Help! I am planning am Italian dinner for three couples Oct. 28. We meet several times a year for a theme dinner with everything made from scratch, everyone contributes. I am thinking about Osso Buco with soft polenta for the secondo, but could be persuaded to change. I'm afraid that a pasta dish for the Primo would be too heavy with Osso Buco. Any ideas? Desert?

Everyone on this forum seems to be great cook, can you give me some ideas?

Thanks,
Cracker

Months ago, perhaps last year, Charity B. posted on this site an olive oil cake that is excellent - full of citrus and nuts. I have made it several times and everyone has loved it.

Another dessert I make often is torta della nonna. My favorite version is from Maureen Fant in her Rome cookbook for Williams Sonoma.

And a pear or apple crostata would be a good choice - I love them in the fall.

Here is an easy dessert. It was served to me in a parfait glass, but I think it could work in a martini glass.

Mascapone cheese (2 8 oz. tubs)
1 c. powered sugar
1/4 c. Kahlua

Mix above 3 ingredients. Fold in 8 oz. Cool whip, or 8 oz. of whipped cream

1.Drizzle some chocolate syrup in clear martini or parfait glass
2.In bottom of glass , a little espresso, then crumbled amaretti cookie
3.Spoon in some of the marcapone mixture, and more crumbled cookie or shaved chocolate on top.

Makes 6-8 parfaits

Cracker,

Just noticed your location, where are you? I live in Naples, Florida. Are you a real Cracker? A Florida native?

One of the recipes I make at home that is simple and everybody likes is chicken breasts or thighs, fried in a little olive oil with 1-2 cloves of minced garlic finished off with balasmic vinegar. I usually serve it with creamed spinach and roasted potatoes with basil.

Ginger

Bags Packed & Palma - Thanks for the dessert ideas, they sound yummy.

Suncoast - Thanks for your recipe, I am going to try it for DH. I live outside of Punta Gorda on Charlotte Harbor, not so far from you. Charlie country! I am not a true Cracker, don't laugh, but as every user name I entered was rejected as already in use and I was eating cheese & crackers for lunch...well you get the picture. Seemed somewhat appropriate, if not entirely accurate.

I'm still working on the perfect menu. This is a tough dinner group, our last dinner was all chocolate, every item from appetizer to dessert had chocolate in it. It was an outstanding meal. Any other suggestions?

Thanks for responding,

Cracker

LOL, do you know how Floridians got the moniker Cracker? They used to crack their whips when driving all the cattle over to Punta Rassa to ship to Cuba. Florida has always been cattle country.

Ginger

Cracker,

Scroll back through this board for some great appetizer recipes, or use the "find" button.
Judith in Umbria's blog has fabulous "Gorgonzola Cookies".
How about a nice fall soup for a starter? Like the William-Sonoma recipe for butternut squash soup?
Palma

Bags Packed (Janice?) posted an Almond Cake recipe that has become a staple and may be a nice addition to your meal.(I still haven't figured ot how to link it but it'll come up with a quick search). My only problem with the recipe is getting it out of the pan in one piece so I just serve it from the pan.

Buon Appetito

Suncoast - Yes, actually Punta Rassa is not far away. We have had family in the area since the early 60's,our children are in FL too, guess that makes my grands true crackers. Don't forget about me if you ever need to move a bit further north to escape the nasties ... Knocking on wood for the next month!

Palma - The butternut squash soup is a great idea, now why didn't I think of that. I have many of Williams-Sonoma's Italian cookbooks, so that will not be a problem.

Mille - I found the recipe for Almond Cake and think it would be perfect, thanks for suggesting it.

I have some bruschetta toppings that I brought back from Italy this summer which will work well as an appetizer. I also brought back limoncello for a finish . I am finally starting to get interested in this dinner, don't know why I have been so unenthusiastic.

Thanks again,

Cracker

garnish the pumpkin soup with crushed amaretto cookies....and some parmesan.( the traditional combination for the ravioli filling in Mantova)
really takes it up a notch..
and be sure to finish off the osso buco with Gremolata
Finely minced lemon zest, parsley and garlic.

