A Dinner Invite
“Can you come for dinner?” Robin texted.
“Sure, what’s the occasion?”
“We have an overnight guest and thought dinner would be a fun time to visit.”
I figured she’d order Vietnamese pho, spring rolls, and banh mi sandwiches, which are among our favorites for a quick meal.
No, she said, she’d come upon a few recipes saved from a trip to Italy. She wanted to give them a try.
Cooking Italian from Scratch
“Did You Say There’s Another Course?”
When we sat down for dinner, I thought the initial course was the main one. It included grilled eggplant, a mushroom dish and another of zucchini, both with a Gruyere Parmesan Sauce. I filled my plate.
Sformatini di Zucchine. A zucchini dish served with béchamel sauce. (The long, unpronounceable word beginning with “Sf” is not a typo; the word means to “unmold” in Italian.)
Eggplant
When the Pesto Genovese Pasta showed up as the second course, I gasped! Another plate of food! But the dish won my heart. I had no problem finishing it off.
Pesto Genovese Pasta
The “take and bake” baguette from Parker’s Table, enhanced the otherwise “all from scratch” meal.
Truly, Robin had captured what I remembered most about Italian dining.
The Finale
Ahh . . . dessert! The NY Times’ most requested recipe, a plum torte, popular in Europe. Without plums, Robin subbed blueberries and apricots—though I think plums hold their shape better. Even so, I always admire her willingness to get by with what she has on hand.
“Well, what’d you think?” she asked, as I began to leave.
I told her that she needed to have overnight guests more often. And then I squirreled away a piece of the remaining torte and took it home for breakfast. 🙂
7:30am. That meal looks so good, I’m ready to eat it right now. Kudos to Robin for “scratching” it together. I’ve no doubt that take-home piece of torte made a lovely breakfast…..perhaps with a piece of cheese?