Visiting with friends

June 23

It's not the precious hand woven linen towel offered to freshen up with before lunch...

...nor the homemade fried eggplant sauce garnished with slivers of ricotta nor the family's own champagne,

but the reunion around the table with dear friends catching up on the lastest news and sharing once again flashes of each other's lives.

La Tagliata with Arugula salad

June 24 This tender meat was delicious and I can't wait to try it on the grill outside or inside in a very hot skillet. You'll need:
2lbs beef tenderloin, sliced about 1/4" think

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2T each finely chopped rosemary and mint

1 1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil

2T lemon juice

1T balsamic vinegar from Modena

6C arugula

1/4C parsley leaves

2 plum tomatoes, wedged

1 thinly sliced stalk celery heart with leaves

Season beef with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with rosemary and mint and pour on 1C olive oil. Refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 24hours).

Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper and slowly drizzle in remaining oil. Just before serving, combine the arugula, parsley, tomatoes and celery in a bowl; toss with the lemon dressing.

Grill the beef, basting it with its marinade, for 2 minutes, turning once. Place a mound of arugula salad on each of 4 plates. Surround with the very tender grilled beef and serve immediately.

The attention to the flavors, perfume and even color made this an elegant meal, but the best part was the coffee prepared and served by 11 year old, Matilde, a former student.

Pasta and Creamed Salmon

Ahh...it's good to be back in Verona, especially because the days are sunny and slightly breezy. Andrea's immediate request was for this summer dish...one we discovered from a friend last year. I was more than happy to offer this as our first meal together. Make the sauce to your desired thickness, by heating up and mixing some creamed cheese, milk and adding pieces of smoked salmon. Serve over pasta cooked in lightly salted water. I like the little bows, but it can be any kind of ribbed pasta that holds the sauce. This recipe can be varied by first sauteeing a bit of finely chopped red onion and crushed garlic in a T of olive oil and garnishing with capers or black olives, parmesan cheese and fresh parsley or rosemary depending on your favourite flavors.

Broiled Steak with Tomatoes and Garlic

Andrea and Marta, summer's approaching and there's nothing better than a great steak. This is a classic recipe for 4, which originates from Naples where it is difficult to find any dish without local rich-tasting tomatoes. Why not organize a "grigliata" with friends at a park some place and try this out.

You'll Need:

3T olive oil, plus extra for brushing

1 lb/700g chopped tomatoes

1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped

1 chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1t chopped fresh parsley

1t oregano

4 6oz/175g entrecote or rump steaks

1) Simmer all of the vegetables and herbs in the oil for about 15 minutes in a heavy bottom pan.

2) Meanwhile, trim any fat from the steaks and generously pepper (but no salt) and brush with olive oil.

-Cook under a very hot pre-heated broiler for 1 minute on each side. (Leave oven door open when you broil). You can also grill this outdoors.

-Reduce the heat to medium, close the door and cook according to taste:

1 1/2 minutes each side for rare; 2 1/2-3 min. each side for medium; 3-4 min. on each side for well done.

3) Transfer the steaks to warmed individual plates and spoon the sauce over them. Serve immediately.

I tried this last night, but on the grill on the stove and it was so tasty. What would you suggest as a side fish and which beverage...water, ice cold beer or wine? How about some appetizers while you're waiting for the coals to heat up?

Rhubarb Sauce

Sunday, May 2, 2010
Today was a beautiful spring day with the sky an intense blue graced with soft clouds and a gentle breeze. For the first time, I could smell the freshness of the bay's water while I drank my morning coffee on the porch. The various blossoms are at their peek and the tiny wildflowers are racing to grow while the the sun can still reach them before the tree's leaves will completely block its rays. Not only wildflowers are sprouting everywhere, but so is the rhubarb. While they say the leaves, which are already the size of baby elephant ears, are poisonous, the stalks are just right for making a deliciously tart sauce. In anticipation of a dinner engagement on Tuesday with a couple of friends, my neighbor gave me 6 stalks to try with her recipe.
I love how tastes can trigger memories. With the first sample came a vivid childhood memory of eating a much more sour sauce poured over ice cream. It was just one of the treats our garden had to offer each summer. Dad had delighted in producing rows of rasberries and grapes just so we could go out every evening after dinner and have a nibble. That first sampling of the sauce also reminded me of the sundaes we would get while vacationing in the Dolomites (Tabarel at San Vigilio di Marebbe), but this time the fruit was a hot rasberry sauce. I had planned on making an apple pie for dessert, but I've definitely decided, it will now be hot rhubarb sauce over vanilla ice cream. The sauce would actually also be very good as a "contorno" of a pork roast, but maybe that would be more appropriate in the winter. The sauce is now made and stored in an air tight container and will wait in the refrigerator for Tuesday when I'll heat it up again.
So here's the recipe:
3c rhubarb chopped in 1/2" slices
3/4c sugar
1/3c water
2T orange juice
1/8t cinnamon
optional: 10-12 raisins ( used dried cranberries)
(I also added about 6 sliced strawberries I had in the frig)
Bring water & sugar to boil.
Add orange juice.
Stir in rhubarb, raisins and strawberries.
Return to boil.
Lower heat & cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
Remove from heat and add cinnamon.
Enjoy!