Diva,
The garnishes for the soup sound wonderful. I will definitely use the gremolata in the Osso Bucco, should this go in at the end, or earlier? This group really loves complex flavors, so both of your ideas are perfect for this dinner.

Thank you,
Cracker

Mille, glad you like the Almond Cake. It's one of my favorites and I seem to remember getting it from Bon Appetit magazine years ago - it was included in an article about Passover meals. I love anything almond flavored - could actually be happy with the can of almond paste - forget the cake.

As for getting it out of the pan, I think when I made it the first time that was an issue for me. Next time I began checking the cake a few minutes before cooking time was up, using a tester and making sure it was free of cake batter. I can't remember the last time I calibrated my oven - with cakes I watch and test. And I like Baker's Joy spray - works for me. Another suggestion would be to line your cake pan with parchment paper. Still, sometimes I have just a litte of the crumb layer stick but the imperfection is easily covered with a dusting of confectioner's sugar.

Try these tips and see if it will come out of the pan better next time.

Cracker - you are getting so many good ideas. Don't want to confuse you but do take a look at Giada De Laurentis' recipe for Raspberry Tiramisu on the Food Network site. I have made it several times for dinner parties - always well received, and has wonderful sinful mix of marscapone, raspberry and Grand Marnier, plus it's gorgeous to look at. I think it's one of those perfect desserts because it's simple to do but very elegant.

Bags packed - OMG, what a wonderful dessert. I have printed it out and added it to my recipe file to try. It may not work for my dinner, since this group likes complicated recipes, but it will certainly be at the top of my list the next time I entertain. Thanks for sharing.

Cracker

The ossobuco should be served with a very simple wite risotto, as it is usually done here in Milano (aka ossobucoland). Prepare a standard risotto with no flavoring: just soften the onion in some butter or oil, toast the rice, add the white wine, when evaporated, add the stock, stir once and let simmer until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is al dente, add the butter and Parmigiano, stir vigorously for a minute to create the cream and serve with the ossobuco. Traditionally, the two are bought to the table in their pans, so that each person can serve hismself or herself of both risotto and meat in the preferred order. Some people prefer to first have the risotto only garnished with a couple spoonfuls of the ossobuco sauce, some others will have the risotto and the meat toghteher. If possible, ask the butcher for a bit extra marrow, to be added to the risotto: when you are setting up to cook the risotto, add the marrow to the butter (oil) and onion for extra flavor. Toast as usual (making sure that the ponion just softens and gets a bit golden) and add the rice. Don't forget not to stir the rice while it is cooking, to prevent it from getting too soft on the outsside while still half-raw inside.

I also do not stir my risotto..
I think that EVERYONE in the states stirs...that is the way it was taught by Marcella Hazan...

Alice...
no saffron???
or is that another thing for foreigners?

the gremolata goes on after cooking, but cover the pan so it heats.

Yes, traditional risotto alla milanese is with saffron, butpersonally with ossibuchi I like better a white risotto. The saffron gets covered with the ossobuco and gremolata flavor, essentially, so why adding it? I would, instead, add the marrow, if available, for flavor. After all, the most prized part of the ossobuco is the marrow, and a bit more marrow in the risotto just adds flavor.

Alice & Diva - Thank you for your great advice. I hope I can do justice to the osso bucco, we do have an excellent italian grocery and butcher here which will be a big help. I will definitely ask for extra marrow. The recipe that I am using is alla Milanese and calls for additional marrow in the risotto.

I had thought to serve it with soft polenta as it was served to us in Venice, but it does seem that the consistancy of the risotto would make a better pairing and be more authentic. I make risotto fairly often, but always stirring and stirring while adding the warm stock in small quantities. I will make a test batch without the stirring and see how it works, how interesting that we make it so differently than you while thinking we are doing it the true Italian way. I wonder if it is made the same throughout the different regions of Italy.

