Tortellini with a thick Bolognese sauce can be a meal by itself. When it’s part of a multi course Italian Feast it’s best served as a small portion. It can be very filling. Tortellini originates from Bologna, Italy. Legend claims that Tortellini was inspired by the goddess Venus’ navel. An Italian medieval legend tells how Venus and Zeus, weary one night after their involvement in a battle between Bologna and Modena, arrive at a tavern in a small town on the outskirts of Bologna. After eating a hearty dinner and becoming slightly drunk, they decide to share a bedroom. The innkeeper, captivated after watching them, creeps to their room and peeks through the keyhole of the bedroom door. However, all he can see through the keyhole is the naval of Venus. This vision leaves him spellbound – so much so that he immediately rushes to the kitchen and creates a pasta inspired by Venus’ navel…and so was born the Tortellini.

Of course, a perfect sauce to go with Tortellini, also originates from Bologna, Bolognese. The night we served our Italian Feast, we offered Two pasta dishes. This one and Pesto Alla Genovese with Vermicelli. The recipe for that one comes later.

If you make your Bolognese ahead of time, chill or freeze it, and then reheat it, the flavors will intensify. I recommend simmering the Bolognese, alternating between covered and uncovered for several hours so that you end up with a slight “reduction’ of the sauce. Again, this lends itself to even more intensification of the flavors. The Bolognese will become richer and thicker, clinging to the Tortellini, when you finish it off. The number of servings will depend on how much Bolognese you make and if this is the main course or one of many.

Prep time: 10 minutes to 1 hour – Cook time: 20 minutes to 4 hours

Ingredients

Start by making the Bolognese. Here is my own recipe, which I shared with you some months ago. After simmering for several hours, begin to heat your pasta water minutes before you intend to serve this. I DO NOT make fresh pasta. There are so many excellent pastas available, I would rather spend my time on the sauces they deliver us when we eat! I do however, prefer refrigerated Tortellini, rather than dried, that you can get at most grocery stores now. Rana and Buitoni both make excellent refrigerated pasta, in a wide variety, and widely distributed through large and small grocery stores. We served a four cheese Tortellini the night of our Italian Feast and in this recipe as well.

Add salt to taste. Gently boil the Tortellini so that it retains its shape and cook it about 30 seconds less than called for in the instructions. You’ll want to finish cooking the Tortellini in the sauce.

When nearly cooked, drain the Tortellini, add it back to the pot and add your sauce. Continue cooking on medium heat for a couple of minutes. You want the pasta to finish and to absorb the sauce. It really enhances the flavor. Gently stir the pasta and sauce together.

When you’re ready to eat, plate this tastebud delighting gift from Bologna, pour a nice glass of your favorite red wine, and enjoy!

This is pictured as the main course. The night of the Italian Feast, there were four Tortellini with Bolognese plated alongside Pesto Alla Genovese con Vermicelli. Just enough of each to satisfy the taste buds and set them up for the Secondi and a nice Chianti.

Leftovers are not usual.

Wines We Love With This

Chianti

Valpolicella

Sangiovese

Cabernet Sauvignon

Quando condividi un pasto con gli amici, diventano una famiglia!

So this is another of the recipes for the Italian Feast Menu. This dish was borrowed from the cookbook, “Italy, The Beautiful Cookbook”, and modified for our taste. The original recipe calls for red pepper flakes, but we weren’t sure everyone coming would appreciate the rising heat in the back of the throat, so we left that out. Suzanne loves capers, so we doubled the amount called for.

The dinner that evening was an event. Starting around 6pm, it stretched and meandered its way all the way to 2am the following morning. The entire 6 course evening was inspired by my love for the people we invited and the desire to express that in the best way that most Italians do, through food and wine. Oh yeah, we had 4 different wines throughout the feast, ending with Cappuccino and after-dinner drinks.

