no fail dinner party

Produce at a street market in Burgio, Sicily.

We had friends over for dinner this week and the menu was quite a success.  As in, everyone at the table had second (and some, third) helpings.  As in, someone said he couldn't remember the last time he had a meal like this.  As in, someone asked if I cooked like this every night and asked what time to come over the next night.  I told my mom about it afterward because two of the recipes were from her good friends.  She urged me to make a note of the recipes because you should always have some tried and true recipes to go to for occasions like this.  So here they are, some delicious recipes for an Italianesque feast for 4-6 people.  Also, in my haste to prepare for guests, I didn't get any photos of the following dishes...

Appetizer: Bruschetta (Rosie's recipe)

1 container cherry tomatoes, chopped (reserve 1/2 cup if you're making the spinach salad below)
2 garlic cloves, minced
6+ large basil leaves, cut into ribbons
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
olive oil, enough to cover the tomatoes
bread of your choice

Mix all ingredients and let marinate at room temperate for at least one hour.  I served it with sliced rounds of ficelle (the skinniest French baguette you can find), toasted in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes (watch them so the edges don't burn).  We decided it was easiest to leave the bruschetta in the small mixing bowl alongside the plate of toast, and let people prepare their own.  Bonus: No soggy bread.

Main course: Chicken Marsala (adapted from Jan's recipe)

5 chicken breasts, butterflied (I cut through all the way to make thin cutlets)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. sea salt (more to taste)
1 tsp. pepper
1 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium or 1/2 large sweet onion
1 container baby bella/cremini mushrooms
1 T. dried parsley
1.5 cups marsala wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Onion and mushroom prep: You can dice the onion and slice the mushrooms by hand, OR save time by running them through the food processor like I did.  I used the grater attachment for the onion and the slicer attachment for the mushrooms.  Place in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.  Prepare the chicken by slicing lengthwise with your knife parallel to the cutting board, to form 10 cutlets.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour mixture and fry in the skillet to a golden color.  Transfer fried chicken to a large baking dish.

In the same skillet, saute the garlic, onion, and mushrooms.  Dump in the remaining flour mixture and mix well.  This will help make a gravy.  Add in the parsley, Marsala, and tomato sauce.  Add in more salt to taste.

Pour mixture over the chicken in the baking dish; cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.


Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

1 package whole wheat spaghetti
1/3 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain and set aside.  In the pasta pot, saute the garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes.  Stir in the salt, red pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast.  Transfer the pasta back to the pot and combine with the sauce.


Garlic Green Beans

1 bag of frozen French green beans from Trader Joe's
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt, more to taste
2 T. olive oil

Dump the green beans in a large pot.  Pour the olive oil over them.  Add in the salt and minced garlic on top.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.  I uncover and stir mine every few minutes.  Continue to cook until beans are tender.


Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach leaves
1/2 container gorgonzola cheese
2 small cucumbers, peeled and sliced into rounds
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved    

Dressing (adapted from Jenny's recipe):

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
3 T. ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1.5 tsp. worchestire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a shaker.  Pour desired amount over salad and toss to combine.

Buon appetito!