Marche: Pecorino di Fossa
- From Puglia: Burrata
- From Lombardia: Gorgonzola piccante
- From Sardegna: Pecorino Sardo
- From Le Marche: Tufino from Acqualagna
- From Val D'Aosta: Tomini with herbs
To accompany the cheeses: marmalade or honey
Plenty of Pugliese bread
Primi Piatti:
From Puglia: Orecchiette al Pugno Chiuso (Pugno Chiuso is a region in Puglia near Foggia)
From Emilia Romagna (Ferrara): Capellacci di Zucca (little stuffed pasta featuring pumpkin, and served with sage butter sauce)
Secondo Piatto
From Friuli-Venezia-Giulia: Frico, a fried potato and cheese dish (normally even better with sauerkraut, but it doesn't quite fit into the rest of the menu!)
Contorni
Because of the bounty of mushrooms these days: funghi trifolati (mushrooms with Italian parsley, garlic, and a little white wine)
A simple green salad with oil and vinegar dressing
Marinated sliced eggplants with hot peppers (as my sister-in-law made for dinner on Saturday--wonderful!)
Dolce
Wouldn't a beautiful apple strudel from Trentino be lovely? And perfect for fall! Piping hot right out of the oven, with panna on top?
And then the meal would end with coffee, some Varnelli (Le Marche mistrà), and plenty of conversation and laughter. Because what's a dinner like this without the best of company? Thanks for coming...don't forget to throw some bread out the window when you leave! (long story...)
Who wants to join in the fun? I'm tagging (but don't feel like you have to participate):
-Allora Aspetta's other half: Corrie
-Magician Nites': Lori
-Rubber Slippers in Italy's: Rowena
-Re-Boot, a New Life in Italy's: Cyndi
-Jackie
11 Comments:
Yekie,
Everything sounds sooo wonderful. Funny you should mention Ferrara, I just talked to Danilo (at my 2am) and he is headed to Ferrara for the day! Did you know that once we bought Capellacci di Zucca from a pasta shop IN Ferrara? It was wonderful!
Well, I am heading to bed (at last) and then up to Fort Wayne in the morning. I will be thinking of my menu as I drive up good old I 69 (for you non Hooisers there really is a highway called I69)!
Cyn
gezz! you expect me to follow THAT menu? This is going to take a bit of thinking....
Wow! This is a feast. I'm excited because I haven't tried frico yet and burrata is about the best cheese in Italy. But Pugno Chiuso?! Yikes! What an alarming name for a town! "Closed Fist" (Picture of the pasta's lovely, though)
So...we're not having a one big meal of several courses? I'm glad I found out now. I can leave my tux at home.
Mmmmmmmm....burata!!!
cyndi: what's danilo headed up to ferrara for? ooh, i wish we could come! we have been swamped with caving related things every weekend. hope you are having a great time in indy--sounds like autumn is beautiful there!
lori: good luck. you don't have to follow my menu at all--you can create any menu you want! that's the beauty of it!
susan and eric: yay for burrata! susan, i know the name is strange...i guess it's actually a region, not a city, but i don't know why it's called that. notice i love pugliese food...i tried not to overwhelm the menu with it, but i could've easily done so! frico is wonderful, by the way! definitely a food to try!
Gimme the cheese...all of it! Ok, so I might or might not do this meme because hey!, in reality I am actually doing these darn menus (I am not complaining, really). Only these dinners are for our neighbors, our landlords from the previous place we had rented, for colleagues of my husband, etc.etc. I just don't like to write about it because it only reminds me of all the work that I went through. Sigh.
This Halloween I believe we'll run off to the inlaw's shack up north in the Adamello, no, scratch that! I think there's another sagra to attend. Black-eyed peas and pork skin!
So ... what time is dinner???
:o)
Wow, I'm very impressed, sounds like the ultimate dinner party to me.
--->>>making a reservation on the ferry and coming over NOW!
I feel bad that I haven't had time to work on this meme UNTIL I came to your blog and saw that you havent posted anything new for a while! hehehehehehe!
All is well in the land of Indiana. Looking forward to seeing your Mom when I get back down to Indy.
Cyn
Hey, are you on vacation in Indiana???? Or was it Tuscany? Where are you???
Cold as ice here in Indiana. Woke up to snow. Can you believe it????? SNOW!!
Cyn
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