When we got together that evening we had known everyone for about 5 years. Our neighborhood was one of those filled with YUPPIES of the 80’s and 90’s. We had all taken vacations together, watched each others kids growing up, shared similar professional experiences, supported each other through personal troubles, cheered one another and slowly became an extended family. It had been a very long time since I felt that kind of closeness, so I really wanted the evening to be special.

This dish was part of the Secondi, or main course. Suzanne and I waited table and brought this out, already plated, preceded by Pollo Alla Romano and followed by Melanzane Alla Parmigiana. Of course, you can serve it all at once, sharing plate space for each dish. We just wanted to stretch things out, have plenty of wine and talk through the evening.

Since this is one of six courses, the recipe will serve 8 to 10 people. If it’s the only course, being served with pasta, it will serve 4 to 6.

Prep time: 15 mins. – Cook time : 20 mins.

Ingredients

Making the Magic

First, take a sip of wine and relax.

Add Olive Oil to a large, deep pan and heat over medium.

Slice the Pork Tenderloin into 1″ thick medallions. Pat dry.

Once the oil is swirling in the pan, carefully place the medallions. There will be some splatter.

Turn the medallions after 4 minutes or so.

After browning both sides of the medallions, move them to the side of your pan.

Drop in the shallots and saute for about 2 to 3 mins. Lean over the pan and smell the aroma as the shallots begin to release their oils and acids into the hot olive oil. They are chemically changing and the flavors will mingles with the rest of the ingredients.

Now add the chicken broth and the wine. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan. As the liquid begins to boil it will help the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan to release into the sauce you are creating.

Next add the Olives and the Capers. Stir and coat them with the broth and wine.

After a minute or so, slide the pork medallions back into the middle of the pan, spreading them around.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Return the heat to med-high and add your Butter roux or corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce. An easy butter roux is 1T softened butter thoroughly mixed with 1T flour. It makes a soft paste that you can drop into and sauce you want to thicken.

Once your sauce has thickened, it is ready to serve over your favorite pasta as a main course or one or two medallions with just the sauce, as part of a beautiful Italian feast!

Variations To Keep It New

Consider adding fresh button mushrooms to this. Also, a hand full of raisins will make a nice sweet/savory change of pace.

I love trying different pastas and YES, the do taste different!

Wines We Love With This

Any light red or a dry white wine.

Goditi il cibo, la famiglia e l’amore! Mangiare!

Eggplant is one of those things that most people seldom make. Well, maybe not most, but enough to make this dish worth considering. It’s not nearly as intimidating as it looks and the flavors and textures are amazing. Eggplant will absorb the flavors of almost anything you cook with it, so it becomes a very versatile ingredient. This dish was part of the “Secondi” course during our Italian Feast back in 1993. I included this for several reasons. One of our guests was not a huge consumer of meat, and I was able to make this a few days ahead of time, refrigerate it and pop it in the oven at the appropriate time during the evening of our dinner party. We started this meal around 6 or 6:30pm and it went until 2am the following morning. I usually find some link, for most of the dishes I post, to a memory or event that makes it special? The dinner we served that night was the first time I made Eggplant Parmesan. I think of that evening every time I make it. I remember the laughter, the warmth and love being shared around the table. It always makes this dish special to me.

As I’ve related in previous posts, this was a dinner inspired by wanting to show all our friends how we felt about them. It took several days to get ready and it was an amazing evening of toasts, good food, friendship, love and knowing we were with people we had chosen as “Family”. So this meal, this gathering, this evening of sharing was, as my Grandfather Francis used to say, “per la famiglia, cin, cin!”

This recipe is good for six people if you serve pasta on the side, four people if you make it the only dish and 8 or more if it is for a multi-course dinner.

Prep time: 30 minutes – Cook time: 40 to 50 minutes (longer if you prep and refrigerate before baking)

Ingredients

Making The Magic

Wash the outside of your eggplants and slice them into 1/2″ thick slices. Sprinkle a little salt over each slice of the egg plant and layer them, in a colander, on top of each other. Once sliced, salted and layered, lay a large plate or something solid on top and weigh it all down. I use a large can of tomatoes for this. Leave the eggplant for about 20 to 30 minutes. The salt draws out some of the moisture and the bitterness you sometimes find in eggplant. Once they are sufficiently drained, lay them out and pat them dry.

