Que Sera Sera- "New Year's Eve" in "Italy"
I meant to start this two weeks ago, when one of my unspoke resolutions was fulfilled. Yes, by me! I threw a (yes, I might say so myself!) lovely dinner party with much needed assistance- Rupa was my sous-chef and she was fab. I spent New Years and Xmas in Italy, eating like a queen, or King rather, much like Louis XIV, and his four stomachs so I wasn't able to ring it in with my best friends, most of whom also love to eat and most of whom weren't able to have the luxury of eating Italian style like me. So I brought it home. The May 2005 issue of Bon Apetit magazine proved to be a godsend, not only in Italy, for pointing out the best wine bars, gelato stops, paninotecas, etc., but also brought home some of each region with us.
I have to admit that I was rather nervous. Entertaining is one of my passions in life, but I also freak out at the prospect that someone won't have had enough wine, or that there isn't enough gravy to bathe the lamb. Needless to say, a Negroni (one part gin, one part campari and one part sweet vermouth) certainly helped assuage some of my fears. I had my first Negroni in Florence in Piazza Stregni with my brother and my exchange brother, on New Years morning around 2 am. They are certainly hard-hitting, which is why I was tickled pink to hand them to guests as they arrived and watched them mellow into oblivion as an hour passed. I had made some of the antipasto the night before (Braised Baby Onions with Orange Juice and Balsamic Vinegar) and the biscotti (Almond) and assembled all the other prep vegetables. I marinated the 7 lb leg of lamb in garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and lemons for 24 hours beforehand. I cut up the broccoli rabe into stems and leaves and assembled the chickpeas in their very own container to soak overnight.
Friday night was the rush night. I came home, tossed the zucchini in mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and stuck it in the fridge to chill. On the way home I had stopped at Whole Foods for some quality Italian bread and fresh ciabatta which I sliced for the table along with some extra-virgin olive oil. Rupa took over the Green Beans duties, braising them in a pan which didn't exactly fit all of them, but she did a great job nonetheless and we politely fought over stove space while I attempted to boil the pasta simultaneously. Sebastian was a godsend as he (without being asked) brought over EVERYTHING needed for a smoked salmon appetizer, including capers and cream cheese, which he beautifully arranged on two platters in the living room. He is honestly the ideal dinner guest- he notices when things need to be done and he just does them and does them beautifully, like going out to buy ice or carving the lamb and making his own garnish out of a tomato, lemon and a sprig of rosemary. And he set out dessert to look amazing as well- just a tin of biscotti became a dessert tray with sliced oranges and broken pieces of gianduja chocolate with whole hazlenuts as garnish. The lamb- if I do say so myself- was utterly fantastic. I cannot believe how tender and succulent it was. I was very impressed with myself, being a red meat virgin and all.
The night was just magical. My mother had kindly set the table before she was ushered out to dinner and a movie with my dad with a brilliant orange sari. Punit had the genius idea of setting out little tea lights and dining by candlelight (yes, who would have thought shutting off the overhead lights would have made all the difference?!) and everything just looked specular. Seating boy, girl was certainly the way to go and I'll stick to that rule from now on. I was rather taken aback when Justin slid a small velvet jewelry box over to me and I proclaimed to everyone that I was being proposed to, when in fact he had bought me a pair of beautiful dangly gold earrings with peridot stones. Mmm...food AND jewelry! Everyone got drunker and happier and more comfortable as the night went on and I will always be sure to make sure that wine is on hand. We even had two bottles left over (10 people, 6 bottles of wine, not too shabby, though I'll admit that I thought we would do more damage and I believe the Negronis had something to do with it!) Dessert was casual- lounged in the living room and sharing our proudest moments together. There is something inspiring about eating and lounging by candlelight. So magical. I am so blessed that I have friends who love to eat and be entertained and who just are great elements to a good evening spent at home. Now I want to have a dinner party every month. Though Rupa is hosting the next one- Valentine's Day Dinner at her place with red/pink themed food. Though sorry boys, this one is just for the ladies :)
The Menu:
Antipasto:
