This was the question that was asked by my mother every day when we spoke. We both enjoyed talking about food.
She passed away in 2006. I miss someone asking that question.
So this is where I will tell whomever what I am making for dinner.
This weekend I was going through old recipe files. I found the recipe for Veal Mattese from a class I took at Quattro's in Guilford a few years ago. One of my husband's favorite meal at Quattro's in Guilford is Veal Mattese. This was quite good. I served the veal along with a side mashed potatoes, just like they do a Quattro's.
Ingredients-
1 lb. of veal scaloppini
salt and pepper
flour2 tbsp butter
8 large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
3 oz. white wine
1 tsp. marinara Sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 lb. fresh spinach, blanched
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 tbsp chopped scallions, chopped
Method-
Dust the veal in flour, salt, and pepper.
In a saute pan melt the butter.
Sear the veal, 3 minutes per side. Add shrimp, white wine and marinara sauce.
Place blanched spinach on top of the veal along with the shrimp and mozzarella cheese. Let the sauce reduce in half and cover the pan to melt the cheese.
Today is my husband's birthday so for dinner we went to Quattros. We started with Grilled Calamari, tender squid rings grilled, sauteed with crispy bacon, light hot cherry peppers and asparagus tossed in a white wine sauce. For dinner we both had our favorite meals. Chris likes the Veal Matesse, topped with jumbo shrimp, fresh Mozzarella and sauteed spinach in a white wine sauce. I am a huge fan of the Gnocchi, homemade potato pasta, sauteed with fresh diced tomatoes, asparagus in a light cream sauce. Light as air. We even had dessert, Coconut Sorbet. No leftovers!
Are you looking for a good book to read? My sister-in-law, Ann Lombardi, has written Campfire Chronicles. Today she had a book signing at the North Haven Library. This would make a lovely gift for any readers on your gift list!
Here is an overview from Amazon: Ann White Lombardi's literary endeavor, Campfire Chronicles, follows the travels of Alva, a nearly two hundred and four year old woman, with her quest to return to the sparkling waters of her birth. Her harrowing and heartwarming journey with a small group of strangers, leads them into the alien society of the future and plays a part in their destiny. With the premise that the more things change, the more things stay the same, this science-fiction fantasy is written with attentive descriptions that allow the reader to travel along on the journey. "There was a silence in the air that felt crushing. Amidst the soundless circle were all of the faint yet distinct noises; the bird in the bushes hopping from twig to twig, the sound of a small animal scurrying through the dried grasses, the babbling of the nearby brook as the cold, fresh water tumbled over the smooth stones, the sound of tree toads singing in the distant swamp, and the crackling of wood in the fire pit as the flames came to life. All of these sounds set the stage for the evening's storyteller, Alva".
I am about a third way into the book. It is very good!
Wow what a week. I did not have time to do any posts this week. So here we have our first ever Week End Wrap Up! A couple of the meals were made a couple of weeks ago and put in the freezer. Thank God for that freezer!
Tuesday...
Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Italian Green Pepper and Prosciutto Frittatta on Pita Bread.
The prosciutto was the star of the meal. When I was at the grocery store this week I noticed a sign at the deli counter advertising Prosciutto ends for $2.99 a pound. I got the last one. Yes it was my impulse buy. I cut it into a couple of pieces and froze some. I added a bit to the frittatta. Delicious!
Wednesday...
Lasagna.
No Boil Noodles, frozen meatballs and homemade sauce. Perfect end to a crazy day.
Quarttro's! Started with a Vodka Gimlet (it was a very long week), Bruschetta, Fried Calamari. For dinner I had Fettuccini Carbonara and Chris had Veal Matesse. As always it was an amazing meal.
And a word about lunch...
Hearty Farro Soup. I found this recipe on Cucina Panzano. I made a pot of it and it was my lunch all week. I added lentils in place of the pinto beans. I looked forward to lunch every day. This is a highly recommended recipe.
Did you ever wake up thinking about dinner? Well tonight we went to Quattro's for my birthday dinner with my sister and her husband.
We started off with cocktails and appetizers. Fried Calamari, Clams Casino, Crab Cake and Bruschetta.
For dinner I had the Gnocchi a la Vodka. What an amazing meal. The Gnocchi are so light it is like eating puffs of air. Chris had the Veal Matesse. Ralph had the Lamb Osso Bucco. And Lenore had a seafood soup with coconut milk
Seeing my meal was so "light" I was able to polish off a serving of Tiramsu! We had a nice bottle of Merlot, Chateau Ste Michelle Washington State with dinner.
So far this has been my favorite meal of 2011. It will be tough to top this.
This evening I went to a cooking demonstration at Quattros in Guilford. For $40 the chef demonstrated the preparation of a Stuffed Shrimp appetizer, Gnocchi with Vodka Sauce, Tilapia Florentine and Vanilla Crepes. He prepared each meal at a large table with all of us gathered around and then we were served each dish. Just to see how he made the gnocchi was worth the price. Interestingly he uses a recipe very close to the one I use. which uses baked potatoes! Anyway more on that when I prepare the dishes for Chris.
Meanwhile, Chris was home this evening with a pan of Hunter-Style Chicken. And guess where the recipe was from.... La Cucina. I had made this back in January. There are 3 versions of this recipe but we both loved this one so at some point I will try the other two.
I think a pink nosed kitty would like to try some of that chicken!