Preheat your oven to 425° while the eggplant is sweating. Take another sip of your wine!

Line a shallow baking pan with foil and spray it lightly with Pam. When you’ve dried your eggplant, lay the slices out in the baking pan, in a single layer. It might take two pans. Brush the slices with olive oil. Notice how the oil is absorbed into the eggplant? You may need more olive oil, so don’t be stingy. You can always use more. When all of the eggplant has been brushed with olive oil, lightly dust the eggplant with Italian bread crumbs. Place the baking pan(s) in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.

While that’s baking, prepare the initial bed for the eggplant. Use an 8 x 12 (best) or 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread about 1/4 of your tomato sauce in the baking dish. Your first layer of eggplant will go directly on top of this. When the eggplant is finished, remove it from the oven and let it cool.

Reduce the oven temp to 400°.

Begin to layer the eggplant, basil, sauce and cheeses. Place the first layer of eggplant in the bed of tomato sauce.

Spread 1/4 of the tomato sauce over the eggplant in the baking dish.

Place half of the Basil leaves on top of the tomato sauce. Spread 1/2C of the Mozzarella and then 1/4C of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Grind some fresh black pepper to taste over all of it.

Repeat this layering a second time.

Repeat again for a third time, finishing without the Basil leaves and using the final 1/2C of Parmigiano Reggiano to top it all off.

Bake the casserole for 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered, not letting the cheese get too dark. It will be bubbling on the sides and golden brown on the top when it’s finished.

Bring it out of the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Finish that first glass of wine while you’re waiting and then pour another.

Cut into squares and plate your beautiful Melanzane alla Parmigiana! Ummmm, you’re so gonna love this! Delizioso!

Variations To Keep It New

If you would like to add some meat to this dish, thinly slice some precooked Italian sausage and add it in the second layer. Add some red pepper flakes to the tomato sauce for a little heat.

Wines We Love With This

Merlot

Chianti

Beaujolais

Leftovers

Reheated in the microwave keeps it from drying out. In the oven at 350°, covered and you can always add a little tomato sauce to keep it moist.

Mangia, bevi, ama con gusto!

Question

Do you have a favorite jarred or canned sauce you like to use in recipes?

This was the second course of our wonderful Italian Feast with friends and neighbors in 1993. This marvelous and delicious soup also connects me to one of my oldest memories. We lived in Brooklyn, NY for several years when I was somewhere in my preschool years. My father was in the Merchant Marines until I was 7 years old, so we moved between Charlotte, NC and Brooklyn, NY. My mother’s parents, Gracie and Speedy, lived in Charlotte on Tennyson Ave. A dirt road back then, they built their house in 1949, paying about $5,600. It was the one place in our “gypsy lifestyle” that remained constant, so no matter how much we moved, Gracie and Speedy were always there. My father’s sisters lived in New York and we were close to one of his sisters, my Aunt Jean and Uncle Gabe. Brooklyn was a bustling, prosperous, middle class town that stood in the shadow of Manhattan.