- Braised Baby Onions with Orange Juice and Balsamic Vinegar
- Zucchini Carpaccio with Grated Pecorino Romano
- Braised Green Beans with Basil and Fresh Tomato
Pasta:
-Orechiette with Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe
Meat:
-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary
Dessert:
- Almond Cantucci e Vin Santo
Pictures here
I have to admit that I was rather nervous. Entertaining is one of my passions in life, but I also freak out at the prospect that someone won't have had enough wine, or that there isn't enough gravy to bathe the lamb. Needless to say, a Negroni (one part gin, one part campari and one part sweet vermouth) certainly helped assuage some of my fears. I had my first Negroni in Florence in Piazza Stregni with my brother and my exchange brother, on New Years morning around 2 am. They are certainly hard-hitting, which is why I was tickled pink to hand them to guests as they arrived and watched them mellow into oblivion as an hour passed. I had made some of the antipasto the night before (Braised Baby Onions with Orange Juice and Balsamic Vinegar) and the biscotti (Almond) and assembled all the other prep vegetables. I marinated the 7 lb leg of lamb in garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and lemons for 24 hours beforehand. I cut up the broccoli rabe into stems and leaves and assembled the chickpeas in their very own container to soak overnight.
Friday night was the rush night. I came home, tossed the zucchini in mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and stuck it in the fridge to chill. On the way home I had stopped at Whole Foods for some quality Italian bread and fresh ciabatta which I sliced for the table along with some extra-virgin olive oil. Rupa took over the Green Beans duties, braising them in a pan which didn't exactly fit all of them, but she did a great job nonetheless and we politely fought over stove space while I attempted to boil the pasta simultaneously. Sebastian was a godsend as he (without being asked) brought over EVERYTHING needed for a smoked salmon appetizer, including capers and cream cheese, which he beautifully arranged on two platters in the living room. He is honestly the ideal dinner guest- he notices when things need to be done and he just does them and does them beautifully, like going out to buy ice or carving the lamb and making his own garnish out of a tomato, lemon and a sprig of rosemary. And he set out dessert to look amazing as well- just a tin of biscotti became a dessert tray with sliced oranges and broken pieces of gianduja chocolate with whole hazlenuts as garnish. The lamb- if I do say so myself- was utterly fantastic. I cannot believe how tender and succulent it was. I was very impressed with myself, being a red meat virgin and all.
The night was just magical. My mother had kindly set the table before she was ushered out to dinner and a movie with my dad with a brilliant orange sari. Punit had the genius idea of setting out little tea lights and dining by candlelight (yes, who would have thought shutting off the overhead lights would have made all the difference?!) and everything just looked specular. Seating boy, girl was certainly the way to go and I'll stick to that rule from now on. I was rather taken aback when Justin slid a small velvet jewelry box over to me and I proclaimed to everyone that I was being proposed to, when in fact he had bought me a pair of beautiful dangly gold earrings with peridot stones. Mmm...food AND jewelry! Everyone got drunker and happier and more comfortable as the night went on and I will always be sure to make sure that wine is on hand. We even had two bottles left over (10 people, 6 bottles of wine, not too shabby, though I'll admit that I thought we would do more damage and I believe the Negronis had something to do with it!) Dessert was casual- lounged in the living room and sharing our proudest moments together. There is something inspiring about eating and lounging by candlelight. So magical. I am so blessed that I have friends who love to eat and be entertained and who just are great elements to a good evening spent at home. Now I want to have a dinner party every month. Though Rupa is hosting the next one- Valentine's Day Dinner at her place with red/pink themed food. Though sorry boys, this one is just for the ladies :)
The Menu:
Antipasto:
- Braised Baby Onions with Orange Juice and Balsamic Vinegar
- Zucchini Carpaccio with Grated Pecorino Romano
- Braised Green Beans with Basil and Fresh Tomato
Pasta:
-Orechiette with Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe
Meat:
-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary
Dessert:
- Almond Cantucci e Vin Santo
Pictures here
posted by Fat Sister | 4:44 PM
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