Palm Sunday Dinner

Dinner at my sister's house is always a special meal. This year Lenore and Ralph outdid themselves with five courses.

First was the Antipasto. Sorry, no photos. And I should have taken a photo of the pickled eggplant. The slices were cut as thin as a string. I have never seen them cut that thin. Oh, and there was pickled beets. They were seasoned with olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and oregano. Wow!

Next was the Dandelion Soup. This year they used dandelions from their garden that were grown with Italian Dandelion Seeds. The broth was sublime and the greens had a nice bitter taste to them. Something along the lines of broccoli rabe. There was a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old at the table who loved this soup.

Homemade pasta with an Asparagus and Scallion Sauce. Perfect.

Next was the Porkette. Seasoned with Fennel. Moist as can be. Peas and carrots rounded out the plate.

Finally dessert. My sister made her Easter Bread, again no photo...

I brought Cannoli Bits. I had found the recipe in the Italian Sons and Daughters of America Newsletter. They were perfect little bites. You did not have to eat a whole cannoli. Not that you shouldn't but after all the food we consumed it was not for a small bit of something sweet. These will be part of my dessert rotation.

Here are the recipe and the story that goes along with it. I would recommend signing up for this weekly newsletter. Lots of interesting stories and recipes.