We finally sat down for our meal and I remember my brother and I sitting on phones books. Because I was sitting at the “big table”, Donnie insisted he do the same, not in the one high chair we had. He made such a fuss about it my Mom finally gave in, and sat him at the “big table”, on a stack of phone books. Aunt Jean was serving up her wonderful Minestrone, and Mom brought out the sliced, hot bread. Even though it was winter, cold outside and the sun was going down, I remember feeling warm and safe in the apartment. My Dad was at sea again, so when we weren’t with Aunt Jean and the family, it was just the three of us. We were all sitting at the table, and I was listening intently to everything the adults were saying. I adored my cousins, Delores, Jimmy, and Janette, as well as my Aunt Jean and Uncle Gabe. Just being with them was always fun, and it was one of the few times we felt like we were part of a big family. Aunt Jean and Mom were laughing about something I didn’t understand. I was laughing because laughter is contagious and little kids “catch a laugh” as easily as they catch a cold. I remember the soup was delicious and Mom gave me a large piece of bread to dip in the soup. I think we were about half way through our soup when Donnie announced, “pee-pee Mommy”. She looked over to see him standing up on his chair, his diaper around his ankles. And then, he peed, straight into his soup bowl. With shocked looks on all our faces, we froze while little Donnie relieved himself right into his bowl of Minestrone. Aunt Jean and Mom burst into laughter at the same time. Delores and I soon followed. Donnie looked at all of us, a little confused I think, and then he started laughing. Finally, he sat back down, with his diapers still off. He picked up his spoon and started to reach for his soup bowl. Mom and Aunt Jean screamed, “NO”, and my cousin Delores jumped up and took the spoon away from him. Little Donnie started to cry, more from the loud “NO” than anything else. Aunt Jean got up and whisked his bowl away. Delores and Aunt Jean came back out of the kitchen with a fresh bowl of Minestrone and a new spoon. We all finished that incredible meal together, Donnie still sitting on the phone books with no pants or diapers on. I still remember the taste of that soup and the warmth from the inside out!

The recipe I’ll share comes from another of my favorite cookbooks, “Italy – The Beautiful Cookbook”. It’s one of those that looks like a “coffee table book”, but don’t judge this book by its cover. The recipes inside are amazing. It was a cookbook I bought because of the beautiful photos and stories and has become one of my favorite “goto’s” when I’m looking to try something new.

This recipe will serve 6 as a meal with bread or 10 as a second course of a large meal. I promise it does NOT include my brother’s “special ingredient”! Also, Minestrone can be served hot or cold/room temperature. The cooking method is a little different because of the rice.

Pre time: 45 min – Cook time: 2 hrs 20 min

Ingredients

Gather everything you’ll need and prep the ingredients so all you’ll need to do is add each, once you start cooking.

2T – Italian parsley, chopped

6+T – Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Salt – use sea salt if you have it, to taste

Pepper – to taste

Making the Magic

You probably finished the first glass of wine, unless it was a generous pour, so you should probably refill that glass of wine. Take a sip. Now, let’s get started making your masterpiece! These steps are simple, but the sequence is important. Adding the right ingredient, at the right time, helps the flavors to combine and bloom inside your Minestrone.

Add the 2T of butter, add more if you like, into your stock pot or sauce pan. Preheat on medium high until the butter just starts to sizzle.

Add the pancetta, or bacon, and the onions and reduce the heat to medium. Stir frequently and cook for several minutes, until the onions start to brown, slightly. When the bottom of the pan has a golden crust starting to form, it will be time for you to start adding more ingredients. Lean over the pan and take a deep breath. OMG…is that smell incredible, or what?!

A sip of wine is appropriate at this point.

Next, add the celery, carrots, red beans, potatoes and zucchini. Stirring frequently, cook for about 5 or 6 minutes. You don’t want things to stick to the bottom, so keep an eye on this.

Next, I like to add the tomato paste at this point. Thoroughly stir it in, mixing it well with all the veggies, coating each piece so the flavors start to combine and the combination begins to bloom in the pan. Take another whiff. Amazing, isn’t it?

Next add the green beans and chopped tomatoes. Stir into the mix.

Finally add the broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Bring everything up to a boil. Increase the heat to medium high and wait for the boil to begin. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let your Minestrone simmer for about two hours.

IF YOU WANT TO SERVE THE MINESTRONE HOT:

After 2 hours simmering, bring the heat back up and add the rice. Cook on medium high to high for 15 to 16 minutes. When finished cooking, remove the heat. Ladle your work of love into the serving bowls. Sprinkle with the grated or shredded Parmesan and top with the chopped Italian Parsley.