I really do appreciate your help. Should I serve a vegetable as a side with this dish? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cracker

Actually, many italians stir too, thinking that the risotto needs the stirring to be kept from sticking. The truth is that if the rice is toeasted to the right degree and you add enough liquuid at once, the rice will nost stick. Essentially, the toasting works as a very light parboiling (you do NOT use parboiled rice, do you?) and helps the rice cook ina uniform way, while still retaining all of the starch that would make it stick. If you stir, the outer layer created by the toasting breaks and the starch is released = the risotto sticks. The rule would call for all of the stock to be added at once, but I usually add it in a couple of batches. After each addition, I just stir once to allow the liquid to reach the bottom of thepan and I am done. Purists don't even stir, just shake the pan. When the rice is al dente and "all'onda" (wavy, with still enough liquid to sloosh a bit when shaking the pan, you may have to add a bit of stock at the last moment), the vigorous stir halps releases the starch, which creates the cream with no need of cream or anything. Well, except butter and cheese (the latter I do not use because I am allergic to Parmigiano). Let sit for a couple of minutes and serve.

Regarding vegetables, I would prepare some Milanese stuff. A few different vegetables cooked in milk, or with added milk. I like carrots (sliced very thin, blanched in water, after ten minutes remove, place in a pan with a little butter, add some milk, a pinch of salt and a hint of nutmeg, if you like it add a bit of parmigiano at the end; the milk must create nice creamy tiny clots, it's yummy to scrape the bottom of the pan) or coliflower (similarly prepared). If you are interested, tomorro I will write down some Milanese vegetable sides.

Alice
Thank you for being so generous with your time. I understand about the rice for the risotto now, I'm anxious to try the toasting technique.

The carrots sound lovely, and the color would be nice, especially if I can find the long thin baby carrots. If you have any other vegetables dishes that you would like to suggest, and I haven't tried your patience too much, I would enjoy getting them.

Thanks,
Cracker

Does anyone have the almond cake recipe? I assume it incorporates olive oil (rather than butter) and no wheat flour if it is a Passover recipe (Passover and Easter are both Pasqua in Italian). Passover recipes can of course incorporate matzo meal, but that doesn't strike me as very Italian-Jewish, though Sephardim also eat matzo.

Something I love in Italian food is the bitter green vegetables - evidently an important nutritional component - and much more pleasant than one would think at first thought.

Here is the Almond Cake recipe posted by Bags Packed on this site, I didn't see a reference to Passover. I sounds yummy.

ALMOND CAKE

3/4 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
7 ounces almond paste, broken in to small pieces
3 large eggs
1 T. Kirsch
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 8 in. diameter cake pan and dust with flour. (I often use Baker's Joy spray instead.)

With electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and creamy. Add almond paste a little bit at a time, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in Kirsch, almond flavoring and salt. Sift flour and baking powder together into a small bowl and then add to the batter. Beat until just blended. Pour batter into pan and smooth the top.

Bake until the cake is golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 min. Cool in pan on rack.

Lagatta, I think this is the almond cake recipe referred to.

Edited later: Cracker beat me to it!

Cracker, I may be assuming far too much, but my feeling is that, with all due respect to Alice Twain, you are not terribly keen on the clumps-of-milk recipes for vegetables. If so, I can sympathize, because I've never been able to bring myself to make one of them either. And although Marcella Hazan's method of cooking risotto has been discredited here - and I use the non-stir method myself - the vegetable she suggests to accompany ossobuco is Sauteed peas with prosciutto:

Saute 2 peeled garlic cloves in 2 tbsp. olive oil until brown, remove garlic, add 2 tbsp. diced prosciutto or pancetta, saute for less than a minute, add 10 oz. tiny frozen peas, 2 tbsp. chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste, cook until done, 5 minutes or less.

Besides, I think the green of the peas is a nice contrast to the reddish color of the osso buco and the pale color of the risotto, even if there is some green in the gremolata.

And now I wait for Alice's wrath to descend on my poor head!

Okay, so I'm not sure about the carrots in milk thing, but I am willing to try it out on DH. The peas sound really good, but the previously mentioned man in my life absolutely hates peas. You have all been so helpful that I hate to be greedy, but one more vegetable suggestion would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Cracker