IF YOU WANT TO SERVE THE MINESTRONE COOLED DOWN OR COLD:

After 2 hours simmering, bring the heat back up and add the rice. ONLY cook the rice for about 5 or 6 minutes and then remove the heat. The rice will finish cooking as the Minestrone cools. While the Minestrone is still hot, ladle it into the serving bowls and stir in 1T of Parmesan cheese. Let it cool. Garnish with the chopped Italian Parsley, just before serving.

Hot or cold, you will love this soup. Serve it with some crusty Italian bread. We get ours at Aldi’s grocery stores. We love the “Special Selected – Italian Bread” they carry. You finish baking this at home and it is so very close to what we used to have when traveling in Italy. Momma Mia, Bellissimo!

Variations To Keep It New

Try different vegetables. Sliced Okra makes it a little thicker and adds an amazing texture. Corn adds a little sweetness and a nice crunch. Replace the green beans with cut asparagus. You can add cooked, chopped chicken or turkey. Cubed ham adds a whole different dimension to this. The possibilities are endless.

Wines We Love With This

Frascati

Pinot Grigio

Chardonnay

Leftovers

I always make extra so I can freeze some. It’s awesome when cooked again. The veggies change texture and the flavors are more blended. I never met a left over Minestrone I didn’t like!

Food attaches us to so many memories. Remember that whenever you make a meal for someone you love!

Question

What’s your earliest childhood memory? Is it associated with food? No, breastfeeding does not count!

Mamma-mia!….there are so many variations on this! You can start any meal, formal or informal, with a simple Antipasti, or you can make an elaborate dish with lots of different bites, Antipasti Misti. The evening of our Italian Feast at the Pilolla’s, we started with a small plate that included very small portions, small bites, of several items. We accompanied the Antipasti with a light and refreshing white wine.

Ingredients

This is what we did, but it could have been many other delicious things as well!

Large Green Olives

Kalamata Olives

Prosciutto – Rolled

Roasted Red Pepper – Sliced into 1″ strips

Bread Sticks

Making The Magic

This is a simple dish, but can be made elegant through its presentation. It’s all in how you plate it. Play with the layout, use small plates and go for color! People eat with their eyes, as much as their palates, so excite them with the variety and color.

Knowing this was going to be a long evening, we took our time, savoring each bite. We talked and laughed a bit and when the plates were empty, we didn’t get up right away to clear the dish. The great thing about this plate is you can prepare it ahead of time, we did this the day before. Plate the dish, covering each with plastic wrap, and storing it in the fridge.

Here’s a small list of possible small bites to use: Stuffed Green Olives, Kalamata Olives, Pepperoncini, Fresh Mozzarella Slice, Sliced Salami, Prosciutto, Cubed Provolone, Chunks of Parmesan, Pickled or Fresh Carrots, Roasted Red Peppers, Pickled Okra, any Variety of Italian cold cuts.

How you serve them depends on how formal and how large is your dinner party. Here’s some pictures that I hope will spark your creative ideas and help you imagine your own creation.

Remember that you are setting up the dinner to come, with your Antipasti, so don’t over-do the portions. I generally don’t serve bread with this course. Breadsticks are great. They add a little crunchiness, light and easy to serve.

Wines We Love With This

With our Antipasti dish we served a nice Italian Frascati. Also great:

Pinot Grigio

Chardonnay – I prefer a stainless aged Chardonnay with this

Sauvignon Blanc – if you prefer something dry

Riesling – is sweeter and might also be better, depending on what you serve.

The night of our Italian Feast, we served 5 different wines, pairing each wine with the course we were serving. It was awesome! Just be sure to pace yourself. Our dinner went from 6:00PM to 2AM. There was plenty of time between courses to let things settle, sip more wine, enjoy each other’s company and absorb and be present in the evening.

Grandi amici, ottimo cibo, ottimo vino, ottimi ricordi!

Do you have a favorite Antipasti, something you like to share with friends and family? Share it with me. I’d love to add it to my list of favorites too!